Soul
What is soul? It is a big, big word with meanings broader and deeper than many words. It is a concept word. Other concepts words would be shalom in Hebrew, wa in Japanese, aloha in Hawaiian, dharma in Sanskrit, and ubuntu in Bantu. These kinds of words are glorious gems; two-carat, beautiful stones; multifaceted; you can turn them this way and that and see a different meaning, realize a different level of wisdom every single time. What a gift.
Soul is one of those words.
I will never be able to adequately define “soul” in all its richness but a solid definition is that soul is the essence of our spirit, of who we are.
Recently, I finished two superb reads. Each with lots of soul.
The first was published in 1988 and I heard about it by doing Pray40 on Hallow. The second was published in 2025 and I heard about it on “First Take.” (See, there is good everywhere. Just kidding. I am a fan of both.)
“A Song for Nagasaki,” written by Paul Glynn is about Takashi Nagai’s journey from Shintoism to atheism to Catholicism and how the search for and understanding of God impacted his understanding of being a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. “Song” is therefore about “the soul” but it incorporates a lot of Japanese “soul” as Japanese culture and identity is imbued in how the people of Japan approach their faith and its implications. “Song” could not have happened anywhere other than Japan and the comparison of Nagasaki to Hiroshima is critical to Nagai’s message of faith. It is a very emotional and moving account.
“Who Better Than You,” written by Will Packer of “Stomp the Yard” fame and a wildly successful filmmaker, is chock full of soul of all shapes and sizes and uses. Packer uses episodes from his very successful life and career to impart larger lessons about how to be successful and what success means. It is also well-written, as is “Song,” and hilarious. The subtitle, which grabbed me, “The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big” as did the endorsements on the back flap, like Kevin Hart’s “All of Will Packer’s stories about me in the book is false. Well, they may be true, but they aren’t funny. Actually, they are pretty funny, but I don’t have to like them.” give you an idea of tone and tenor.
The life and faith lessons in both books are spot on and valuable. And both books, Packer’s directly and Glynn’s a little less directly, talk about the need to define, redefine, and redefine again your view of success. And both, Glynn’s directly, and Packer’s a little less directly until the acknowledgements, put Christ squarely in the center of things.
Soul is a big word. “Song” and “Who Better” are two glittering facets of this big, beautiful rock. Check them out.
Have a Little Faith.
