I watched the Olympics closing ceremony. One thing that has always touched me about the Olympics is watching the gathering of people from all nations around the earth, seeing all of them together, smiling, laughing, hugging, and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. Kind of gives us liberals a warm, cuddly feeling, and probably brings out the hidden liberal in a good many.

I’m an antiwar, anti-imperialist. I'm an idealist and a realist. I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I believe the only path to peace, love and harmony is to end the constant war and conflict the people who control the governments of this world perpetuate on us all. I’ve always felt, no, I’ve always known, that people are the same no matter what race, religion, or national origin. Humans are humans. Is there any greater proof of that than our own country, the melting pot of the world?

How can a country that bills itself as the beacon of democracy and the melting pot of the world contribute so much death, destruction, and misery to our own brothers and sisters?

During the closing ceremonies the song “Imagine” from John Lennon was played.

The words were clear:

"Imagine theres no countries, it isn't hard to do
No need to kill or die for and no religions too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

Here’s a famous antiwar song (sort of), a dirty fucking hippie song from John Lennon, being played at the 2012 Olympics to athletes from around the world and relayed to over a billion humans, asking people to imagine "all the people living life in peace". The major reason the song is so popular, and why it was played at the Olympics, is because it resonates, the message is universal. But we're farther away from achieving that dream than we were when Lennon wrote it, evidently much farther.

The people can imagine, it’s the money and power grubbing bastards who run and influence our governments that are in the way, i.e., the powers that be, the rich elite and their servant politicians. We the people are allowing it. I'm talking about the people of earth. The 99% versus 1% situation is not restricted to the U.S. and Europe. But Americans share a special responsibility. Their country is the one that is trying to be the Empire by ruling the earth with military force. They are the ones who have benefited most from the resultant geopolitical mayhem that has allowed them a "middle class" lifestyle unmatched in human history.

People agree when it comes to peace, they always have, sans the propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. It reminds me of the comments I saw in Youtube under a great song video. Peace Train by Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens. The video is of a great performance of the song in front of the Nobel Peace Prize conference, 2006. Under the video, a simple comment is relayed by people from well over 100 countries, "Peace from _________". That's all they say, "Peace" and where they're from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7iLPnDCQ1g

The Olympics always brings out the peace activist in me. I think it's because it shows, in a microcosm of course, what is and what can be. Athletes from different countries all dancing and singing the same song and waving at the cameras transmitting the event to over 150 countries. Those athletes are us, that's what is possible. It isn't just how fast we can run or how high we can jump.

"You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
Take my hand and join us
And the world will live, will live as one"