They put John Lennon up on the big screen, remastered and straight from Yoko Ono's archives, singing about how we should "Imagine all the people living life in peace." Blue light bathed Olympic Stadium, and it was picture-perfect stagecraft for an organization that wants people to believe, above all else, that the games are about the world coming together and putting aside differences.

Funny thing, though. In a lot of ways, it's kind of true.

Nearly 32 years after Lennon was murdered, this song somehow avoids being cliche and hackneyed. And to have thousands of athletes in the middle of a stadium as human examples, and tens of thousands of spectators swaying to words sung by a long-dead and optimistic pop star, you sort of can't help but believe.

— Ted Anthony — Twitter http://twitter.com/anthonyted

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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.