“Imagine everyone living in peace. Imagine a world without possessions.” With these lines, John Lennon raised his voice in protest against the Vietnam War. “Imagine” was seen by many as a hymn of peace and comfort in difficult times, Lennon himself described it as marketing for peace.
Paradoxically, the song was blacklisted after the attacks on the World Trade Center because some of the lyrics seemed questionable in the context of the time. In view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the song is currently experiencing a sad revival. All the speechlessness finds its expression in these song lines, also at a children’s service in Ebersberg.
The Mass is over and the final blessing has been spoken. A young man begins to play “Imagine” on the piano. No sooner have the first bars been played than the church bell begins to ring. Dong-dong. No hell below us. Dong-dong. Living for today. At first, some of those present made a face, they seem to think it’s a shame that it’s going down like this. The pianist, however, is undeterred and continues to play. You may say, I’ma dreamer. Dong-dong. It doesn’t take long before you get used to the interplay of piano and church bells.
The mighty bell tones complement the simple instrumental in a strange way, it seems as if they want to give emphasis to what is being sung, to offer support to the bewilderment. But it also reminds of death, the power of time, in this case: the language of war. If the mood was devout before, one is now moved. And the world will live as one. Dong-dong. And when the music stops, so do the bells.