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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"Pizzaonian Discovery" courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator (C) 2009
Conjectures of a reconvering dillettante
Some random observations on reality and other stuff.......
The moment of existential truth is when we must choose the reality of whom we are - not who we would like to be. We can never “be” as long as we are in the process of becoming.
Through loneliness and despair, we eventually discover “self” - who we truly are without any of the illusionary trappings that we use to filter our reality. This is the moment of enlightenment that has the dual capacity to bring new life - or death to our souls.”
It is easy to understand this intellectually, but very difficult to grasp its full meaning emotionally. We discover self through our emotions, not through our intellect. Our intellect provides the road we travel. Our emotions provide our destination.
And we eventually discover God in order to escape the isolation of self.
“I aimed for the stars, fell into the mud, and discovered the lotus.”
“Pizzaonia Emerging” Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute. Abe Straction, curator
First a little history:
Brother Franco was recently reappointed headmaster of all Pizzaonian Monasteries. As Headmaster, he requires all new monks to take his introductory seminars. These seminars are designed to help each of us better identify our true aptitudes and guide us to more successful and fulfilling lives.
So many portalized Pizzaonians have led previous lives where serendipitous events have done more to shape what they do and the lives they have led than what their true vocations are and should be. These seminars are designed to correct that.
To paraphrase Thomas Merton – a pear tree is beautiful because it is a pear tree. If a human were a pear tree, he or she would spend most of their lives trying to become an apple tree. Most of us get the point immediately.
With this is mind we begin with these initial remarks. It should be noted that while the Pizzaonian Monasteries are Christian in perspective, they restrict their dogma to utter simplicity. It should also be noted that Pizzaonian Monks can profess any faith or non-faith including atheism and remain in good standing as Pizzaonian Monks.
They keep their belief system to what Jesus described as “the way.” When simply said this allows us to try to love are neighbors as ourselves, to love our God, and to make our guiding philosophy “to judge a tree by its fruit.” A tree, regardless of the kind of tree it may be,
Within each of us is the desire to affirm who we are. This is a two-sided coin. It can lead to great good or inordinate harm depending on how you decide to proceed.
The good – what can be more fulfilling than to know that what you are supposed to be is actually happening. The trick here is to make sure you are not kidding yourself in the process. How do you do that? The answer is not simple since objectivity is not easy to come by. For many of us, complete objectivity may not be possible.
It is probably not a bad idea to presume you are not as objective as you think. If we cannot use our judgment as the yardstick, how then do we know we are on the right track? There is no better way to measure how well you are doing than evaluating the results of your actions.
However, before you do this, you should set some positive ways to measure your progress in advance. First, define your goals. It is assumed in our opening statement that you already know what you expect to be. This should not be a feeling but a definitive goal that can be expressed clearly. There can be no ambiguity here – this must be clear before you start.
We have found that many of us do not survive this first step. Knowing oneself is not an easy task. It requires brutal honesty and a healthy sense of introspection. For many, it is wise to have someone you trust completely to help you on this journey. However, some caution here since for some this is a journey better taken alone. So much depends on how well you feel you know yourself.
One yardstick is to gauge how comfortable you are with past behavior, and how much you tend to trust your judgment. Rely on experience here – it shows the way. Much of what we will do in the future can be measured by what we have done in the past.
If the results of your past actions are not encouraging - do not be discouraged. The past can be equally effective by telling us what not to do as well as what we should be doing.
One thing is certain – completing this first step correctly with confidence in your method is vital for a successful completion of the journey you are about to embark.
Now start on step one – this is your job; no one can do it for you. Who are you and what should you be? If you are already on the journey – reevaluate where you are. Just like any other journey a roadmap is required. Often this first step is all that is needed. It quickly starts the process, and your own motivation takes over. This is good and the way it should be.
If this does not happen, don’t worry, you need to stay on track and work on it, we often test the seriousness our own desire. Get with it – the results can be profound.
"Pizzaonia emerging" Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Instute, Abe Straction, curator
Musings from Pizzaonia - a short reflection on solitude.
Today we make so much of solitude and meditation. Everyone writes about it, and many talk about it. It seems to us that one thing always gets lost in any discussion about solitude. Solitude is not an escape; it is not a place where you get off.
On the contrary, it is a method to help you continue your journey through life. Solitude allows us to stay relevant for the world we must engage every day.
It is a brief oasis, a place of rest that allows you a quiet respite to refresh your mind and body. In so doing, you can continue your journey with new vigor and enthusiasm.
How we choose to enter solitude is an individual experience. Some can do it anywhere they are; others need quite isolation. One thing is certain. We all need solitude to stay whole. Without it, we soon lose our way. Make sure every day has the solitude experience.
However, when you choose to enter your time of solitude always remember first its purpose. Focus on your journey. The road is always made clear to all who enter with an open heart and mind.
Before you leave, stay a moment - create a short oasis, a place of rest. Until next time,
Pizzaonian National Flag, courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator
“Power is always charged with the impulse to eliminate the human variable, from the equation of action.” Eric Hoffer
You could argue over why the above is always true. What is not arguable is that it is always true. What is it in the human condition that makes the need for being in control (power) a constant?
Be it politics, business or religion, no matter how veiled its projected humility may be, seeking power is the inevitable outcome.
Every political party, every business and every religion seeks power. Some are obvious. Others are very good at masking themselves as defenders of the truth and common good, but their quest for power makes them no different from the rest.
In religion, the most interesting dogmas come from those faiths that claim to have no dogma. With the mask of humility and acceptance, they immediately claim the moral high ground. This well disguised assertion of humility and openness gives to their faithful the authority of invented moral superiority – that is power.
In politics, it does not take long to understand, regardless of how much each political party states it is serving the “best interest" of their country; each party is first serving itself. After all, in order to serve you must first obtain power. That’s why the cynical among us say, “in order to beat the system you must become the system” - a clever way of saying, “in order to beat corruption you must become corrupt.”
If true, this explains a lot. And the beat goes on……..
Brother Giovanni, commenting, from Pizzaonia for the “The Pizzaonian.”
"PIZZAONIAN EMERGING #3" Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, Curator (C)2013
“..ideological myopia -a failure to realize compromising a little is better than staying stuck in the present path.” C. Nobel
A traditional dilettante could never be an ideologue. It runs counter to the tradition. The mere thought that someone could be so sure of themselves that they never need to compromise is to any serious dilettante - complete folly.
We need to make clear that by dilettante, we mean a “lover of the arts” rather than it’s more popular meaning “a dabbler, or someone who moves from one idea to another.”
“A lover of the arts” is not an artist, but one who appreciates art, but even more, respects culture as the foundation of a well-defined life. In order to respect culture you not only must be thankful for your own life, but the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of all other life as well. Simply said, you respect the human condition and embrace humanity warts and all.
From our distant perch, it seems in your world, there are two places that produce the most ideologues. They are emerging countries trying to gain a foothold, and established dominant countries struggling to keep their vaulted position in the order of things.
Everyone else in the middle seems quite content to live in relative tranquility at least in comparison to the two extremes. They seem to have put their faith in the people rather than in institutions or governments. As it was said to me years ago “Governments come and go but the people are forever.”
This also makes sense since it is the people who form cultures not governments. One could argue that the institutions and governments of our world reflect the culture of the people, and in the beginning this is probably true. However, unfortunately, this is always short-lived.
It is only a question of time until institutions become worlds of their one, living in a bubble that serves their purpose rather than the general good. It seems to be the inevitable nature of power to insulate itself from outsiders who seek to share it or be included.
This is hardly a new condition. It has existed from the time of the caves. As soon as some cave dwellers realized they had bigger clubs than “the other guys” they formed their own exclusive circles.
George Orwell said it better than anyone in Animal Farm - “All pigs are created equal, but some pigs are more equal than others.” You need to look at any advanced democracy and see this being played out each day.
What else could explain the “madness” going on in the U.S. Congress? This is a perfect example where a so-called democratic institution claims to represent the people as it serves its myopic self-interest. Enter the intolerant ideologues who would destroy the country in order to save it.
As we said at the beginning, give us the dilettantes every time. They are much too interested in the wonders of the world to seek power. And if they did seek power, they soon realize that this interferes with their dilettantism and move on to better things. As a result, the worlds they live in are much safer and better places.
John Frank Giovanni commenting for the "The Pizzaonian"- a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, Editor Emeritus
Conversations of Giovanni and Franco continued........ short version
Commentary on the American political scene........
G: Giovanni -- F: Franco
G: We have reached a time in American political rhetoric when everything is so overstated that redundancy is achieving the status of an art form
F: What can be said that has not already been said?
G: That’s the point. You now have to be clever enough to know what you are saying has already been said a million times over, and devise a new way of saying it.
F: So, you offer nothing new, just a new way of saying the same old thing.
G: This is starting to sound like an Oliver and Hardy routine.
F: Of course it is – that is the point. Life is an Oliver and Hardy routine.
G: So what do I do, stop talking and writing because it is all worn out and jaded?
F: For many I pray that is the case. But the point of this is not to create despair, but to try and figure a way out of this.
G: Well, let’s start with the cause and figure out if it is actually any different from other times.
After, you the reader, rediscover who Oliver and Hardy were ----------
View from the main chapel window, Pizzaonian Monasteries, Pizzaonia
RANDOM QUOTES FROM PIZZAONIUS WHILE GOING FROM HERE TO THERE……….
What better way to gain political credibility than to destroy a financial system and then blame those who try to fix it for creating the problem. One caveat: before you destroy the system make sure you get your cash out first. Wow, this is so farfetched nothing like this could ever happen.
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Who needs a revolution in a democracy when you can buy it?
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The best way to sell something to the masses is make it seem exclusive. The rich won’ touch it, but ordinary people will endure endless discomfort and cost to be seen with it.
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On being tolerant: It is important to believe in something, but not to the extent that it might offend other people.
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The danger in being a Christian is that sooner or later you might have to take it seriously.
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If you are going to gossip, make sure what you are saying does not appear to be gossip.
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Take the credit for all the good things that happen in your life, for all the else, blame heredity.
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On friendship: “I do desire we be better strangers.” Shakespeare How often would you have liked to say this?
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Happiness is not a state of mind it is a process that you cultivate as you would any good habit. It consists of making the best of any situation, particularly those situations you can do nothing about.
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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS WHILE TRAVELING FROM EAST TO WEST……….
In any democratic system the rich will always support public education as long as it remains vocational training. That support will end the minute it begins to educate the masses.
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To allow opposing beliefs to coexist freely with yours is not tolerance, unless you also believe that beliefs that oppose yours are also equal to yours.
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Perhaps randomness is not so bad after all. Just think what trouble we would be in if our political leaders were capable of actually executing their ideas.
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Trying to find common ground with everyone you meet is like water skiing with sandals. Unless you have incredibly large feet it doesn’t work.
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What every demagogue has figured out: You don’t have to solve people’s problems – you simply must create hatred for a supposed enemy that gives meaning to their otherwise hopeless lives.
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We meet reality twice in a lifetime, at birth and at death. Everything in between is an illusion created by the culture you were born into.
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You should always preach forgiveness. Just be very careful to whom you extend it to.
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SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS……….
If you have gotten this far, by now you have noticed a great deal of cynicism in the above thoughts. I sometimes think cynicism gets a bad rap. For those of us, and I include myself, a dose of occasional derision that attacks ideas we hold sacred might be mentally helpful. This is particularly true for the idealist.
As the Pizzaonian Spelunker has been heard to say, “Idealism is only for those who have always been poor and the very rich.”
Not that I agree with this, but a dose of the other side of our optimistic reality might have some benefit for us idealists who fall somewhere in the middle of the Spelunker’s criteria.
"Pizzaonian Emerging" Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Museum, Abe Straction, curator
What is happening to Dogma? You can ask this question across the board, regardless of the organization or the place. For one, while people remain respective of dogma, they don't take it as seriously.
That is not to say, people still don't accept the creeds of their institutions, they do; they just no longer follow them. This is true regardless of the body, be it political or religious. The unanswered question is why?
Pope Francis seems to understand this. He does not refute Catholic dogma; instead, he prefers to focus on its intent rather than its rigidness.
He clearly understands we are in an evolutionary process of change - and as a result the awareness and consciousness of the average person is changing.
The old values no longer hold sway, and new collective values have yet to happen. This is why people still cling to dogma, even though they no longer believe in its tenants.
When in quicksand, we need to hold on to something, regardless of the contradictions in may produce in our behavior.
Whenever there is confusion it is much easier to move to “intent” as a way of creating more original and gentler behavior. We can all deal with intent because it is more abstract. When the rules are concertized as part of collective culture, there is no place to go other than “to believe.”
In the digital world of communication this concept no longer works. When information is ubiquitous, we are allowed the false sense of being knowledgeable. It becomes very easy to confuse information as knowledge.
Christianity is a wonderful example of witnessing the change that is occurring in all aspects of modern life. Originally, Christianity was very simple - “Love your neighbor as yourself” – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
It does not take a very involved theology to understand what this means. What evolved is a very compelling and complicated autocratic theology that codified all the rules of behavior.
To paraphrase the late Supreme Court Justice, William Douglas – “…interpreting the law is easy; trying legally to evade the law is takes time.”
So where does this leave Christianity today - very much in a state of flux. The more modern societies evolve, with access to easily obtained information, the less orthodox they become.
This is certainly the challenge for all orthodoxy today, including the conventions of most traditional religious beliefs.
So is the solution to return to the original intent? I propose it is. Many will argue that the earlier intent was never lost. I believe the state of the present world, and most of its orthodoxies answers the argument for me. As stated before, Pope Francis “gets it.”
By returning to the simplicity of the original Christian message, he allows believers something they can accept. Not only is the message simple, it is relevant.
Yes, the Christian message demands sacrifice and love without judgement, nonetheless; it is still compelling and easily understood - and when put in the actual words of its founder, a return to the original intent.
It seems there is a lesson here for all dated orthodoxies, including political theologies as well.
John Frank Giovanni, commenting for "The Pizzaonian" a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, editor
"Pizzaonia Emerging" Pizzaonian Monasteries - Courtesy of the PizzaonianArt Institute - Abe Straction, curator
Previously:
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 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.
Creating a moral majority of one.
It takes a special human being to be a moral majority of one. Certainly, no rationale, reasonable person can qualify. To be convincing to a gullible majority of people while preaching an oxymoron, you have to be totally committed to deceit as an art form.
There are no known academies or universities that specialize in teaching the art of deceit; however, many do practice it regularly. Though there is high demand for such a curriculum, no institution dares to advertise they specialize in a subject that the public would not accept. As a result, this shady discipline is now taught as political science.
For those seeking a respectable institution that will train you in the more advanced techniques in Machiavellian political methods, several prestigious universities in the eastern United States come to mind.
In a recent study at our Institute, we discovered that the most likely candidates to succeed in this field are paranoid idealists who wet their beds as children.
Many of our most successful demagogues served internships as political consultants to obtain practical knowledge, and our Institute highly recommends this experience for all who seek demagoguery as a full-time career.
The ability to be seen as a majority of one requires the ability to speak with conviction regardless of how absurd what you are saying maybe. This requires long hours of training. This is not for the faint-hearted. The personality conducive to self-delusion is well suited for this aspect of demagoguery.
Bearing the slings and arrows
You can see the overlap in the skill sets we are examining. Many of the required talents are variations of the same theme. However, in the mastering of the subtleties of each skill set, rests the secrets of the master demagogues. None of these skills are more important than to be able to bear the slings and arrows of those who oppose you.
Regardless of how correct your critics are – regardless of how absurd your position is – learning to speak firmly with conviction and stand with dignity as the slings and arrows come at you will create a willing target audience that will follow you.
Our guest demagogues who speak at our vocational Institute tell us there are real satisfactions in watching their detractors squirm with frustration when they are unable to counter their positions, regardless of how many facts they use. Being right has no place here. Seeming to be credible, regardless of how ridiculous your position is, will always keep your believers believing. This is the real art of demagoguery.
Creating the conspiracy
Planning – planning – planning is the key here. Before one can sell a conspiracy, you must know and study your target audience. This requires an empathy and knowledge of the culture and traditions of your intended market. In fact, if you were not a demagogue, you could very easily be one of them. And, this is the key. Before the conspiracy can be sold, you must be part of the fabric of the culture you are going to con.
Historically, demagoguery is most successful when a culture is facing uncertain times. These conditions are the fertilizer that nourishes the seeds of hate and distrust necessary for you to succeed. Pick your time and place wisely. It is crucial to your success.
Conjectures of a recovering dilettante while traveling the road to Utopia
The quest to be an authentic you is the most difficult journey in life. If you are fortunate to have a number of years to work this out, you may see the journey come to a successful end.
Be grateful, not all are as lucky. Why is authenticity so difficult? One reason: the world does not want authenticity; it wants conformity. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. Conformity in tribal days meant survival of the tribe. Any perceived behavior that interfered with the well-being of the clan was not tolerated. In many ways, we have not changed with time. We are just better at disguising it.
If you are skeptical about this just think how families treat the so-called “black sheep” among them. Are corporations any different? Yes, I include those companies that believe they have created a freer more advanced business lifestyle. Actually, these organizations may be the greatest offenders. Nothing disguises conformity greater than words that proclaim to be against it.
We see ourselves as very advanced. It is inconceivable for many of us to understand, even to acknowledge, how emotionally primitive we actually are. How many of our primal instincts have been codified into sophisticated, complicated cultural and religious dogmas? If we could understand this, how many tragedies might be avoided?
One sign that clearly shows how conformity is at work is when a nation, collectively, sees itself as possessing the “truth” and believes they are called by destiny to share (impose) this so-called “truth with the world. This is different than a nation or culture whose citizens understand who and what they are, and are willing to leave it at that. How much better a world it might be if more nations were content to leave well enough alone.
There is one area that is more confusing and less clear. At what point does a nation morally use its superior force to halt an obvious injustice or tragedy occurring beyond its own borders or area of national interest? You would think this would be easy, but like most issues that affect nations, it is not.
For one, when does the sacrifice of treasure and lives for the sake of others deplete a nation’s resources at the expense of its own citizens? In a democracy, this is surely an issue that should be decided by the people. How naïve this must sound to those we elect to represent and guide us. The world now is so complicated, or so they tell us, our leaders today must have the authority to act when they believe it is in the “national interest.” A simple perusing of a newspaper tells us how this plays out daily. Need we remind ourselves of unintended consequences?
This takes us back to our original thought about conformity. How many citizens are willing to speak out? Very few apparently – not only do we not raise our voices individually - more than forty percent of the eligible citizens of the “world’s greatest democracy don’t participate in free elections.
