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Art vs. Monopoly of Truth
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By
John Faupel
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February
23, 2005
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John
Faupel has sent us an inspiring message and given us the permission to make use
of some of his paintings, all of which were motivated by a sense of outrage at
the invasion of Iraq. His comments appear below each picture. :
Prints
of these and other paintings may be purchased from Faupel's
Web site, which is
non-profit-making and was established to support Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace, and Amnesty International.
In
Faupel’s paintings you will find a thread of conscience exploring the
relations between the nations and how the monopoly of truth causes wars. The
paintings arouse many questions about citizenship and its wide range of
definitions in a changing world.
Splat
This
symbolizes “what bullies think of humanity & what humanity thinks of
bullies.” Patriotic, political, or religious conditioning invariably perverts
intuitive moral judgments without humanity being aware of it. Diverse tribal
rituals or practices are employed by leaders of church or state in their attempt
to gain strength of unity through loyalty and allegiance. Such indoctrination is
then often imposed upon other less powerful neighboring states or unsuspecting
peoples round the world by intrusive methods, such as evangelism, various forms
of propaganda, or by blatant expansionist aggression. These attempts at
subjugation may be motivated by greed, megalomania, or simply by blind
indoctrinated bigotry; but, in the end, the consequences are often
counterproductive when humanity comes to realizes there is a far deeper
universal truth over which no nation, religion, or political ideal can ever
justifiably claim monopoly.
***
Hidden
Persuaders
One
of the oldest cultures in the world has just been destroyed by one of the
youngest, whose only understanding is money and the glitzy artifacts it can buy.
Now, under the guise of “reconstruction” begins the systematic rape of the
hearts and minds of that nation by the “hidden persuaders.”
***
Conflict
of Convictions
Leaders
throughout history have invariably measured the strength of a nation by the
loyalty of its citizens so they have always encouraged patriotism. If, however,
the brainwashing appeal of national identity is examined more dispassionately,
it may be seen merely as a self-congratulatory fantasy based on nothing more
than an accident of birth. Only when it is realized that no nation has an
intrinsic monopoly of truth or status over another and is therefore not worth
killing or dying for, will peace between nations be possible.
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