Humanity's Need for Spirituality

Morrison revisits the theme several times throughout his writing of humanity's need to find spiritual significance in the lives they live. He talks about the need for rites of passage in the lives of boys as they become men, talking about the need for their to be tests in which they prove themselves and the men they admire then affirming that they are becoming men. He talks about the lack of genuine worship, something he observes only in old men, some young women and small children, and in everyone else, he sees people acting at worship that is much more for show than communion with the divine. He also talks about Native American culture, calling himself a shaman, and taking on the responsibility of passing wisdom on to the people who listen to his music and read his poetry. He sees his audience as people...