A couple of people have commented that they were put off by
the profanity/vulgarity in some of Cohen's work. I tried to
explain that I found it all to be part of a whole, a diverse
yet unified collection of work that reflects the human condition.


Yesterday there was an article in the newspaper about a document
on sexuality that Catholic bishops in the U.S. were discussing.
Normally I couldn't care much less about what they have to say,
but there were a few quotations from the document that sounded
more like Cohen's position than that of conservative theologians.


The document refers to human sexuality as "a devine gift, a primal
dimension of each person, a mysterious blend of spirit and body,...
a dimension of one's restless heart, which continually yearns for
interpersonal communion,... an integral part of one's overall
consciousness."


Taken out of context, these phrases sum up a large part of Cohen's
work as well as my assumption of a primary force in his life.