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Second letter to the Pizzaonians - "perfection will never be ours."

 "Symbols of Pizzaonian justice" Pizzaonian cave drawing Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator

 Dear Pizzaonians, to all present here and in spirit......

 

Have you ever started out a day intending not to feel or act stupid?  It seems that no matter how well intended your intention may be, alas the moment of feeling or acting stupid arrives.  Feel familiar?

 

At issue here is no matter how secure or confident we may think we are, there seems always to be lurking a vague hint of insecurity ready to grab our consciousness.  I say “our consciousness” because not to occasionally feel this way is to miss a real opportunity to experience a very real, human moment. 

 

At the core of this experience is the mature and final realization that being human in our present form is to know that we are not quite complete.  I suspect this is because as long as we are in this life we are always becoming; we finally have to accept the notion that perfection will never be ours.

 

What then are we to do about it? - actually nothing, other than to fully accept and embrace our humanity.  So much of contentment is in the ability to accept what is. Unfortunately, this runs against the grain of what the modern and very individual person of today is supposed to accept. 

 

After all, are we not always supposed to be “reaching for the stars?”  We would all have been better off if someone had taught us to enjoy contemplating the stars rather than reaching for them.

 

When we think about the gifts we have been given; that is what we do naturally and usually very well, we always proceed to the next thought:   how hard we had to work to achieve what we do well. 

 

This is the great lie we have to confront:  “that we have to work hard to do well.”  In fact all we have to do to do well is to do what we do well.  The rest takes care of itself.

 

Now I am not suggesting that we do not need to educate ourselves, to study, or to try to hone our skills as well as our humanity.  What I am suggesting is that perhaps it is not necessary to sweat so much to accomplish them.

 

We could then enjoy the process of fulfilling what we are supposed to be.  This would allow so much humility to enter into our existence since we would have to accept that what we have is a gift and our prime duty is to be good stewards of our talents.

 

It has been said by many before me that life is more a matter of “willingness than will.”  In the notion of willingness we find a process that allows us to become who we are.

 

 To paraphrase a notion from Thomas Merton: a pear tree is beautiful because it is fully a pear tree.  For most humans if they discovered they were a pear tree, they would spend most of their life trying to become an apple tree.

 

It is only in the full acceptance of what and whom we are that we will find ourselves, and when we do we are both willing and ready to engage life.  And in spite of it all, we find ourselves for the most part, reasonably OK. And that is not so bad.

 

Brother Giovanni 

We also recommend: "The Pizzaonian."

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Pizzaonian Art Institute - "the literal image is dead" declares Abe Straction, curator

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM:  PIZZAONIAN NEWSERTAINMENT NETWORK (PNN)

Contact:  Publicio Relationio at the PNN office of Public Relations at:  PIZZAONIAN@YAHOO.COM 

SUBJECT: THE DEATH OF THE LITERAL IMAGE 

 
Image - delegates at the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator

All images are from the private collection of the PIZZAONIAN ART INSTITUTE - Contact Abe Straction, curator, for more information" Pizzaonian@yahoo.com     copyright - (C) all rights are the exclusive property of the Pizzaonian Art Institute and images cannot be reproduced without written permission.

 

Today at the opening of the Pizzaonian Art Institute’s seminar on the state of Pizzaonian art, Abe Straction, newly appointed curator of the Institute declared the death of the literal image as a viable art form. 

It should be clear to all who have followed art for the last 100 years that the literal image has become so ubiquitous, clichéd and mechanical in its rendition it is now insignificant as a form of communication in the digital age.  This is the major theme of this year’s meetings.

“Perhaps, one could argue there is some usefulness in the literal image as a reminder of a past age, but when examined closely even that fades,” declared Mr. Straction 

The focus of discussions here at the seminar is on what happened to the literal image after it was co-opted as a marketing tool to sell and propagandize.  The advance of technology and the notion that everyone is “an artist” was simply one more “nail in the coffin.” 

Obviously, not everyone agrees, however, this controversy will only grow louder as Mr. Straction gains more credibility in the Pizzaonian art establishment.  

Next: How and why photography died.

 

Reporting from Pizzaonia, Brother Giovanni for PNN

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America 2016 - Speaking of intellectuals, a community that talks only to itself.

If life was not a serious issue, you could not find a better comic act around than life itself.  If by age 60, you are not convinced our world is a total absurdity, you are either an intellectual or a Glenn Beck fan. 

Speaking of intellectuals, have you noticed our intellectual community talks only to itself. Inevitably,when you develop an elite class, you become so exclusive you lose contact with the reality of the world you inhabit.  

I cannot recall a time when the intellectual community is as irrelevant to the public as it is now.  Human frailty always prevails.  

Who wants to serve the public honestly, when you can sit at the feet of the rich and powerful and receive their favors – usually large amounts of cash and other assorted goodies?  And, not incidentally, become rich yourself. 

To use the phrase of our time “the infection has gone viral.”  The intellectual communities that serve our universities, political institutions, medical establishments and charitable and religious institutions now validate their masters rather than serve the public with constructive criticism and alternatives. 

The result is the creation of a distorted populism that gives birth to demagoguery at every level.  Demagoguery becomes the vehicle of our discordant discourse, and infiltrates every level of our national debate. 

For those who would defend our current state of intellectual discourse, the rationalization is that you need the favors of the powerful to fund your sundry causes and sustain your position. 

Thus, the beat goes on.  Our salvation in the past was the strength of the American system to overcome our foibles and right itself.  For whatever the reason, eventually the need to survive took hold and the mechanisms within the system, left to us by our founding fathers prevailed – at least so far. May we hope it continues to save us from ourselves.

 

Brother Giovanni, musing from Pizzaonia

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From the journals of Brother Giovanni and Brother Franco 

 

Image-- "The Birth of Greek Democracy" - courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator (C)2012

 

After spending so much time immersed in Pizzaonian culture and politics it is difficult to adjust to American politics.  The difference is simple: Pizzaonian politics is about finding solutions; American politics is absorbed in building power blocs. 

Of course, Pizzaonia is a beta-world that makes everything easier, but it allows us to see how destructive democracy can be to its ideals when governing is no longer the goal. 

Again, as Americans we find ourselves dependent on the People, always our last resort and redeeming quality.  Let us hope enough of us show up and vote to make things right again.  Democracy not only needs a majority vote; for the system to work it needs a majority of independent voters to vote. 

“Look at the tyranny of party -- at what is called party allegiance, party loyalty -- a snare invented by designing men for selfish purposes -- and which turns voters into chattles, slaves, rabbits……………”

The Character of Man," Mark Twain's Autobiography

Until next time, Brother Giovanni

Coming to grips with faith as a sustainable belief system - Not all faith is equal.

 

Not all faith is equal.

 

When you think about it having faith is necessary simply to live everyday.  As we said before, the fact that we are willing to engage each day requires  each of us to embrace a set of assumptions about our reality, all of which are based on faith.

 

The degree of probability enters the equation here.  Certain acts of faith require less effort than others.  I can assume that I will still be alive at the end of the day because the odds are with me.  I can also assume the people and things that I hold dear will still be with me as well – simply because the odds are with me.

 

I still have to deal with the existential angst that all could be gone in an instance, but I can also take much comfort in the fact that statistically a disaster of that proportion is unlikely to happen.

 

What happens then to other matters of faith that give us no way of measuring their degree of probability?  They are much harder to deal with since they are much less rational as a concept.  An example of this type of faith is when you belief in a personal God.  There is no rational way to substantiate this belief and it depends completely on a pure act of faith to be sustained.

 

One could philosophically argue with some credibility that a creative, infinite force does exist in the universe.  But to take the theological leap that this creative force is a personal God is stepping off into an abyss away from rationalization.

 

How then do we sustain a belief in a personal God? Perhaps the answer to this question is best left for your personal God to answer.

 

Brother Giovanni,   

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Painting by Pizzaonian artist, Sealio Ranchi - Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Museum, Abe Straction, curator

 

First sign of wisdom:  “When you start taking advice rather than giving it.”

 

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"Being or Becoming" - the inevitable conflict on the road to Utopia

We often do not enjoy where we are since we are simply passing through on the road to where we are going. The act of becoming often conflicts with the simple act of being.

Does it strike you as strange that we are constantly becoming something? It seems to be part of all living things; we are always in the state of “moving to the next place,” mentally or physically. Nothing interferes with the present like the act of becoming. Since we are invariably in this state, how do we enjoy the present, since our focus if not directly, at least subconsciously, is to the future? 

Maybe this difference distinguishes goal-oriented societies. To the average American, a life without goals, is a life without meaning. How often have we heard someone say, “He has no drive; he always seems to be content “doing nothing.”

Keep in mind that doing nothing usually means he is not engaged in an activity that will improve his situation in the future. This same person could also be completely immersed in the present and enjoying every moment – even though there seems to be no future gain from his activity.   

Responsible people understand that you have to plan ahead. Life demands this from us. But at what point does this perspective begin to erode the pleasure of everyday living? Here is where the word “balance” and “moderation” show up.

We hear these words all the time; however, when we read the success stories of today’s entrepreneurial world, when do you hear the word moderation used. The stories of these very goal-oriented people are based more on their obsessions than anything else. This hardly implies temperance.  

So how about the rest of us who fall somewhere in between these two places? This answer will be different for each of us.  We have our individual needs and lifestyles that will often choose for us. If your obsession is your goal in life at the expense of everything else – go for it. The rest of us will have to hope that the goal is still obtainable while we enjoy stopping along the way to enjoy the journey.

Brother Giovanni

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"I remain confident that we can revolutionize the image of Pizza as a creative symbol." Brother Giovanni

Skylight, private chapel Supreme Pizzaonian  circa 1851 BW
  

Dear John,

 

By now you have heard the news about the changes here at the monastery.  As Supreme Pizzaonian I am supposed to communicate through official sources, however, I find that a bit stifling.  I am sorry it has taken me so long to write, but as you can imagine, my time is filled with the details of assuming my new position.

 

It is ironic that I came here to escape reality only to find reality waiting here in the beta-world for me to find it.  The exciting aspect about this is I can now attempt to help create a world that I always thought should be.  It may never reach or affect your world, but at least here it can make a difference.

 

Of course living with the concept of Pizza as the creation symbol may seem strange to you, but here where everyone loves and eats pizza with gusto and joy it makes sense.  We all identify with the concept and it makes a wonderful totem for us to believe in and cherish. I remain confident that we can revolutionize the image of Pizza as a creative symbol.

 

Now I have to deal with the factions that always seem more intent on separating us.  Since my decree that Pizzaonians will accept all faiths rather than believe in a single tradition, the detractors are multiplying exponentially.  You should have seen some of the faces at our council meeting when I said I would rather have one true Creator that accepts all faiths, rather than one true faith that is accepted by our Creator.  They are still trying to wrap their minds around that one.

 

It might interest you to know that this idea was inspired by our advertising agency, John Frank Associates.  In our recent meeting they presented ideas on how we can represent our miracle pizza products as a symbol of solidarity.  That is when the idea came to me to open the doors to all faiths and traditions.

 

My next step is going to seem stranger than the last.  As Pizzaonians we need to find some issue that our people can see and understand as being in their interest and well being.  Unlike your world, where you have to hit the home run or score the touchdown in one play, we look for simplicity in our approach.  See, while we are not of your world, we do learn from your mistakes.

 

With the great success of our Pizzaonian Football League our fan interest and devotion to the game and to our teams are legendary.  Unfortunately, as in your world, free agency and owner arrogance has left the fan with little more than watching.  Unfortunately, our fans now have no say as to what happens to their beloved sport. That is about to change here. 

 

Tomorrow I am going to officially announce free agency for fans.  It will revolutionize the game as we know it.  You will know more tomorrow when our news office will issue a complete press release on the idea.  Until then, I remain your friend and brother monk, Supreme Pizzaonian Giovanni.

 

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