HYC in the Arts
“I too, wanted to make music capable of carrying its own weight, even the weight of our own contradictions. To be ‘in the world but not of it’ was the challenge in the scriptures that would take a lifetime to figure out. As artists we were slowly uncovering paradox and the idea that we are not compelled to resolve every contradictory impulse.”
–Bono, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, 143.
The beauty of the various forms of art is that we don’t have to have all the answers. We can embrace paradox, mystery and tension. Perfect Zen-like balance in this life is usually unattainable. It’s why we lean on the “hug your cactus” metaphor, because we believe there will always be what scripture calls “thorns,” things that want to complicate and choke the life out of us.
So, a major feature of this approach to soul care is borrowing from various aspects of art, music, TV, film, and other aspects of pop culture. Like Paul in Athens, we want to reference the poets of this generation (Acts 17). We hope these sorts of connections will help not only the content of hug your cactus relate to your mind, but also help the heart of hug your cactus be welcomed into your heart.
Here’s a few examples of us discovering Cactus Hugging in the Arts:
Hug Our Cactus: The Limits of Politics
https://www.hugyourcactus.com/2024/11/02/hugging-our-cactus-the-limits-of-politics/
Hug Our Cactus: Quitting the Drug of Cancelling others
https://www.hugyourcactus.com/2024/10/28/hugging-our-cactus-quitting-the-drug-of-canceling-others/
Addiction: Problem or Solution? “Drinking Problem”
https://www.hugyourcactus.com/2024/10/21/addiction-problem-or-solution-drinkin-problem/
Anxious about Our Anxiety (Review of Inside Out 2)
https://www.hugyourcactus.com/2024/10/14/anxious-about-our-anxiety/
Hope is a Good Thing: The Shawshank Redemption
https://www.hugyourcactus.com/2024/09/30/hope-is-a-good-thing-the-shawshank-redemption/
Cactus Hugging as Storytelling: “The Valley” by Charley Crocket