More e-mail's from Gene to Robert Neale. Your "dare we laugh" in reference to the incongruities within and between sex, death and religion delighted me. I'll be mailing you a copy of a two page cartoon spread I did years ago on speculation when the "Laugh In" television program was at peak popularity and they were planning to publish a magazine. They loved it, but said they wouldn't dare publish the spread. It leaped into many sensitive issues, things that concerned me: religion, racial relations, politics, etc. One of my favorite drawings in the spread is a cartoon depiction of DaVinci's fresco of the Last Supper. The positions of all the apostles are the same as in the original. Jesus is standing breaking the bread. Judas is leaning over to one of the apostles whispering, "Just watch...he'll keep the biggest piece for himself." Funny joke and that's what I was thinking at the time, but another element eventually popped into mind (thank Whomever for the subconscious that keeps working). The gag was also a commentary on Christianity, or at least the part with which I was/am familiar Catholicism, but suspect it would apply across the board. The keeping of the biggest piece for self, the formal structure of the "faith" trying to keep the biggest piece of the individual, if not the whole, for itself rather than allowing it to roam free in its search so that IF it returns there would be a Wholeness to it's integration into the faith. Still doubts, certainly, but a free wholehearted choosing of that structure to search for meaning. The Church works against itself. I think one of the most horrifying sentences ever spoken was by the Pope, forget which one, who said, "Give me a child until he's five, and then you can have him back." What chilling implication whether in reference to a faith, a political system, anything actually.
Speaking about that kind of freedom. Before the transcendental experience I told you about at the Self Realization Fellowship temple I'd been there to two prior services. The first was remarkable. At the beginning, the monk walked to the lectern, looked out at us. He said, "I see some unfamiliar faces. Welcome, of course. However, I do have something to say. If you happen to be a Baptist...go now, be the best possible Baptist you can be. If you're a Catholic...go, be the best possible Catholic you can be. If you're a Jew...go, be the best possible Jew you can be. And so on. Please understand -- we have nothing special to offer, nothing better than your present faith has to offer, no miracles. But certainly, you are most welcome to stay." WOW! Was I impressed. Another drawing in the cartoon spread was of a kitchen. Hitler is there holding two little children wearing yarmulkes by the hand. The oven door of the stove is open. The caption is, "Hitler is alive and baby sitting in Israel." Ghastly, tasteless...and funny. I think if deep within our psyches humor was not a responsive conjoined twin to horror we'd quickly go insane. Reminds me. When I was in my twenties a friend's father was a rabbi. Rabbi Hahn was a wizen little man with a sweet humor. Friend Eli was perpetually in some sort of not serious but parent frustrating trouble. Once I said to Rabbi Hahn, "I'm sorry you're having all this trouble with Eli." He smiled ever so slightly, said, "When you Christians have problems you say you're bearing your cross..." he shrugged, "So Eli's my cross." Cracked me up. I'm using this incident and what follows in Book Three as Andrea's experience. Eli was in a terrible accident, in a full body cast recuperating at home. One evening when I went to visit Eli he was sleeping, so I joined Rabbi Hahn in his study. Marvelous, littered with books, somehow dimly lit and yet with some sort of a light of it's own that wasn't from a bulb, but rather a feeling of the place. The only anachronism was a small television set in the corner. It was turned on to the "What's My Line" program with Bennett Cerf one of the panel members. Anyway, Rabbi Hahn and I began chatting, then I started to ask questions about Judaism. He began explaining, going deeper and deeper and deeper into it, the absoluteness of his love and devotion to his faith so beautiful. Suddenly, he stopped, turned to the television set, said, "Wait, wait! The mystery guest is coming on! I have to see if they can guess who the mystery guest is." He watched, he laughed, he clapped his hands with delight when they didn't guess the guest's identity. When it was over, he turned right back to me and instantly was back in the depths of what he had been saying. My God, what a holy man to so trust his God that without hesitation he could interrupt what was far more a communion with God than with me...to watch a few minutes of an amusing TV program...and KNOW he could instantly return to the divine. What astounding faith in his God, and in himself. It was one of the most inspiring moments in my life. Even now I choke up writing about it. So, it's in the book. ********** A few days ago I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't get back to sleep so I started thinking about the book and "The Way", the Practitioner's "The Why" that then led to "The How" in regard to words and meaning and brevity (yeah, yeah...which this letter isn't). Using as few words as possible, reduced to the most simple form of expression, what could a man say, accepting the premise it is being said with Absolute sincerity, that would tell us this is a truly good and spiritually growing man. I reduced it to three statements with possibly a fourth:
1, "I don't know."
(which opens the universe to him) I was deliberating about #4 being "How can I help?" But I think that would fall into place in the Compassion part of #2. I'm not sure they're in the correct order of importance. Maybe Gratitude is #1. I think those three would tell us this is a good man. Or -- should I have spent the time eating cookies in bed when I couldn't sleep? Completely agree with you about mocking what we truly believe, On a couple levels -- if we can't recognize clay feet how can we possibly consider divine potential; plus, if the belief can run the gauntlet of mockery what stronger affirmation of it could there be? |
