Doorthy Day, Catholic Worker
I received an email today regarding the meaning of the word ‘radical’. The author was complaining how easy the word was used, even describing ultra-conservatives. He suggested that they should be called ‘reactionaries’ not radicals. I agree but say the ‘liberal progressive’ should stop using the word and call themselves reactionaries.
My eight wasted years of taking Latin came into play for with a little bit of help from reference sites I remembered that “Radical comes for the Latin word radicalis “of roots” and from Latin radix “root”, which means getting at the root of things.” I used the word ‘radical’ to describe myself but stopped when the meaning of the word got confused when liberals were called ‘radicals.’ In my opinion, politically, a ‘radical’ is not liberal or conservative, Republican or Democratic, Muslim or Catholic but someone with a listening heart that goes to the root of the issue.
I do not like any labels or tags but recently been attracted to the term ‘radical middle’, referring the someone who takes a balanced view of life and is a ‘truth seeker’ no matter how the ‘truth’ will come out.
Jim Wallis, an evangelist wrote a book called “God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It.” I think he was at getting to the meaning of the word ‘radical’. God is the ultimate radical and, by the way, God is also Truth.
I am reminded of another quote that came recently: The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” (Joseph Cambell). By changing of few words I think we can get at the heart of being ‘radical’. “The goal of life is to make your search for the truth match Truth, to match your nature with God.”
Radicals seek truth, seek the basic nature of all things and are not satisfied till they find it.
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