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We are entering a transitional time in the evolution of our species.

We are entering a transitional  time in the evolution of our species. The old order is dying and is ...yet to be replaced.

Our way of doing business, education, the way we learn and what we need to learn, our politics, science, the way we view history and virtually everything that affects our lives is changing. The earth is shifting under our feet.

Our institutions and conventions will slowly die unless they (we) adapt to the new world we are entering. I need to add, I believe we are on the verge of the most exciting time in our history. The question is how ready are we to accept what is about to happen.

 

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What does it mean to know what is essential in your life?

 
"Only when we know what is essential can we know what is possible.”  A profound thought from the late Leo Buscaglia that we should all take seriously.

 

One of the most difficult tasks we undertake is to understand what is essential for our goals to come to fruition.  To see the essential ingredients in any process is to see clearly and to distill your thinking to the essence of what is necessary.  When you do this you bring richness to your life that you deserve and should expect for yourself.

 

What then does it mean to know what is essential?  First is means to be complete in your assessment.  Most of all you must bring integrity to this process. 

 

It is very easy to consider as an essential activity something that you do simply because you need positive affirmation for yourself.  This type of behavior can be self destructive and needs to be honestly evaluated to see if it serves a positive or negative purpose.

 

It is also important to consider the time you need for play and contemplation.  We all need quite and relaxing time to remain vital and alive as we reach for our goals.

 

Think of what you need to serve yourself and others. Consider what is essential carefully.  Be honest an open with yourself.  Don’t wait to begin.  The fulfillment you are seeking is waiting for you to embark on the journey.

 

Sister Veronica

 

04/10

 

 

 

.....thoughts on the difficulty of bringing insightful change to our core being.

Brother Franco, headmaster of Pizzaonian Monasteries, was sharing with me some thoughts on how difficult it is for both novice monks and their older brothers and sisters to bring profound change to their lives.  

Here is a brief excerpt of his thoughts on the difficulty of bringing insightful change to our core being. 

Brother Giovanni

 

We live our lives following a habit pattern we are seldom aware of.  We continue to tinker with our schedules and our motivations, but the foundation that it all rests on stays the same.  Many surface things in our personalities change often, but at our core, at the very foundation of our being, change there does not come easily, or often. 

Who we are and how we have learned to protect ourselves from ourselves, and everyone else is where the hardest stone of our foundation rests, and why things seldom change. The reason we seldom change is because we don’t want to change.  Simply said, change at this level would transform our lives dramatically and turn our comfort zones upside down. 

We occasionally get glimpses of the person we could be if we were willing to change ourselves at this core level.  It may be inspiring for a moment, but when the realization of what it would mean to become the real you hits home, it usually takes us quickly back to our comfort zone. 

So the next time you lament to yourself, why don’t things ever really change, find a mirror and ask the person looking back at you.  That person knows the answer to your question if you dare listen. 

Brother Franco

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Poor Mr. Jefferson, where are you when the people need you?

 It is hard for Pizzaonians to accept the notion that Americans no longer believe they have control over their government. 

In many conversations during my recent portalization to the United States, I heard the cynical comment, “they are bought lock, stock and barrel!”  (NRA) They, of course, refer to their supposedly elected representatives.

Whether it is true or not, it is, nonetheless, sad.  The greatest democracy in the Worldonian world is losing the respect of the people it was created to protect.  Poor Mr. Jefferson, where are you when the people need you? 

Can a democracy be great when its citizens no longer believe their vote is meaningful?  Recent activity indicates the people are becoming more positive. The United States faces many financial and political problems; however, none that can compare with the loss of the faith of its people.  Let us hope this never happens.

Not only does the United States deserve more, the world that looks to this beacon of democracy also deserves more.

 

Vera V Veronica, commenting from Pizzaonia for the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, editor

We also recommend: http://pizzaonian.com Forth of July

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When you look back on a life it becomes harder and harder to keep a straight face.

When you look back on a life lived over several years it becomes harder and harder to keep a straight face.  Not withstanding life’s joyful and tragic moments, it is very difficult to miss the absurdity of it all. 

Most absurd of all are those among us who really believe they had a lot to do with their good fortune.  When one looks back on the gifts we are given that ironically seem to show up when we need them most, you have to wonder how all of this works. 

You don’t want to ask too many questions here.  I would simply be grateful for being around.  And maybe that is the best answer of all—gratitude. 

If karma exists, gratitude has to be its mother.  With gratitude, we are able to say thank you more often.  We tend to be more generous and as a result increase our willingness to do good and to be more charitable. 

So the next time you are patting yourself on the back for the blessings bestowed upon you – stop for a minute and say, thank you.  And then go do something nice for someone…….

 

Brother Giovanni

We also recommend "The Pizzaonian"

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Nothing sums up the lunacy of our times more than the following quote:

 
 

Occasionally you read a statement that sums up the culture of our government in a few simple words. 

 

Before you think it is only the Republicans - “Democrats also passed a financial reform law:

 

"The law that originally created the Federal Reserve was a mere 31 pages. The Sarbanes-Oxley banking reform act, passed in 2002, was only 66 pages. But the 2010 financial reform law was 2,319 pages, an intricately engineered technocratic apparatus. As Mark J. Perry of the American Enterprise Institute noted, the financial reform law is seven times longer than the last five pieces of banking legislation combined.”   David Brooks – New York Times

 

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"It takes a certain amount of discipline to pay attention to what is in front of us." Sister Veronica, Supreme Pizzaonian

 
photo by josette lodato

It is strange how the obvious eludes us. I guess the obvious is so obvious we no longer pay attention to it.  That seems to be the trap that gets us every time.

It takes a certain amount of discipline to pay attention to what is in front of us.  What a shame since most of the answers we seek are always there -- right in front of us, waiting, waiting.

Maybe if we paid more attention to what is there waiting, life would cease being a series of interruptions from birth to death. 

An observation from Sister Veronica  - Supreme Pizzaonian

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Hope for a better tomorrow is essential for the American Dream to continue

 

 

Conjectures of a recovering dilettante:  Are we as a people still willing to sacrifice - both individually and as a nation?

 

While this may seem critical, I feel my criticism is based on a belief that the United States is an evolving experiment in participatory democracy.  The greatness of this country has always been its potential.  While its history is checkered with good and bad, it has always held the promise of a better tomorrow.  It is this hope of a better tomorrow that drives the optimism of the American dream.

 

It is also the key to American power and its attraction to millions of people all over the world.  What is so disconcerting about today is the concept of hope for a better tomorrow is waning in the hearts of many the America people.  This is fueled by a political establishment that no longer seems able to lead, but only fuels the pessimism that is beginning to pervade most thinking here.

 

It is hard to understand why this is happening, but one thing always comes to mind.  The spirit of sacrifice which is part of the heart of a great people, no longer seems as strong. Is this temporary, or a symptom of a greater malaise that has become endemic to the culture?  Is the ruling political establishment the cause, or are they simply a reflection of the people that elect them?

 

Regardless of which, both are failing to carry the torch that has been handed to them from the past – a past that kept the American concept of hope alive so the dream could continue.

 

May that dream never die!

 

Brother Giovanni

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A funny thing happened on the way to Utopia, we invented scorekeepers.

ON KEEPING SCORE 

It seems we live in a world that demands we keep score.  From kindergarten children to senior citizens, someone is watching and keeping a record.  Nothing is left to spontaneity or chance.

Everything is to be accounted for and you can be sure you will be told by someone the results of the scorecard. 

Since there is very little we can do to change this, let’s remember one thing.  If you insist on keeping score make sure you count points for as well as points against.  

There is a growing tendency to use the scoreboard as a weapon, both pro and con.  Enough!  Just remember to be fair.  After all, someone is also scoring how you keep score. 

 

Brother Giovanni

http://pizzaonian.com

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American democracy -- the dismal accountability from many of the folks we elect!

 

Another day in Utopia... now you see it and now you don’t. 

Political campaigns in the United States are interesting.  We, the voters, allow politicians to say what we what them to say, fully appreciating the fact that they don’t mean any of it, and will do what ever they choose to do when elected. 

It is one of the interesting facets about American democracy -- the dismissal of accountability from the folks we elect.  The party that is out is given an edge because they can oppose everything, knowing full well they will not be held responsible for anything they say. 

This all changes of course when the outs become the ins - once elected you can feel free to break any promise you made.  After all, you are now responsible for what happens.  What serious voter would expect you to keep your promises? 

This all works because we the voters only have two choices. And most of us hold our noses when we vote. This supposedly makes American democracy very efficient – and that it does.  Unfortunately, it also turns out not to be very democratic.

 

Brother Giovanni

We also recommend "The Pizzaonian"

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