KICK ASS FOR THE BELOVED
“In studying the lives of these wonderful saints, I can’t imagine any of them saying “no” if they were asked if we could freely adapt their words to a few bluegrass tunes or whiskey-soaked jazz. I think they might shout, “Go for it, baby; set the world on fire if you can, kick ass for the Beloved with some great art.”
In the paragraph quoted above, poet and translator Daniel Ladinsky suggests his own outrageous notions to go along with those of the mystical poets (whom he calls saints) he translates in his book Love Poems from God. It’s not hard to imagine that phrases like “blue grass tunes,” “whiskey-soaked jazz,” and “kick ass for the Beloved” might seem not only inappropriate, but even offensive to those who take their relationship with the Divine seriously. Shouldn’t the ambiance surrounding God be described by words like splendor, reverence, glory, and numinous?
Ladinsky is inviting us to shake off the cobwebs that sometimes gather around theological concepts. ‘God’ is a word that should connote aliveness, energy, passion, and the like. The heaviness/seriousness that sometimes accompanies our associations with God-thinking can cast a shadow over the lightness and brightness that ought to characterize all religious matters. It may be the lack of such a life giving understanding of God/religion that gives rise to interpersonal conflicts and international wars.
So, “go for it, baby, set the world on fire … kick ass for the Beloved.” This modus operandi need not be extreme, for it may just amount to being more passionate, sensual, and buoyant in our day-to-day lives. St. Francis of Assisi championed this way of living when he said, “It’s useless to walk anywhere to preach unless your walking is your preaching.” Not only our actions, but our demeanor speaks louder than words.
Attuned to Soul 