One great thing about being Catholic is we have loads of stuff written by really brilliant and faith-filled people on the subjects of God, truth and love.
The downside is that millions of people won’t pay any attention to it, no matter how good it is, because it comes from a Catholic source.
But it is a quirk of human nature that sometimes people will hear the message, if it comes from a different messenger. Of course, if a source is outside the Church, the message is not going to line up perfectly. But if Christ is the bread of life, half a loaf is better than none, if none is your only other option.
One of the most intriguing people in media right now is Andrew W.K. I first discovered him when he guested on Fox News’ latenight pop-culture/politics roudtable, “RedEye.” He’s a musician, entertainer, music producer, motivational speaker and advice columnist, with a regular feature in The Village Voice, called “Ask Andrew W.K.”
It’s a blend of self-help and practical advice, mixed with a view of life that’s a bit New Age, but more grounded and genuinely uplifting, without straying into any specific religious pronouncements (and I couldn’t find where he’s ever discussed his specific religious beliefs, if any). In this way, a wide variety of young people feels comfortable turning to him with problems.
For example, late last year, W.K. — real name Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier — addressed a question from an out-and-proud atheist who was disturbed that a minister tossed a mention of God into his atheist buddy’s wedding ceremony.
Praising the questioner for thinking deeply about situations and formulating strong opinions, W.K. counseled him to keep “an open mind and an open heart,” writing:
Keeping an open mind and an open heart requires an incredible amount of determined effort. The act of questioning and the search for truth demands the utmost courage and discipline. And it’s not a discipline built around staunch and unwavering adherence to one’s beliefs, but an unwavering commitment to the quest for honesty, integrity, and discovery, even at the expense of one’s own beliefs. This is to ensure that new insights and opportunities for enlightened growth aren’t dismissed simply because they conflict with previously held opinions.
In our collective struggle toward truth, it’s required that we maintain a true openness — an openness so vast that it’s difficult to define. The only word approaching a description of this infinite openness is the word “love.” And with that in mind, maybe the word “God” is also attempting to describe this incredible openness.
He goes on to say:
Perhaps love really does mean God, and God really is love.
Click here to read the rest. It’s hardly Catholic theology (and W.K. doesn’t make definitive statements about God’s existence), but landing on a mind that rejects any concept of God, it’s a great place to start. And, it’s quite beautiful.
W.K. has also discussed his view of heaven, and his own struggle with depression. In his most recent column, published Monday, Oct. 19, he answered someone who said that he or she had considered suicide, and that W.K.’s writings and videos had brought hope.
In his answer, W.K. thanked the person but also pointed out that the answer didn’t ultimately come from him, but from within the person.
You had a powerful encounter with truth, and truth is not something that I invented or that anyone can take credit for. Truth is an experience that you have in yourself — a type of clarity about your own existence and the miracle of life.
The best we can ever do is remind each other that our own inner resources have the power we need to live our life.
No matter how badly someone else tries to make you feel truth, or explain it to you, or even force it into your mind, it can only be experienced and understood through your own personal and intimate interaction with that part of yourself that is true.
Any inspiration you think you got from my work was actually already inside you all along. My work maybe helped you remember that you already had the key, but it still took your efforts to use that key and unlock your own power.
We’d like it if people found that Truth in Faith and in Christ, but that path just isn’t accessible for everyone at every stage in their lives, especially in this day and age. But, love is, and, along with truth, it’s one of W.K.’s favorite subjects.
W.K.’s philosophy is encapsulated in the idea of partying — which he defines as doing what you love best with all the enthusiasm you can muster — but he pointed out to a questioner in an Oct. 7 column that life can be wonderful, but it’s not always sunshine and puppies.
He wrote:
The only true solution to the riddle of life is to love it. Love it all. Love the riddle itself. Love trying to solve it. Love not being able to. Love the times when everything seems bad. Love the times when everything seems good. Love your own ups and downs. And know that they are all part of an incredibly vast and dazzling experience that you get to go through, one that’s actually happening right now. And love that this experience is out of control and frightening at times. Love it in all of its textures, all of its qualities, all of its pains and pleasures — and release the need to be happy, or be sad, or be anything in particular. Just simply be yourself and be aware that you’re actually here and you’re going through this miraculous thing called “life.”
Love it, and love it again. And then return to that state of love whenever you feel confusion overriding the clarity of its truth. Love it all.
In an unchurched world full of lost young people on whom no one has ever “imposed” a set of values, a knowledge of right and wrong, or a workable way to live, perhaps it’s not surprising that they can be reached via a long-haired, high-energy rock ‘n roller with a philosophical streak.
He’s also got a regular radio show/podcast, called “America W.K.,” on Glenn Beck’s conservative online network The Blaze.
And don’t let the bloody-nose image turn you off. Sometimes things done in youth haunt you forever.
Images: Courtesy The Blaze, used by permission of Andrew W.K.
Don’t miss a thing: head over to my other home at CatholicVote and like my Facebook page.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In