Mental Fight

The Ash Wednesday service at St.Paul’s contained a reading from ‘Mental Fight’ by Ben Okri. Although I’d heard a few things about this work I’d never read it until now. I’ve bought a copy for myself and it’s amazing. This poem is reflective and visionary, it carries a challenge that resonates with the subversive nature of the Kingdom of God.

 

 A couple of quotes,

Ben Okri’s epic poem mental Fight is an intimate song of rage and restoration. It speaks to each new moment and each person. Like sunlight or lie pain. It is an anthem to our ascending dreams, and a hymn of inspiration.

No contemporary writer has raised greater passions than Okri – the Guardian.

Comments

[Eshuneutics]

Where exactly is the Christian element in Mental Fight? The title, from Blake's anti-religious work, "Milton", places the poem within a prophetic rather than Christian context. The poem talks of "astonishing the gods", not God, and exists in a spiritual framework outside the Kingdom of Heaven. You are correct to identify the visionary quality of Mental Fight, but I would question your interpretation.

[ben]

Eshuneutics,
Thanks for you comment. I agree with you that this work is neither specifically or intended to be branded as 'Christian'. I do however think that as with all art forms, we are invited to interact with its content. Whilst this text is clearly not written as a 'Christian text' it does resonate with a number of aspects of what I discern to be Kingdom of God themes -themes of Justice and liberation, essentially 'anti slavery'. Whilst these themes aren't exclusively Christian they are at the heart of the Christian gospel and serve as a constant challenge to the global church as well as all the worlds powers and governments.

[Eshuneutics]

An interesting set of observations. I value your insights and recognise that a text can be open to different interpretations. "Anti-slavery"? A Christian theme. Well, yes and no...bearing in mind that Christianity sanctioned slavery (especially in America) for a long time. However, I suspect you reply would be that anti-slavery ought to be a Kingdom of God theme, which I could not possibly disagree with. If anything though, Mental Fight, bears quite a condemnation of Christianity (and other religions) in that after 2000 years, according to Okri, civilisation still has not seen "the best" of Christianity. Bearing in mind that Mental Fight is a millenium poem dating from Christianity's birth, this is quite a sharp denunciation by Okri. Interesting that a service at St Paul's, one of the hearts, in way, of Christendom, should appropriate a text in this way. For what purpose? It is somewhat subversive, but then no more subversive than the appropriation of Okri by the leader of South Africa in a world speech, one of the least creative of all world leaders and one most culpable in terms of Mental Fight: a leader noted for his mental blindness towards AIDS and human suffering. Thank you for your interesting post which has given me food for thought. Best wishes.

[Stewart]

I love Mental Fight. It is a stunning work, the only poem I have ever bought, and I have used it many times in training courses and in worship. In fact I liked it so much I bought 20 copies, one for each of the people who came to one of my workshops! I find it provocative and challenging and, like you Ben, find much that resonates with my thoughts on the subversive nature of the Kingdom. I first heard of it at Greenbelt a few years ago when Okri came to read it and discuss it so he didn't seem to mind Christians chiming with its themes.