The marketplace for selling souls is bullish these days. Lots of deals going down especially in politics - a vice presidential candidate running alongside someone he called “America’s Hitler.” But now that I think about it, maybe he intended it as praise not a slur. Hard to know, but when power and greed are at stake, the market is a free-for-all.
I guess we humans have always thought about or carried out bargains with one power or another - if not for fame and fortune, maybe good health for ourselves or loved ones. When a friend recently admitted that she would consider selling her soul to ensure that the aforementioned “American Hitler” was never reelected, I began to think about the myths and history behind this notion.
There’s the legend of Doctor Faustus offering his soul to Mephistopheles for knowledge and pleasure; his character loosely based on the life of an alchemist in the 1500’s. Interpretations of that legend continue to evolve and appear in literature, artworks, music, and even television. Remember the episode of The Simpsons when Bart sells his soul for $5? A soul he doesn’t believe in at least initially.
And what is a soul? I know when I start musing on this, I find myself wanting to listen to Otis Redding or Otis Clay, Etta James or Tina Turner - sweet, sometimes sassy soul that some folks believe is the devil’s music.
I’m Paula Garrett and that’s my perspective.
