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 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
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.
(C)2012 Pizzaonian National Flag, Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator
I am sure most of us would like to believe that destiny has picked a special place in history for us to fulfill. It is very comforting in this veil of tears to believe that some noble purpose is trying to make sense of this chaos called life. But what if it isn’t, and how do we know the difference?
How much of what happens to us is planned and how much is the sheer accident of opportunity? Unfortunately, for many of us, the answer is not obvious until late in life.
I often have wondered about people who are sure of what they want to become when they are ten years old. Perhaps, they have a special gift that intuitively lets them know what they will do best in their lives. These folks don’t need to ponder these questions. They were answered for them.
But what about the rest of us? First, it is easy to eliminate what we will or will not become. It is obvious early on for those so inclined whether you are going to become a doctor, a mathematician or a nuclear scientist. It is equally obvious for the rest of us to know we are not going to become any of these.
This is the place where I need to point out only those with a full belly can ponder these questions in the first place. For those who must survive and nothing else, whatever opportunity for survival that shows up will do nicely.
Simply said, if you are digging for roots to survive - these questions are not part of your consciousness.
It should be clear to all of us that if we are in a position to have this problem, we are already better off than most. So consider yourself lucky to be here. You can afford it. This should make the journey easier.
As we begin, we need to know first - that activity breeds activity. I learned this early and you can never forget it, “if you want to be successful you must keep the ball in play.” Nothing happens if you hide in a closet. The world is not going to come to you - you must go to it.
Now, how and where we act and make this happen is what we each must decide for ourselves. However, let me leave you with this thought. Your vocation does not have to be the way you earn a living – they can be separate activities, and they are not mutually exclusive.
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.
“I am a realist. I believe in exploiting the possible, not in chasing impossible dreams.” Brother Franco
Part 4 – Defining success - continued with Brother Franco
Brother Giovanni (BG) – Since I have known you, and that is a number of years now, you have always been a realist. It is probably why you have made such a good headmaster at the monastery. From your mentoring experience, what do you believe is the best way for a person to start on the road to success?
Brother Franco (BF) – You are being kind. What you call being a realist many of my detractors call “hard headed and unbending.” With that, I have learned the one thing missing from most people’s intentions on leading the good life is a realistic inventory of what they have to work with.
BG – I can remember when we started out in the kitchen as novice monks you’re saying, “ Don’t try to make filet minion if all you have to work with is some celery, carrots and onions.”
(BF) – Exactly, and as we learned early in our kitchen experience, you can still do a lot if you are willing to deal with the fact that all you have is celery, carrots and onions.
(BG) - Is that what you mean by exploiting the possible?
(BF) – Yes, that is why so much of what I call “peasant cuisine” is so good and healthful.
(BG) – Now, how do we apply all of this to a person creating a realistic plan for their journey to success?
(BF) – I like to divide the process into parts. First, you have to take some time to define what you mean by success. I am amazed at how different people’s definition of success can be. It takes a serious amount of reflection to determine what kind of life you want to live.
(BG) – You can see that by the type of people who live in Pizzaonia. Many portalized here because they could not find the type of lifestyle in their native countries. For them the environment they lived in was a factor in their definition of success.
(BF) – That worked for us, but not too many people are going to want to leave where they are to live in an alternate universe such as Pizzaonia. That’s why it is vital to define success on your terms. This is the point where you have to consider “exploiting the possible rather than chasing impossible dreams.”
Your definition of success has to cover many areas, including emotional as well as material needs. There will be overlap here, but realistically, you have to stay in range of what you are capable of accomplishing.
(BG) – Wow! This could be overwhelming.
(BF) That’s why so many people leave their lives to chance hoping that the right opportunity will show up. Till next time........
(Editor's note: this is an actual transcript - no additions, corrections or deletions have been made.)
Image - Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator
Brother Giovanni and Brother Franco are attending a conference on religious unity this week and their conversations will not appear this week. In their place are some reflections on religious commitment.
Random thoughts for true believers and other folks
A Pizzaonian perspective ……..
Nothing is more elusive to the religious life than commitment. This statement always gets a reaction – mostly from those who believe they are committed. We also need to clarify what we mean by commitment.
There is no better example in the New Testament than the story of the young man who wanted to be complete so he could follow Jesus. When he heard what he had to do, “…. Sell everything, give to the poor and follow me,” things no longer looked as good.
For most people, very little personal suffering is sought, directly or indirectly. The crosses and difficulties of life are the accidents that happen to us. How many of these do we really choose? Very few.
We always hear from the conveyors of the religious faiths that knowing how to embrace misfortune and sacrifice is what define the true believer. It also helps if the affliction is simply not self-serving but directly brings some good to other people.
What is this all about and how do we really ever understand how we feel about this noble, but almost always avoided circumstance? {Suffering and sacrifice)
There will be those who point out the exceptions to what I am saying. However, that is the point. They are always the exceptions. What about the rest of us who believe we live something of a noble life by seeking out ways to help others?
Do we truly embrace the notion of suffering and sacrifice? This question is very relevant to Christians since it is the corner stone of their personal redemption.
None of these questions can be answered without serious personal introspection. Only honest self-reflection and prayer can show us the answer. Do we dare to find out?
Brother Giovanni and Brother Franco will be back next week.
"The Pizzaonian" a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network
An excerpt from the comments of Brother Giovanni addressing the Pizzaonian Monks Conference in Pizzaonia’s capital
(C)2012
Pizzaonian National Flag, Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Staction, Curator
To be read by those with a sense of humor – to read this without one misses the irony of it all.
Here in Pizzaonia we have a saying. We call it “the mark of the enduring cross.” The *enduring cross is something you continue to suffer personally for most of your life and marks how you see your life.
This question must always be asked. Is the cross of your choosing or one you have been handed? Humans are very good at creating unnecessary suffering for themselves.
The difference is profound. If it is a cross of your choosing, think carefully. Enduring crosses are the breeding ground of self-pity. If you have the courage to be introspective and honestly face yourself, the correct answer will usually emerge. However, you must still go slowly here, since self-deception is the most common of human traits.
If your “enduring cross” is a matter of honor and one you must embrace in order to maintain your integrity, you are on firmer ground. This cross is the grain of sand that makes the pearl.
If your cross was handed to you, you have little choice other than understand the good that can come from bearing it well. Few can do it with grace – or for that matter, muster the courage to begin the change that bearing it well will bring.
How well you bear your cross, helps define it, and you as well. If you bear it with cheerfulness and good will, it serves you and your neighbors well. If you cannot do this well - you will probably become a politician or radio talk show host.
