Friday, February 12, 2016

Bob Dylan: 1980 The Dust of Man (transubstantiation)


  The Dust of Man is what 1980 was: a return to the pulpit – the lion’s den – the first time you felt the breath of God inside of you – first time you realized you were mortal and would someday face your Creator. Maybe you haven’t even come close to this jumping off point yet, perhaps you are still a lamb and don’t believe in wolves and the destruction that is caused when they step from the shadows. Beating you down with their teeth and their claws or with cancer or some other disease you never quite factored in and your faith is tested. For the first time you are pushed up against the wall and shown just how futile a struggle is if you don’t believe in anything.
  In 1980 Bob Dylan took it all full circle when he brought songs written prior to his conversion back into the fold and reminded us that he is still very much a rolling stone. That nothing had really changed except that his faith had been resurrected from the dust of man.
  The child becomes a man and puts away childish things or the man becomes a child and puts away his preoccupation with death. We are all born again, but instead of only seeing this in relation to Jesus Christ try and understand that you must accept who you truly are before you can accept a Savior. The question is how can you ask for God’s forgiveness if you refuse to first forgive yourself. In 1980 Bob Dylan was doing just that.
 
Charles Cicirella

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