Leonard Cohen, one the greatest poets of all time, has left our world. Even though he was both 82 and in increasingly poor health, this news is heartbreaking. I can't help but feel like we needed him now, more than ever.
Cohen's deep connection to humanity's essential core was as profound as any writer I've ever encountered. It's like he wrote from that place, deep inside all of us, where, stilled in the solitude of longing, we actually become one. A singular, breathing, writhing, dreaming One.
To access this, you have to be an extraordinary human being; a person whose wisdom is the equal of his humility. But to convey it, you need to be an even more extraordinary writer. Words can do anything, but seldom do they do great things with ease. Cohen harnessed the ability words can have to resonate with meaning on multiple levels. His care and craftsmanship was truly that of a master.
I have been inspired by Cohen's writing in so many ways, at so many different points in my life. He has comforted me, dazzled me, warned me, enlightened me. And he's made me laugh. He could be a bloody funny bugger when he wanted to be. He played irony like a master violinist playing a Stradivarius. He made meaning dance. He breathed our shared humanity, polished it and framed it, and made us proud of who we are.
Our world seems terribly and cruelly divided right now, and the thought of facing one of humanity's greatest challenges without one of humanity's greatest champions seems dispiritingly futile. But when I look inside myself, where the best of Leonard Cohen now resides, I know he will not agree. I know he will remind me of age old struggles, between who will serve and who will eat; he'll wryly point out our struggle and stagger down snakes and up ladders; and most of all, he'll remind me that there are cracks in everything, and that this is how the light gets in.
Leonard, you have left us in body only. Your spirit is immortal, and those of us who consider ourselves your disciples will honour it, and be nourished by it, for as long as we live.
Peace be with you, Leonard Cohen.