Except You Ravish Me....

So often we seem to be subtely seduced by a 'self-help' mentality. Apply this technique and things will get better, buy into this 10 minute a day package. We in church circles are no less guilty of applying formulas and programmes in place of creativity. So i love this beautiful antidote from John Donne, who reminds us that all our defences, all our levees, all our road maps and five year plans, all our disciplines will be breached 'except you ravish me.'

BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due,
Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie:
Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.

Pornography

Some interesting thoughts on pornography and its status in our culture from Germaine Greer in the Times a few weeks ago;

Pornography is not just part of our culture, it is our culture. The economic activity represented by the gernation of pron products amounts to many times more than all of our dance, music, film, fine arts and literature rolled together. Pornography is the cultural expression of capitalism. The art form that is endemic to our system is advertising. Advertising exists to raise desire for objects and services that we cuold do without but can pay for, that we do not need by can be made to want. THe outcome of the negotiation, ideally brief and impersonal, is immediate gratification. Whether its imagery is subliminal or obvious, it is always pornographic.