HUNTER S. THOMPSON: AMERICAN PROPHET

Too often we confuse prophets with prognosticators. The prophets of the Old Testament were not trying to predict the future. The Hebrew word for prophet is "nevi" which means "proclaimer." Rather than predictors, the prophets were people who proclaimed The Truth to those in power. Truth that the rulers often did not want to hear and as often did not heed.

And because the prophets recognized and understood The Truth -- about human nature, about politics, about power relationships -- when their calls for change were ignored, the dire consequences of which they warned often came to pass. So while accurate predictions were a byproduct of prophesy, a prophet's primary gifts were profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.

Since his demise, I have been re-reading Dr. Thompson's books and if you just add "peerless drug and alcohol abuse" to "profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression" you have a one-line description of Hunter S. Thompson. (And, conversely, the Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations are nothing more or less than "Fear and Loathing in Kingdom of Judah.")

So it should come as no surprise that the post containing a quote from HST elicited an unprecedented number of comments for this blog.

And it should come as no surprise that I will be posting more Gonzo Prophecy in the days to come.