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In Los Angeles, thanks to a helpful taxi–driver, I found a cheap hotel, just near the downtown.
Today I went by bus to Santa Monica, where the addresses of the most Los Angeles’ art galleries are. I found them on the Internet, and there was one where I was to discuss a project to have my own painting exhibition. I do not intend to describe the route, or to relate the trip, but I can’t help writing about a couple, which got up before Hollywood. She, although fat, was dressed in white, and was dressed in tens of ornaments of the most intense and unfit possible colors. The very tight knitted–trousers rendered evident her back like a balloon at the point of bursting, and two horrible legs. Her hair was painted in many colors, all of them as violent as possible. It is more difficult to describe what he was wearing, because it wasn’t anything else except clothes. These clothes were suitable for a science–fiction movie for children. Anyway, it was something of a very bright color. Both of them were trying to look brazen. Surely their minds were not sound. After they changed some seats, they chose to sit just behind me, and I could hear them. They were speaking Russian. How small is the world!
Santa Monica! I don’t know who was that Monica or what she did to become a saint. As for Santa Barbara, I hope she was not a woman saint of the barbarians. What is sure is that Saint Petersburg is not the place where Saint Peter was born or died. Yes, it was in fashion to baptize towns with such names. It was also an epoch, which still goes on, to baptize towns and streets with politicians’ name. What always puzzled me was why names of highly cultivated men are not used. Sometimes it is just irritating to see how towns like Königsberg, the town of the great philosopher Kant. Kaliningrad still wears the name of a politician. And what a politician: Kalinin, one of the first communist leaders, the father and the chief of the former KGB.
I found that almost all the galleries are in the same place. Among three streets, probably in a former depot, there are seven or eight buildings, with large doors for big trucks. They divided these buildings in smaller rooms with panels— every room is an exhibition. It would cost me 750 dollars a week to have an exhibition there. The owners are not interested in what the artist expose there, if he or she pays the rent. Not a single visitor were there whilst my visit—only artists who look to each other. This kind of exhibition could be useful for American artists, because they need to have now and again an exhibition in order to improve their Curriculum Vitae, but it would be useless for me.
This idea to concentrate arts in some places like Santa Fe, or here in Los Angeles in these former depots, is as stupid as it is un-educational. Art, before being merchandise, is a creation. It marks the society way, up or down. It marks our feelings. We become better or worse through arts. Our souls are in arts. We are nothing without arts, but some animals. To organize arts like a stock exchange, or a simple market, is beyond of my imagination.
There were many people in the bus station for the downtown. Most of them are going home after work. Many women! Getting on the bus, I gave priority to a woman with Chinese features. My old–fashioned gesture impressed her so much that, after several stops, she offered me her place, even if there were many women, just some old ones, standing around. She was happy for a moment. It was clear that such occurrences had not been frequent in her life. How easy one can make happy someone!
An amusing incident happened later. A lady, carrying two little girls, got up in a hurry. Interesting was her ’technical endowment’, her ’logistics’. Try to imagine: a pram for the smallest girl, who is in her mother’s arms, in a harness; a large knapsack on her back; a huge shopping bag and the handbag in an hand, while with the other she pulls the other girl over the set of steps of the bus. She probably is a tormented woman, but I can’t help smiling at what she looks like: a combination between a mountaineer and Santa Claus.
Some men wear caps with the inscription VIP, in an obvious disaccord with their real social position. Have people so much humor? Maybe! Anyway, not a single real VIP wears clothes with such inscriptions, perhaps the other way around. I saw someone who wrote ‘redneck’ only thinking to become a very important person.
I was surprised to see there are a few art galleries in LA, even in Santa Monica. Three years ago I saw some in Long Beach and other small resorts. I thought there are more in Santa Monica. I was wrong!
I gave up to offer my paintings, because, as I already said, leaving best of them in Florida ?and some more to my friends ? the remaining ones were too few and unimpressive. Instead, I tried to make contacts for exporting Romanian art. I looked for art contacts in order to contact them later, from Romania, through mail. Here is a new postponement. Anyway, for the moment, my harvest of "business connections" is rather bad.
The single being who postpones is the man. Plants and animals do everything right away. Postponement is an attribute of the intelligence. The idea of waiting is the essence of any religion. For Christianity, there is the belief in a future life in Heaven, the Second Coming of Christ, etc. Even communist propaganda built such a promise too: communism would be the final aim. Till then, we must sacrifice ourselves in a socialist society. It is not different now. Romania is said to be in a period of transition, from a dictatorial–communist country toward a market–orientated one. As a mater of fact, nobody does something about this. On the contrary, we are going from a bad organized society to a completely disorganized one, in which some chiefs will do as they wish.
Eric, my friend in Los Angeles came to visit me at the hotel. He is the same as when I knew him. He owns another car. It is an old and small one, like the one he had three years ago. In the meantime, he started to learn arts. To be more exactly, he learns how to sketch painting. He often has odd ideas. This one is odd, because I do not think he has even a bit of gift in painting. I hope I am wrong, but it is unlikely. We succeeded in not discussing religion. For all that, my mind started again to think of it.
Yes, religion is necessary. Firstly, for the weak ones, who need support to keep themselves in psychological equilibrium! Most of them already are believers and it doesn’t mater at that church they go— like Eric. At the other extremity, are the very strong ones. Those thinking that they are gods hypothetically have more need of religion, for moderating their ambitions, but they do not know it. The warning with Apocalypse and God’s punishments sounds ridiculous in their ears. From the nowadays churches, they are lost for long time. There needs to be other means for persuading them. But how can be done, with the nowadays ministers of the religion? They are not able to understand their own words. With them, the religion has not the smallest chance. Without doubt they will lie to rest any religion.
For about five hundred years ago, the Protestantism appeared in Europe, trying to surpass the mistakes of Catholic Church. After about five hundred years, people’s faith in priests did not increase. Consequently, they did nothing, so they are not better. What is the worst, after the first Protestants’ model, lots of new ones appear permanently without any religious idea. They say the same slogans and do not see they are all similar to one another, or do not want to see. If it was proved that religion was inefficient from this point of view, why do they still insist? That means it was and is efficient in a different way. Which one? Well, it was certainly useful in politics as an instrument for manipulating people. It is useful today yet as an instrument for separating and splitting people and spread hatred among them, according to the principle: "Divide et Impera".
Most part of the success of the Reform is due to the invention of the printing. People used to be eager to print anything, and religious topics were being in fashion then.
Anyway, the first Protestants had a doctrine, logic and reasoning. They even believed in their thoughts. The neo–Protestants instead have nothing but hate for each other. As for their doctrine, it is limited to the idea that Jesus will come again and will punish all the people, except those belonging to their particular sect.
Using the Bible like a scarecrow, hoping that, frightening the people, they will become more religious is not a productive way in our years. We are not in the Middle Ages. This severity with which some people stubbornly prevent us to be sinners is odd. I do not like the quacks wanting by all means to make me think that I would be ill if I sell their remedies". Voltaire said it. The key to Christianity is goodness, not fear, rational reasoning, not that "believe and don’t search". A church apart from the science does not live. Many scientists are believers, but most priests do not understand how is that possible, because they understand nothing.
Where the mistake lies? From the beginning, we must discern between the two ways of the propagation of Christianity:
It would seem that the old Greek Orthodox Church is better. I do not think so! It only did not have the same opportunities. Let’s discuss a little history!
For the beginning, there was not a chief of Christian Churches. There were several great bishoprics, and their chiefs met several times in the so–named "ecumenical councils", but they never chose a leader. It would not be on their line of thoughts at that time. Christianity was spreading from Palestine firstly in Greece and slowly-slowly in the whole Roman Empire. There were lots of religions in that huge Empire, and no one was dominant. After the splint of Roman Empire in Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire (known as Byzantine Empire), and the collapse few years latter of the Western Roman Empire, the things changed. In the Byzantine Empire, Christianity became the official religion. Of course, the role of the bishops of Constantinople (the capital city) became increasingly important, but he was not a chief, yet. On the other hand, thanks to the bishop Wulfila, Christianity was spread among the Goth tribes. Goths, Ostrogoths, Vizigoths and the other tribes, conquering the western part of the former Roman Empire, carried Christianity directly in the western part of the Europe.
In time, while the Byzantine Empire was decreasing more and more under the stress of the eastern barbarians, the western part of the Europe was developing. In the year 800, Charlemaine shook hand with the bishop of Rome, accepting to be crowned as emperor by the bishop. His empire was a fiction; after his death the empire disappeared, but he marked the idea of the alliance between king and the bishop of Rome, who was recognized as chief: the Pope. From this moment on, Catholic Church became a centralized, hierarchical organization, where the interests of the leaders, and the rules imposed by them, smother the genuine faith. This explains the future apparition of the protesting cults and sects. Catholic Church and politics are inseparable. As for the balance of the power between East and West, it changed in favor of West. The West became increasingly powerful, so that Byzantine emperor and his bishop became obstacles in their ambitious way. In the year 1054, the Great Schism occurred. As the West had a chief, the Pope, the Orient needed one, so that the bishop of Constantinople became the Patriarch, but he never had the same role.
In time, Orthodox Church has spread toward the East (including Russia), while the Catholic Church has spread throughout the world, thanks to the colonial conquering. After the WW2, the former USSR persecuted the religion, so that the Orthodox Church hardly survived officially, but just from this cause, it is still strong in people’s souls.
Now, as the church – any church – has no power, the genuine way is possible again. People ask themselves what Christianity is. By the way, what it is? Let’s see, shortly!
It is Monday 12 October today, when they celebrate "Columbus Day". The festivities are not remarkable at all: some flags and very few and tired people, much fewer than usual, as main estate’s offices do not work, which disturb me a lot, as I was going to send some messages via e–mail, from the Public Library. Yes, in the USA, everyone may access the Internet for free from some cultural institutes, like public libraries. The advantage of being in a rich country! In Romania we must pay for it, because we are poor. Is it a paradox? Not at all! It explains why we are poor.
Wandering on the streets is the only thing that I can do now. Life in downtown is like usual for a workday, as banks, insurance and international companies do not take account of such holidays.
Thanks to the hill on the top of which the downtown lies, the urban architects built here a very nice area, with flight of stairs, escalators and just little vegetation, among high buildings. It is one of the beautiful areas in a large American city. I discovered it in my previous trip. I liked it then, and I like it now as well, even if I am a little sad now. Then, it was the joy of discovering; now it is the moment of taking leave of, and any departure is sad. Mine particularly, as I do not know if I will see these stairways again, due to the distance.
Not far away from the downtown, I came across a very small workshop for repairing worn–out footwear. I had not seen another before in the US, not even in small localities – where I suppose they exist, but not in the center – so that it was much surprisingly to see one just here, in a main street, near to the downtown of a very rich city. Of course, large towns need poor people more then small towns for unpleasant works, but their shops are not to be found in the center. Los Angeles is a town with many contrasts!
It is interesting that Spain discovered America. It had more colonies than anyone else had, but the successors of the first conquistadors are among the poorest people in the world. Of course we could not avoid asking why? The conquistadors were in king’s service. When some of them were dissatisfied with their position, a local arrangement might have been very tempting. They did it, and mixed themselves with the natives. But king’s army used to be stronger. In this way, the society divided itself in two opposite category: the government and people. This division still exists. In the nowadays USA, besides king’s men, lots of poor and even outlaw persons arrived, and soon king control become weaker and weaker. These free men built a new country, with their own law.
There are very few pubs in Los Angeles, and generally in large cities. As the Americans must be able to drive any time, the pubs would be without clients. The image with men constantly drinking whisky is totally false, or at least is not relevant. Instead, the word whiskey is a contemporary substitute for the older ’cheese’—when a cameraman wants to make us to mime a smile. And it is more convincing as well.
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