Overheard this morning on the subway from one person in a group of high-school students: “John Lennon’s Imagine should have been the Soviet’s national anthem.”

OK. Maybe. John Lennon himself once said the song was like a musical version of Friedrich Engels’ and Karl Marx’s Manifesto. But take a step back and look at the song in a global context.

What are we killing each other over? Religion, countries, possessions. What stands in the way of humanity reaching its greatest potential? Greed, hunger. The goal, as the song says, is to realize a true, lasting Brotherhood of Man.

Of course I’ve got this song on my MP3 player, and after hearing the kids talk about it this morning, I listened to Imagine sung by Dolly Parton and David Foster. At the end of the song, Dolly closes with a short thought that sums it up: “Just imagine a world, a world without sorrow; Imagine the world, a bright tomorrow / Imagine a world, peace and love; Now that’s the world that I dream of.”

Something to think about — and strive for — on a Friday morning.

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that 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