“Pizzaonian Emerging #4” Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe
Straction, curator
A Pizzaonian perspective on happenings in the United States……
A funny thing happened on the way to Utopia – the
very Constitution that protects the minority also made it possible for the
minority to destroy the majority. As
Jimmy Durante would have said, “What a revolting development this is.”
I suspect one of the probabilities the writers of the U.S. Constitution did not consider was that they could have within their system of checks and balances, elected representative who were intent on destroying the federal government.
And who would have guessed the very diversity that made the U.S. so vibrant and alive would also create the dissension that would eventually destroy the very fabric of its institutions.
Maybe, there is such a thing as “too diverse and too big to manage.” What is clear to Pizzaonians and too few of your political pundits are that the Republican Party extremists have no intention of compromise. From our perspective their goal seems obvious: to destroy the effectiveness of the federal government. And shutting down the government and refusing to extend the debt limit is exactly what will accomplish their goal.
So America, good luck with this one. Only the courage of the moderates on both sides of isle can save the Republic. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen since they would have to muster the tenacity of radicals to accomplish such a feat.
Brother Giovanni
…………..
And speaking of courage…….
Excerpts from Brother Giovanni’s seminar for novitiate monks, Pizzaonian Monasteries
We begin to survive when we decide to confront our weakness. We may never subdue our weakness, but as we begin the process of renewal, we find the thorn of our self-destructiveness fades into the background and loses its power over us.
Life is an act of courage and faith. Each of us must believe there is a purpose in our being, and if we do not summon the courage to bring our gift into being, we not only deny ourselves, we deny the world of our gift.
I could say more, but from this point, the rest is up to you.
"May your grain of sand become the pearl that saves the world."
It is amazing to me that the gifts we bring to the world find their way into being through our weaknesses. (Note the plural - for most of us, there is more than one.)
The opportunity to change for the good occurs when we find, for whatever the reason, moving forward and confronting our weakness is our only recourse if we choose to survive.
The opportunity to change for the good occurs when we find the courage to confront our limitations.
This is the lesson we all need to learn: It is not our weaknesses that keep us from moving forward; it is our focus on them that gives them power over us, and that power keeps us unable to act decisively with courage.
When we gain the strength to focus on our strengths, our failings, even though they remain, slowly fade into the background and gradually lose their power over us.
When we face the future with determination, the thorn of our self-destructiveness loses it prickly sting and our willingness to continue the process of renewal becomes an act of faith and courage.
Once we know that confronting our weaknesses is the only thing we can do to if we choose to survive, is when we begin to make serious progress in our quest for more fulfilling lives.
Therefore, your choice is simple: You can waste a good part of your life waiting for that time to come, or you can make an act of faith and summon the courage to concentrate on the good that is in you now - and you will find that what is there is good enough.
When we choose to act with positive resolution, our weaknesses may continue to remain with us, however, they simply no longer have center stage.
Thus begins the process of positive renewal.
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