"Pizzaonian Emerging" from the Pizzaonian Art Institute collection, Abe Straction, curator
BROTHER GIOVANNI’S JOURNAL …………
Certain words have always invoked a variety of reactions throughout history. So much argument and discord exists around the emotional content a word has for the person using it or hearing it.
It has always amazed me how we can all use the same words, but how these words can have different meanings for each of us.
Granted, these are not the words you were probably thinking about. However, here are a three words to consider.
Artistic: This is a word that most people assume does not apply to them. Is it not strange that the very life force that made us, and we are a part of, is by its very nature creative, And yet, people who are part of this life-giving force do not believe they are artistic or creative?
The next time someone asks you if you are creative or artistic, think about it before you answer, or better yet, take some time to figure out the things you do that are creative. You may surprise yourself.
Integrity: Now here is a word that can evoke many reactions and subjective definitions. Most of them are rationalizations. Not that this is so bad, it just should not become a habit. A man once told me that there is not a person in this world that has not lied about something. He believed a person to be honest when they were willing to admit to this. He may have a point.
I suspect that lapses in integrity with most honest people are more about omissions rather than outright falsifications. It’s easier on our sense of integrity when we focus on what we don’t say rather than when we create an outright lie.
Of course, course there is always a matter of degree. How material the omission is to the subject is always going to part of our rationalization. Maybe it can even be justified if it’s not relevant to any serious outcomes. Embracing our “humanness” within reasonable limits makes us more open to the faults of those around us.
We should all try it more often. (Not lying, but embracing our humanity)
Politics: Now here is a word that can bring a variety of reactions. Politics as a human endeavor has had many different reactions historically. Today, the reaction to the word politician is much different than what an ancient Greek or Roman would have had.
Why do people no longer consider politics a noble pursuit? In the United States, politicians no longer command the respect of the electorate at large, but still are elected and reelected by their local constituencies. A seeming contradiction whose explanation requires the expertise of your best political scientist - I am certainly not going to try an answer it here.
Let’s end with a quote from a famous American President. “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” Ronald Reagan
The point of all this is how we use words makes a difference. We all know that. However, we usually reserve our knowledge of this for important occasions when we have to get it right. What we forget is how important the emotional contents of words are in our everyday relationships – doing so can be the difference between having a meaningful encounter instead of spending our time wondering went wrong.
Till next time,
Brother Giovanni
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