Conjectures of a recovering dilettante --- Welcome to Pizzaonia! Reflections from a different perspective --- Diverti Mento, John Frank Giovanni, Frank John Franco, Vera V. Veronica and all of the Pizza digogo DiVinci family invite you to join us - We discuss and share ideas that are relevant to our new emerging world. A division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network
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“Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from defeat.” Jean-Paul Sarte
"Pizzaonia Emerging" - courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator
June 2014
It is hard to understand how little we seem to understand about the cost of victory. Some where in our evolution as an American culture the idea of wining as the redeeming, ultimate, human virtue that makes all things right became the mantra for what is defined now as “the American way.”
Like all seeming virtues winning is a double edged sword. How many relationships suffered, how many promise not kept and how many times are these actions justified because the rewards of victory will offset everything else? How many of these victories are Pyrrhic victories and little else?
On a national level, we need look no further than our history of recent past and current wars. The enormous cost of lives and national treasure make justification of these conflicts very difficult. In order to win, someone has to lose, and the losers are not always the enemy.
Many times the losers are those who lost their lives and loved ones in these often misguided wars. The loss of national treasure will affect the lives of millions of people for years to come. We try to skate around this with excuses and rationalizations, but in the end there are many losers no matter how we try to justify the opposite.
And then there is the matter of competition. How destructive is unchecked competition? You simply have to look at our economic reality to have your answer. Sometime soon in our evolutionary process, the notion of victory will have to be redefined.
A new concept of victory has to emerge – a concept that is more inclusive and consistent with true human values rather than selfish individual delusions. As the world grows smaller and smaller with more and more people, we have little choice if we choose to survive.
I remain an optimist because in our everyday reality our nature is to cooperate more than we compete. For one day in your life keep score on how many times you cooperate with someone rather than compete with them. You may be amazed at the result. We simply need to return to our true natures no matter how difficult that may be - and in the process rediscover our humanity.
John Frank Giovanni, commenting for "The Pizzaonian" a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diveti Mento, editor
A basic premise that we have always believed here in Pizzaonia is that if you are ever going to know the real Jesus, the historical Jesus, you must focus on his “humanness.” To know him as a human being gives us a greater emotional understanding of what his daily life and experiences were like.
So much of our modern understanding of Jesus is placed on what Christians now believe about who he is. However, as we said previously, what about the time before any of this was known? Who was he then, what do we know of him, before much of the world knew him as the “Son of God?"
You have to wonder what his daily life was like. We have the Gospel impressions of a very serious man intent upon his mission in life. The impression we are left with is a man completely focused on his Messianic role. But somehow that does not always square away with the way a human being would always act, regardless of who they might be.
We have so many years of his life that are not accounted for – what was he like during this period? We know he was a carpenter, but how much real work was there for carpenters? We know the Romans and their client rulers were constructing huge new cites near his home. He and his father more than likely went where the work was, doing what they had to in order to help support the family.
What was he like when he had some time to himself? We know from later Gospel accounts he liked visiting with friends who included men and woman. Wine was a common drink that they all enjoyed. We can imagine how we would be in this situation. Granted, he was different than we are, but he was also very much like us.
We know he was a great story teller. We can assume this is a skill he acquired during his life. I like to imagine Jesus in his early adult years spending the hours when he was not working - sharing ideas and small talk with his friends.
We also know how difficult the times were during his life. Every day was a struggle, but as the Gospels indicate they did make time to enjoy their friends.
Unfortunately, what we know most about his life takes place during his last three years. Granted, they are the three most important years, but little else is revealed to us as to what came before. There is much written speculation that prior to this he was busy preparing for his mission. Again this assumes that he was sure from the beginning that he always knew what his mission was.
For him to know this would also suppose that his special relationship with his heavenly father was established early. If so, it takes from us some of our abilities to relate to him as a human being like us.
However, again, what if this relationship was like a seed, there from the beginning, but it had to grow and develop into the fullness of what we now know as the Jesus of the Gospels.
I am sure some will consider this sacrilege – we do not. For us, this continued exploration of the man, Jesus only makes his life and choices more compelling.
Any reflection of Christianity can only start at one place – the man called Jesus. So let me begin.
Who is this man called Jesus? There is the Jesus of the Bible. There is the Jesus of the Church. And somewhere in all of this there is Jesus, the man.
Today it seems whatever is written about Jesus gets attention, particularly if it is critical or controversial. He remains one of the most well-known, famous individuals in all of human history.
The Jesus that has always attracted us here in Pizzaonia is Jesus the man. We are told that he was both “true God, and true man.” If so, the human being, this “true man,” who walked the earth more than 2000 years ago remains the most human among us, then and now.
There have been countless books written on the historical Jesus. Each one leaves us unsatisfied. For one, they are all speculations as to how the writer chooses to interpret the historical references to Jesus’s physical life. Clearly, the more we attempt to describe and label him the more elusive he becomes.
Sometimes we miss the obvious. I would like to leave all the vague, interpretive, explanations of Jesus out of the equation for now and focus on the words “true man.” This suggests that he was not only completely human, but uniquely so.
Many who cannot accept Jesus as Savior or the Messiah have found in the events of his earthly life true respect for him as a man. I would like to think that for Jesus, each moment of his life was an awakening. From his boyhood on as he began to sense that he was special, feelings of both joy and confusion may well have been part of his experience. Just consider how you would feel if the same spiritual revelations came to you.
What was the boy Jesus like? We know nothing of his childhood until he shows up for the first time in Luke’s account of his visit to the temple. Here we get a glimpse of what he was beginning to realize about what he was being asked to be. He becomes so absorbed with what was happening, he forgets to tell his parents where he was.
So many accounts of Jesus suggest he knew from the beginning who he was and what his life was meant to fulfill. However, what if the opposite were true - what if he was often confused, especially in the beginning about the strange calling he felt compelled to follow. For me this would be the fully human Jesus – a Jesus like us having to work out what his Father was calling him to be.
This becomes the flesh and blood, the human Jesus, and the longer you see him from this perspective the more you can appreciate what he accomplished. To add to his humanity, consider that he also had an actual choice. What if after fully realizing what he was being asked to do he had said, “are you kidding, you want me to do what.”
When we start emotionally feeling what he felt as the strange odyssey of his life began unfolding before him, we start appreciating fully the impact of his humanity – and we begin to know the man, Jesus
Pizzaonia emerging - Courtesy of the Pizzaonan Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator
As more people seek political office in the United States, the Pizzaonian Vocational Institute is now receiving an unprecedented number of requests about our POD (Purveyors of Doom) certified course in Demagoguery. We are reprinting this by popular request.
The Pizzaonian Institute for Vocational Education released today its eight-point, reference guide for more effective demagoguery. This quick study, eight-point guide is part of the updating provided to graduates of our Purveyors of Doom (POD) certificated program for alumni seeking employment as a politician or in the American radio and television markets.
As we have pointed out in the past, in the United States reporting on national disasters, murder, mayhem, political and corporate sexual and financial scandals are no longer enough to keep the public interested. Many professionals were at a loss in attempting to keep their ratings and jobs. And then they discovered demagoguery.
In the beginning, any demagoguery would do, but as more and more trained PODS entered the market, the quality of the competition grew as well. Now the field is filled with trained professionals that make Goebbels look like an amateur.
It is vital to understand that if you are going to be an entrepreneurial demagogue, you will have to find a liberal democracy to practice your profession. In dictatorships, demagogues only work for the government. This limits the opportunities available as well the creative challenges you may be seeking.
Eight- points for better entrepreneurial demagoguery
Being sincere and believable
Creating the enemy
Creating the Savior
Becoming a willing martyr
Willingness to sacrifice
Creating a moral majority of one
Bearing the slings and arrows
Creating the conspiracy
This will be a two part series. Today we will cover 1 - 5
Before you read you may be asking, why me?
Because in your heart you know you are a natural at reinforcing and mastering the language of hate.
1. Being sincere and believable - Demagogues must seem to be sincere no matter how absurd their ideas may be. One cannot maintain credibility without conveying a deep sense of moral conviction mixed in with well-orchestrated outrage. It helps if you can convince yourself that what you are saying is true, regardless of how wrong you may be.
Effective demagoguery is particularly suited to the sociopathic personality.
2. Creating the enemy - It is not enough to spread discontent. You must find a scapegoat responsible for the discontent. You cannot spread hate in the abstract. It must have a face and be easily assimilated by your target audience. Before beginning your career as a POD you might spread some time looking for a target audience with a minimum of intelligence. The problem here is that they cannot just be stupid; they also must be reasonably well-off. At one time this was a very difficult combination to find, butis no longer the case in many parts of the world.
3. Creating the Savior - Developing a believable messianic personality is critical for success. At our vocational institute, we found it necessary to include a semester of method acting to our POD curriculum. Convincing your audience that you were destined to be their savior is part of the job description. Here is where it gets tricky. Not only do you have to be their savior; you have to be willing to suffer as well.
It is important to mention here that the suffering can never be physical for obvious reasons. You cannot disguise real, physical suffering. This must be avoided at all costs. Suffering must come to you in a mental way that makes it seem you are bearing a huge burden to save your people.
As you become wealthier, you will be indulging yourself with many of the pleasures that only the well-off can afford. You can never indulge in luxury pleasures for their own sake. It must always seem to be a necessary diversion that allows you to endure the mental anguish you are always pretending to feel. This is not easy to do. Only the most accomplished demagogues succeed in this area. It is important to always show a flash of angst at the right moment – the moment will often present itself when you are enjoying yourself the most. There is no time to think here - only the best master the “moment’s notice angst technique.”
4. Becoming a willing martyr - I must warn you this next section is not for amateurs. As it has happened in the past, if you give the impression that you are disposed to die for your cause, someone might expect you to do it. Being agreeable to accept martyrdom but never allowing yourself to be put into the position of letting it happen is tricky. Many of our professors at the Institute do not believe you can teach this. This most extraordinary type of demagoguery must create a level of deception that only the “truly” talented attain. Suffice it to say, if you choose to practice in this arena make sure you are the best – nothing less will do.
5. Willingness to sacrifice - Making it clear to all that you are willing to sacrifice yourself for your cause is one talent all demagogues master instinctively. Please note, this is quite different than martyrdom. Our experience at the Institute over the years has taught us to focus more on methodology than intent. The successful practitioner will be very prosperous. How then do you sacrifice and be immensely rich at the same time?
The technique that has been the most successful is what we call “isolation.” Here is how it works. Find something you love to do. One of our most successful practitioners loves the sea. Here is how he practices “isolation.”
He has convinced his audience he is a wanted man who is always in danger for his willingness to expose corruption in high places. Since he carries such a burden daily, he needs some relief if he is to continue his messianic role. The answer in his case was easy. He bought a luxury, deep water yacht that is capable of sailing around the world. As a result, he can withdraw from the world in royal splendor on his ship, so he can rest in safety in order to continue the good fight. His public never questions this. Hard to believe – you would think so, but this remains one of the most successful of the isolation methods.
More later .............
John Frank Giovanni, commenting for "The Pizzaonian" a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, editor Related articles