The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
Dostoevsky wrote:
"I am a ridiculous man.
They call me mad now.
That would be a step up in rank,
If I did not still remain
As ridiculous to them as before..."
And so it went, and so
It continues to go...
Yet, I live perpetually surprised
They cannot see the Garden in bloom:
Even with the scent of roses in the air
Even with the bees swarming the lavender
Even with the swaying magnolia overhead
Even with the honeysuckle climbing up their legs:
Twirling around calf, thigh, and through pubic hair
They still pretend they are in control
They still pretend their erotic dreams are sin
They still pretend they don't want to strip
And run naked with the wind, in the sand,
On the shore and fall forever into
Everlasting arms of welcome home...
And my surprise deepens
Whenever they talk of God: even as
They banish god from their bodies
Even as they banish god from their desires
Even as they banish god from their daydreams
Even as they banish god from their breaking hearts
They stand in rigid aloneness
And pretend they are rapt in the holy:
Where have the crowds gone?
Where have the believers settled?
Where have the theologies all turned to straw?
The ridiculous man knows!
Yes! The ridiculous man knows!
"I would laugh with them --
Not really at myself, but for love of them --
If it weren't so sad for me to look at them.
Sad because they don't know the truth,
And I do know the truth. Ah, how hard
It is to be the only one who knows the truth!"
Has your heart broken open?
Have you leaked out all over the place?
Do you really want to know?
The crowd and the believers
They have ceased their suffering walk
They have gathered in the Garden of the Rose
They are sitting surrounded by the flowers
They are all drunk on the wafting breeze of Love
They have finally made their choice:
They, too, have become ridiculous
And with a Ridiculous God, are birthing
A brand new world in a brand new Universe.
"I will not and cannot believe that evil
Is the normal condition of people...
But how to set up paradise -- I don't know
Because I'm unable to put it into words...
I saw the truth -- it's not that my mind
Invented it, but I saw it, I saw it,
And its living image filled my soul for all time...
And yet it's so simple:
In one day, in one hour --
It could all be set up at once!
The main thing is -- love others as yourself,
That's the main thing, and it's everything,
There's no need for anything else at all:
It will immediately be discovered
How to set things up..."
And with the fraternity of the ridiculous
Both the gift of life and the grace of faith
Are always about putting love into action:
That is all and everything -- and now just for you
A single red rose, free for the Giving...
Principles and Precepts of the Fraternity of the Ridiculous
7. The world is pregnant with God. -- Bl. Angela of Foligno
3. Love is the great work. -- Hafiz
6. Wisdom begins with wonder. -- Socrates
8. Anywhere is the center of the world. -- Black Elk
4. Let the beauty we love be what we do. -- Rumi
10. All creation is gifted with the ecstasy of God's light.
-- Hildegard of Bingen
2. I am beautiful. -- The Shulammite (Song of Songs)
5. O God, Thou art my Mother and I am Thy child -- this is the last word in spirituality. -- Ramakrishna
9. Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.
-- The Dalai Lama
1. Love one another as I have loved you. -- Yeshua, the Poet of Nazareth
12. Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
11. Kiss More. -- Maybe You
