Cat Stevens

 

 Clarity is a strange and wondrous animal. Being prepared is the key since where clarity will take you,  well,.. you'll never know. That in itself is mystery. Listening to Cat Stevens/Yusuf this morning and heard interesting aspects of his music: the resolution of his quest for clarity of perhaps one could say, certainty. The quest seemed to land him in the world of Islam.

Much of our faith journeys are just that, Faith. The hope that something will happen, the hope that what we think is to happen, under-girded by mystery.  But maybe that mystery is insufficient for the certainty our brains crave. I mean, let's be real, hoping that something ladened with and shrouded in mystery, will actually or has actually happened, is a huge leap of,.... faith (pun intended).  All of our wiring does not accept the voltage offered by the mystery, say, of Judaism or even Christianity. And maybe, and this is sheer speculation on my part, when we try to adapt our acceptance of the wattage of Judaism or Christianity, short cuts are inevitable,.. the context is often missing. We see it all the time in scripture quoting or even the story telling of Judaic customs. So consider: Does Islam offer a different path?

Cat Stevens moving lyrics are a stunning example of a journey contrasting hope and mystery and looking for change contrasted against the joy and love of accepting community that has already happened as well as prayers for the here and now.

The longing of Where do the Children Play? is palpable as it looks for hope in a commercial world that's lost is bearings and wonders where the wrong turn was made form the hope and innocence we had as children.  Or "Will you carry the word of love with you?" as enshrined in Oh Very Young where he looks for a better day through the lives of generations to come. 

And this is not just a prelude leading up to Islam (from Judaism or Christianity). Afterall, these are values espoused by Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and the like  (remember Cat' Stevens' Buddah and the Chocolate Box?).

But I hear something different in Ramadan Moon. Maybe its the mood I'm in, I don't know,..  but I hear and see joy, laughter, community, the moon is, after all, the here and now, the tangible, the seen. And signals still, New Beginnings.  Maybe I'm overthinking, but I can see , and feel, the attraction. 

Take this for what you will, but we shouldn't be quick to dismiss others' way of looking at God. We're wired differently, all 8 billion of us, each one looking for clarity. For me, well,...I'm still looking. When you look, be prepared for where the journey might take you.