"Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can." John Lennon recorded these words in 1971. The song became one of the five most popular ever written. "Imagine" has landed on every "best of" lists compiled and will continue to do so until enough years pass to temper its relevance.

The song also inspired millions of young people from Baby Boomers who heard it just after it was released up to the current generation. People of all ages, backgrounds, and dispositions wonder wistfully if we will ever achieve the dream of the sensitive and political Beatle.

When "Imagine" first became popular, John Lennon was worth over 100 million dollars. I'm pretty sure he didn't give away as much as one of his prized leather coats, and very little else. His survivors have lived on with little financial worry, and Yoko Ono has exposed many people to her own brand of enhanced interrogation technique without ever hitting a lick at a snake.

We were mellow revolutionaries during the 60s. Watching heroes get assassinated while smoking left handed cigarettes will do that to you. Most of the young people of that time had a very simplistic outlook on life. If we all just denounced violence and held hands, the world would be a happy place. We also thought bell bottoms and tie- dyed shirts were really cool so you see how our thought process worked.

While we were teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, other mammals were demonstrating how the natural order really works. The strong survive longer; bad guys will take advantage of you; punishment is an important part of the lesson of life.

I can't recall the first person who decided it was better to "just give them what they want and hope no one gets hurt." I feel safe in assuming that person had an abundance of estrogen flowing through their system. Men typically like to have stuff and will fight to keep it.

The idea of giving away all possessions never caught on but giving them up without a fight sure did. It has become so common in the last 40 years there have been instances of criminals suing homeowners for defending their property.

Today's Somali pirates like the idea very much. Hijack a ship, take a few hostages, and profit. For five days some of them held an American captain prisoner while waiting for a Coke commercial to break out. "Give us the captain. We'll let you go. No harm no foul."

Instead the US Navy did what a lot of us thought should have been done initially. Get three or four really good shots to take out the pirates and pick the captain up. Problem solved. The pirates were outraged and promised retaliation. Maybe now we need a couple of F/A- 18 Hornets to fly low over the Somali coast.

As the rest of the world wrings its hands about what they will do now, I wonder if this will start a trend. Maybe the instinctive reflex to fight for your belongings will regain popularity. Maybe thieves will find robbing people a little more hazardous to their health.

Punishing bad guys, fighting violent crime, and teaching personal responsibility? Imagine.