musings

On getting it done - Starting over, new and fresh - Conjectures of a recovering dilettante while traveling the road to Utopia

 

Getting things done in a steady and correct matter is no easy task.  If it were, we would all easily reach our life's goals.  Planning is easy; execution is hard.  That is why we have so many discarded plans that never amounted to anything.  

 

There is hope in the planning process. As you write or think the plan it implies a new beginning.  While the plan may be new - the person thinking the plan isn’t. And that is why new plans seldom work. To have a new beginning, the person planning must first make themselves new.  And that is no easy task.

 

To begin new and fresh is to allow the process of change to take place.  Change means giving up many things that are near and dear to us. To change is to seriously disrupt your comfort zone.  

 

When I first engaged this process several years ago, I presumed that serious introspection needed to take place. To discover the motivation for behavior seemed important to me. 

 

It was almost too easy when I began to understand how wedded we are to our comfort zones, no matter how insignificant or destructive they may be. But like all revelations, they are easy in the thinking part and difficult in the doing part. 

 

Revelations often reveal serious character flaws. These flaws are embedded deep in our consciousness, and these flaws often mask themselves as virtues.  And virtue, no matter how misdirected, gives one the excuse that is needed to keep the status quo alive.  All of this is a significant barrier to break down. 

 

Break troughs do not come easy, but they do come.  At the point when you realize that only change will keep you alive mentally and physically - you have a choice to make. 

 

You are faced with the choice of new life or a permanent type of stagnation.  And if that does not get your attention nothing will.

 

Brother Franco

 

We also recommend: 'The Pizzaonian"

 

opd 209

Related articles

The most important relationship you will have in your life?

Musings..

  

I know we all have  relationships, but do you have an authentic relationship?  Some background and explanation are necessary.  Notice I kept it singular since for most of us, if we have one authentic relationship, we are indeed among the fortunate.

What is an authentic relationship? For starters it is unconditional.  By that I mean exactly what the words say.  You have a person who will stand by you regardless – as they say “through hell and high water.”

The only thing that comes to mind is “Mother.”  Isn’t this what most mothers do – stand by their offspring regardless of the consequences.

Now let’s see if we can make this more realistic and leave the ideal behind and deal with the world we experience each day. First, we have to understand most relationships are an implied contract.  What they are not are covenants, promises made to each other to be obeyed and followed without condition.

Interestingly, if you listen to the words of the marriage ceremony, each person is promising to obey and follow a covenant - not a contract.  I often wonder why people bother uttering the words they do during the marriage ceremony when it is obvious many don’t mean them, since at least half of the marriages end in divorce. 

Back to friendships - since the contract between friends is implied, this is where it gets tricky.  What is implied and do both parties clearly understand - and if so, do they agree to it?  Since the answer for most of us is no, we can see why most relationships are shipwrecked early into the journey.

The first hurdle of any relationship is when one party has to say "no" to the other.  Now not all “no’s” are equal, some can be serious enough to threaten the relationship. However, most are not.  This does not mean they do not create difficult situations that can be troubling, because they often do.

The good news is that most of these situations are learning experiences that help develop tolerance for the other person. If we care and are reasonably committed to each other, we are willing to endure differences. 

Now as to these differences, it is often said that most successful relationships are 80–20 – one person is giving 80 percent the other, 20.  The catch is, in successful relationships, the person giving the 80 percent keeps changing back and forth to each other. It is only when one party is overburdened with the heavy lifting that the relationship begins to suffer.

Now all of this is for naught if there is not a fundamental commitment that the parties make to each other, either directly stated or implied, and understood clearly by each person. The commitment is simple: to be willing to ride out the rough times and make things work.   Without this, nothing works.

Obviously, there are degrees, but within the understood boundaries there is a mutual acceptance of the value of the relationship to each other that makes working out the difficulties worth the effort.

As we asked in the beginning what makes for an authentic relationship?  I believe the willingness to accept the differences in each other and accommodate them in a friendly and loving way.  This allows each person to be comfortable and accepting of the give and take that goes on each day.  If you have this, you have the foundation and that is a good starting place.

But never forget, the health of all your relationships begins with the quality of the relationship you have with yourself.

Brother Franco

Musings is a feature of “The Pizzaonian” a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, editor

Follow us on Twitter

opd 316

WE ALSO RECOMMEND "THE PIZZAONIAN"

Related articles

Why do we believe with such conviction? 100 word reflections

 100 word reflections

Conjectures of a  recovering dillettante while traveling the road to Utopia..

Why do we believe what we do with such conviction?

When I ask people what proof they can offer to substantiate their strong feelings about a given subject, you would think they would offer, easily and quickly, substantial historical facts to prove their point.  Strangely enough, few can.  

I am not suggesting you should not believe what you do, but go easy. It is possible that the best you can offer for the validity of your position is an assumption.

That’s okay, but stop selling it to the world with such vigor.

Here is an idea, Why talk about it at all?  Why not make your actions speak for your beliefs?   Let what you believe be who you are.  Now that’s a thought for the ages.

P.S. Yes, I do include myself.

Brother Franco

We also recommend: "The Pizzaonian"

opd 815

Related articles

 

The Technocrats are the new high priests. Technology becomes the new Spirituality

In a mechanistic, materialistic society, it is inevitable for technology to replace spirituality. The "Googles" and the "Apples" become the new Vatican - the technocrats the new high priests. 

It is assumed that sooner or later, all rivers return to their original course – unless those with the power to do so keep this from happening. 

The marketing forces that drive technology have become so profitable it has created a new monarchy, no longer decided by lineage, but by who has the largest bank account. 

Please do not construe this to be an anti technology rave – it is not. The advance of technology properly applied and guided by a mature awareness of the social contract helps everyone – poor and rich alike. 

However, in our present stage, we have not balanced the scales – even though many with the power have tried to do so. 

The problem is not new. It is what always happens when power comes to those whose expertise is so singular they have little knowledge or experience with the social contract* necessary for healthy and mature application.  

Unfortunately, expertise in one area, no matter how great or how successful, does not necessarily translate to other areas, particularly the social or political arenas where the fate of the less fortunate is usually decided. 

How does this get resolved? Not easily. If history is our guide only when those with the material power become mature enough to realize their shortcomings do things begin to change.  

This usually happens when the well- being of the powerful becomes negatively affected by their limitations. Then, and only then, do we begin to see positive change.  

 

Frank John Franco, commenting for “The Pizzaonian” a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network. Diverti Mento, editor.

We also recommend: "The Pizzaonian"

opd 216

*The social contract:

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/g/social_contract.htm

There is nothing more dangerous to a culture than struggling to find its identity while in the throes of a dying value system."  Pizzaonius

In a mechanistic, materialistic society, technology becomes the new spirituality

Bits and pieces while moving west. Power corrupts; it does not have to be absolute power to do so.

 

Within the heart of every person is the yearning to create -

 

Where do you go from here? 

Within the heart of every person is the yearning to create.  It is not about education or learning.  No one gives it to you - it was placed there when you were born.  Your journey through life is to bring this creation into being by allowing it to exist.  This is truly more an act of willingness than will. 

What form shall this creation take?  That is between you and your creator.  Work with the divine force within you and it will come into being.  

Open your mind and heart to what form this creation will take.  Let your work talk to you.  Your life is the process of discovering your gift.  You will know the answer soon enough. 

Remember the answer might not be what you want to hear or sacrifice for, nevertheless, you will know the truth intrinsically by letting the process of your life speak to you.  The answer is always there.  Do you have the courage to head its call? 

The fulfillment of your life rests in your answer. 

Brother Franco

We also recommend: "The Pizzaonian"

opd 715

Conjectures of a recovering dilettante --- The shifting sands of Christianity -

 

A Catholic priest once said to me – “It’s too bad we stopped writing “gospels.” When I asked why, he said, “Because we need to update the message, not the content, but the places and references so young people can better relate to the Christian message.”

To prove his point that Sunday at Mass, he read the Gospel, replacing the biblical names and places with localized references in their place. The difference was amazing- how more relevant the words became because of the regional reference to familiar names and places.   

The issue is how to make the message of 2000 years ago as compelling and relevant today as it was in the time it took place.

Even the most ardent atheist agrees that Jesus preached an ethical and humanist philosophy. The concept of love and sacrifice that embraces a committed community is as relevant today as it was in the day it was first preached. How then do we continue to preach the Gospel so it can reach beyond the faithful?

Some would argue that we already do. And in many ways this is true. However, the message of Jesus, though preached regularly, is still not received by many people all over the world. One problem is the unbending and intolerant view that some Christians have and project to the world. It is hard to project love and tolerance, when tolerance is not there. 

For many fundamental Christians, the above statement amounts to heresy. This begs the question: “Is the non-fundamental Christian any less faithful? And of course, the next question as well: “What is a non-fundamental Christian?”    

First, we must establish what makes all Christians alike - we all except Jesus as friend and savior, as the Christ, the son of the living God. We would all agree that the Bible is the “word of God.” The problem has always been how we interpret the “word of God” – literally or metaphorically – allegory of actual fact?   

It also raises the additional question: Does a parable or allegory make the concept or subject being discussed less factual? Is a story that is considered a “myth” presumed to be not as truthful in its concept? Merriam Webster’s full definition of parable states: A parable is usually a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or religious principle.” 

We know Jesus often used parables to make his point. Most of the important messages of the New Testament come to us in stories or parables that Jesus used to make his point to the people he was addressing. Does this make His comments any less true? Most Christians would agree - they do not.

Why then is it necessary to believe that all the events in the Bible, while true, were not told as metaphors or allegories? When you consider the linear evolution of human consciousness, it seems that an all-knowing God would have spoken the truth in a form that would resonate through the ages for peoples of all time.   

Now those who don’t agree with me would say the words of the Bible do just that when they are accepted as literal truth. They would also tell us that being able to accept the word of God as literal – just as it is stated - is a matter of faith – and that faith is a gift they receive directly from a loving deity.   

This makes any discussion impossible. How can you argue with the direct word of God? For one, you can’t. However, you can challenge the fundamentalist's basic premise. This is important to do so, not to change the mind of the fundamentalist, but to create a more relevant dialogue with each new generation so that the word of God is also significant to them. And when we do this, I still believe the Gospel’s message reflects true word of God.   

And what moral justification do we have for this. Again, how about Jesus himself who used parables as his most important way of making his message relevant and clear to all who were willing to hear.

Why should we do any less?

We also recommend: "THE PIZZAONIAN"

opd 316

 

Introspection or action – can they coexist or must they always create conflict?

 

Introspection or action – are the two in conflict, or are they inseparable parts of any successful personality?

It seems that most of us fall into one of these two areas: we are either introspective by nature or doers by nature. The person capable of both qualities in equal amounts, in my experience, is rare.  

The ideal situation would be to work with teams that have introspective thinkers and doers equally divided among their community. We should also add the caveat that they need to be aware of the distinction between their different personalities and mutually respect each other’s perspective.  Without this distinction, we end up with conflict and arguments, with each side seeing the other as not capable. This of course is a disaster because nothing of significance gets accomplished.

The most important thing for each of us is to recognize which one of these two groups we fall into. Like everything else's balance is critical. However, in this case balance does not necessarily mean equal amounts of time. The doers may spend 60 to 70% of their time doing and 30 to 40% thinking about what they need to do. The same proportion in reverse, I suspect, is true for those of us who tend to be more introspective. 

Eventually, it comes down to maturity and experience. This requires a certain amount of wisdom that only comes with experience. In addition, as we grow older the need to accomplish something becomes more important since we are aware that time is going by.  

As a result, we are more amiable to solutions that we previously may not have agreed to. This makes it easier for us to have mutual respect for all members in the team regardless of their personalities and how they bring their talents to the task at hand. When this happens, you have community with empathy, and a team that might actually get something done.  

This is why an experienced leader can make the difference. An example of this would be that of the musical director of an orchestra. How important a role they play depends on how much they understand the capabilities of the musicians they are working with and how their differences can be blended into an orchestration worthy of the audience’s attention. This is a significant talent in itself and may be the most important part of what a leader brings to any team or organization.

So how about you - where are you in this scenario? Whether you’re ready to tackle this can be answered in a simple question. Do you have respect for your opposite counterparts? Conversely, do you see them as simply nonproductive, or not productive enough?   

In the history of achievement, while it may start with an individual idea, inevitably, noteworthy projects are brought into existence because a team that performs efficiently was allowed to exist.   

Are you ready for this? Can you assume this type of leadership? If not, then you best work independently because that’s where you’ll end up, independent but alone. So get used to it. 

As for me give me the team every time.   

Brother Giovanni

0pd 715

Related articles

To be free is one thing - what to do with it is another. Conjectures of a recovering dilettante-

Conjectures of a recovering dilettante while on the road to Utopia - musings on creativity

U.S. Constitution - can it continue to stand the test of time without losing its elasticity?

There is nothing more illusionary than the virtual world.

The evolution of human consciousness - - Shifting sands of Christianity -

Evolving Christianity - continued

 

As we said in our previous remarks, even the most ardent atheist agrees that Jesus preached an ethical and humanist philosophy. The concept of love and sacrifice that embraces a committed community is as relevant today as it was in the day it was first preached. How then do we continue to preach the Gospel so it can reach beyond the faithful?

It is important to separate my previous remarks from the philosophy of post modernism as preached by Brian McLaren. (A new kind of Christian) When it comes to the Bible, literal interpretation as the only way of accepting God's word and the complete rejection of the possibility of any objectivity when trying to understand the truth, are the two extremes.  

While the message of complete love and sacrifice that Christ taught during his time on earth was radical for His time, surely. He would have understood the need to have the meaning of his words to be understood within the context of each evolving generation, rather than unyielding, never changing dogma as it related to the historical times in which he lived.  If we accept this - faith becomes the relevant issue.

For me the question becomes: Can you still retain the objectivity of the truth of the bible and at the same time accept the veracity of God’s word to come to us in metaphors and parables? At what point does intent trump dogma? In fact, the legitimate question is – do they have to actually be different.  These two concepts should be able to coexist without changing the word of God in any way.  

It seems to me that our current Catholic Pope, Francis, is struggling with this issue and encountering the same difficulties that always arise when focusing on intent as your source for primary meaning. One could legitimately ask – is not the concept of interpreting the intent subjective in and of itself? If the answer is yes as fundamentalist proclaim - there is no room for further discussion.   

Again, I come back to the same position every time. Would an all-knowing and loving God not leave room for the evolution of human conscious so that each succeeding generation could understand the Gospels within the context of their time? Would that change the meaning of the intent of the word of God? I do not believe it does and here is why.  

The same faith that fundamentalists bring in proclaiming the unchanging word of God can also be used as the basis of reinterpreting the Gospels from an evolving and updated view of the Word. If an all-knowing God is aware of the inevitable evolution of human consciousness would not that God enable future generations to come to the identical conclusions that the people of Jesus’s time understood?  

Is this any less legitimate as a means for using faith as the criteria for your conclusion? Is it not as valid as the faith used by fundamentalist who insist on an unbending dogma created for people of a different time?    

How then does this separate me from the philosophy of the new evolving, purely subjective Christianity that is now being preached by modernist?

For one, I believe as an act of faith that a loving God would allow for the correct, objective interpreting of the Word by the people of each millennial as we continue to evolve into the future. It is also important to remember that the faithful who lived at the time the New Testament was being formulated believed in the imminent end of the world as they knew it. We still concede the world can end, but obviously in God’s good time, not ours.   

It should also occur to all of us, that the world ends for millions of people individually each day. Is that any less the end of the world for them? I think not. When this happens, as it will for each us, our personal faith will be all that we have left.

In the final analysis maybe *Kierkegaard's concept of Christian existentialism was right to begin with. 

Brother Franco

opd 1016

 *http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/philosophy/kierkegaard.html

Intent verses dogma – a continuation

WE ALSO RECOMMEND: "THE PIZZAONIAN"

OPD 12/15

 

Related articles

"To be or not to be" - A Pizzaonian perspective on life and other stuff.

"Reaching for the light" Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator (C)2010)

 

No matter how free we think we are, the world or its people will leave its imprint on you. We are the sum total of our experiences and they have left their psychological mark.  Make no mistake about it; it is as true as the coming of death. If the person you need to be and the person you are is in conflict  - the question is, what to do about it?  First, recognize it.  To face this reality with clear and determined purpose is the first step to freedom.

Confronting this demon will require facing some very uncomfortable truths about yourself that are very difficult to resolve.  If you believe you are an independent person, it will be even more difficult when you discover that the yoke of this imprint is much stronger than you ever imagined.  This realization will create some self doubt since you believed that you were free from issues that you thought long ago resolved.

 

The next realization is the stirring of strong emotional conflicts that reveal the depths of your denial about basic elemental truths about your true feelings – feelings that you thought had been dealt with in the past. As a mature person that has not had to deal with deep seated  emotions on this level for a very long time, this can be a roller coaster ride unlike any you have been on before.

 

First the good news:  To have this dilemma show itself in your life at this point probably means that you are at the beginning of a new re-birthing process that can bring positive change.

 

The bad news is for the good to happen, you are going to face some very difficult and trying moments that can bring you down into the depths of despair.  However, if they are faced with determination and courage that self discovery requires, the difficult times will be overcome and you will find yourself at the beginning of a new and exciting creative period in your life.

 

What will your choice be?  Life or death?   Let’s not confuse this death with physical death; however, that might be easier to deal with.  This death is the emotional death of yourself and your special gift that the world will never see because the courage to live it was never obtained.  If you live a long life and denied your authentic self to exist, and you have time to reflect on this at the end, you will sense the tragic loss this is - not just for you, but for those whose lives would have been better because your gift was allowed to be.

 

And if this be the case, at the very end, when there is no time to do anything else but die, you will discover the true meaning of despair.*

Pizzaonius

opd 1014

 

We alse recommend - "The Pizzaonian"

 

*Excerpts from Pizzaonius's introductory remarks to newly portalized Pizzaonians

Related articles

Perspective from an alternate universe - Sister Veronica, Supreme Pizzaonian - #lifestyle #life

Conjectures of a recovering dilettante - "I aimed for the stars, fell into the mud, and discovered the lotus." #faith

Maybe, there is such a thing as "too diverse and too big to manage." "politics

An editorial opinion - "The Pizzaonian" - Brother Giovanni and the "#Jesus Letters" #faith #life

It is everywhere – it is pervasive – virtually everyone’s addiction to social media -

It is hard not to notice it.  It is everywhere – it is pervasive – simply, virtually everyone’s’ addiction to social media.  You cannot go anywhere without seeing it.  It is not only strangers, but just as likely the person you’re with – their incessant and compulsive perusing of the digital screen.

The other day when with some friends, all suffering from this social dilemma, I found myself needing to excuse myself to go to the restroom, not for the obvious reasons, but to find a mirror. I thought for a minute I had become invisible and needed reassurance that I could still be seen.

What a relief – I was visible – small comfort, but nonetheless reassuring.

Brother Franco

opd 715

We also recommend "The Pizzaonian"

Related articles