Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
~ The Second Coming, William B Yeats, 1919
As I ruminate over the life of the hugely talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, the words of this poem comes to mind. Yeats presciently uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and Second Coming allegorically to describe the spiritual apathy of his time. These beautifully crafted words are as relevant today as it was for its post-war audience.
It enjoyed a revival and popularity in Africa through a novel by Chinua Achebe, coined from one of its lines – entitled Things Fall Apart.
Friends, with a heavy heart I draw this thought to a close with this question from The Rabbi;
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
~ Sabali
Healingsprings fellowship 