Conversations — Claudio DaNapoli

CONVERSATIONS

Communication brings understanding; Understanding builds tolerance; Tolerance favors coexistence; Coexistence aids evolution; Evolution is humans’ only job.

[ DIGITAL LOSS ]
New generations are losing themselves to technology with unpredicted speed. But are we losing ourselves and our humanity or are we merely witnessing the transition to a new age? — [ DIGITAL LOSS ] New generations are losing themselves to technology with unpredicted speed. But are we losing ourselves and our humanity or are we merely witnessing the transition to a new age?

[ WHAT IF... ] On certain days, when conditions were right, Alcatraz prisoners would be able to hear the sounds of the nearby city as it reverberated across the bay—laughter, music, and street noises. At the far end of the exercise yard there is a do — [ WHAT IF... ] On certain days, when conditions were right, Alcatraz prisoners would be able to hear the sounds of the nearby city as it reverberated across the bay—laughter, music, and street noises. At the far end of the exercise yard there is a door with two holes cut into it; through them the prisoners could see the Golden Gate Bridge. As I looked out these holes, I wondered what a prisoner would feel, hearing the sounds of “life”, forced to stare at this engineering marvel that transported people freely from one part of the city to another. The only words that kept repeating in my head were “what if… what if…?” I imagined them endlessly repeating in their heads, “What if…? “What if I hadn’t picked up that knife…?” “What if I hadn’t gone out that night to get drunk…?” “What if my mother was not a prostitute and my father did not abuse me…?” “What if I hadn’t lost my temper …? And for a brief moment all these “monsters” felt to me as if they were also lost children.

[ ON THE WRONG TRACK ] For years, epidemiologists cautioned us that we were unprepared for an inevitable pandemic. They advised us additional resources were required to mount an adequate response. We did not listen.

When a little bug did rebel, as — [ ON THE WRONG TRACK ] For years, epidemiologists cautioned us that we were unprepared for an inevitable pandemic. They advised us additional resources were required to mount an adequate response. We did not listen. When a little bug did rebel, as predicted, it brought the world to its collective knees. Environmentalists are screaming that they need more resources to properly study the impact of pollution on the planet and that we must change our ways before it is too late. Again, we are not listening. If a little defiant bug can bring the world to one knee, what will happen when all of nature rises up in rebellion…

[ CASSANDRA's DREAM ] The mythological princess Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy. She prophesied the destruction of Troy, but her predictions went unheeded.

This structure reminds me of the remnants left after an apocalyptic end of our civil — [ CASSANDRA's DREAM ] The mythological princess Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy. She prophesied the destruction of Troy, but her predictions went unheeded. This structure reminds me of the remnants left after an apocalyptic end of our civilization. Who is our Cassandra and are we heeding her predictions now?

[ 110000 ] The number of shoes discovered when Auschwitz was liberated represents but a small fraction of the millions of vibrant souls snuffed-out. Glorious will be the day we learn not from our atrocities but from our humanity.

[ PRAYER ] If religion is a reflection of humanity’s needs at that given moment in time.
To what will we be praying in our future? — [ PRAYER ] If religion is a reflection of humanity’s needs at that given moment in time. To what will we be praying in our future?

[ VENI VIDI VANDALI ]

I am fed up with fraudulent photos of pristine panoramas and gorgeous
places when the reality that I continue to observe is quite different.

Editing out is not a solution. — [ VENI VIDI VANDALI ] I am fed up with fraudulent photos of pristine panoramas and gorgeous places when the reality that I continue to observe is quite different. Editing out is not a solution.

[ LOOK AT ME ] Do you see what you are doing to me with all of your plastic, your chemicals and your toxic waste? Can’t you see that I have lost my natural blue color?

Your short-sightedness and need for immediate gratification have caused me to foa — [ LOOK AT ME ] Do you see what you are doing to me with all of your plastic, your chemicals and your toxic waste? Can’t you see that I have lost my natural blue color? Your short-sightedness and need for immediate gratification have caused me to foam at the mouth as I am becoming rabid. Please stop looking only at yourself --and look at me too!

[ ROXANNE ] The light emanating from the unseen room glows bright red as the most recent assailant is being pleased while the empty chair marks the place where his/her next client will wait their turn.

Technically, sex work is simply a commercial t — [ ROXANNE ] The light emanating from the unseen room glows bright red as the most recent assailant is being pleased while the empty chair marks the place where his/her next client will wait their turn. Technically, sex work is simply a commercial transaction between two consenting adults, but true consent can only be offered when choice exists. If it is not a voluntary endeavor, isn't it simply the meeting of assailant and victim? should we judge? who then do we judge the pimp or the client? Should we seek blame? and if so, are our aesthetic-centrism, or artificial repression of our animal instincts, or our religious mores to be blamed?

[ SALVATION FOR SALE ] “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” I will never be able to reconcile our pivot from Christ’s original teachings to the Churches’ current practices where we are now compelled t — [ SALVATION FOR SALE ] “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” I will never be able to reconcile our pivot from Christ’s original teachings to the Churches’ current practices where we are now compelled to pay for the hope of improving our reality and saving our souls from eternal damnation.

[ LESSER OF THE TWO ] When I saw this gentleman so deeply engrossed in reading that he didn’t even notice me, I was stunned. This was not my understanding of homelessness. Furthermore, to
witness a homeless man engaged in an activity such as reading — [ LESSER OF THE TWO ] When I saw this gentleman so deeply engrossed in reading that he didn’t even notice me, I was stunned. This was not my understanding of homelessness. Furthermore, to witness a homeless man engaged in an activity such as reading made him human in a way that I had never considered before. How could this stereotype-breaking image be possible? And how could I allow my need for comfort-of-mind to supersede my recognition of fellow human beings? And that's when I knew I was the lesser of the two.

[ TOXIC GAMES ] An innocent swing set sits abandoned in a contaminated lake.
The loneliness is crushing. |
The empty swing is devastating. |
The scars will never heal. |

And yet we keep participating... |
… in these toxic games. | — [ TOXIC GAMES ] An innocent swing set sits abandoned in a contaminated lake. The loneliness is crushing. | The empty swing is devastating. | The scars will never heal. | And yet we keep participating... | … in these toxic games. |

[ CLOUD FACTORY ] Fact. Our society needs manufactured goods to continue existing. Consequently, we require the reality of factories and industry.

Fact. We, humans, must have nature in order to survive.

Opinion. A conflict between the two needs — [ CLOUD FACTORY ] Fact. Our society needs manufactured goods to continue existing. Consequently, we require the reality of factories and industry. Fact. We, humans, must have nature in order to survive. Opinion. A conflict between the two needs does not have to be inescapable. As with many things in life, a satisfactory resolution is in moderation and compromise.