Dennis O'Toole
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you are sinful

3/25/2021

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Consider this photo taken in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.
Picture
And then consider this depiction of hell on the ceiling of the Baptistry of Florence.
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​Which one motivates you more? Which one do you think is truer to reality?
 
Are you, in fact, beautiful—currently, right now, no matter what? If so, how are you beautiful? Physically, spiritually, generally? Does your beauty come with any obligations? Does this statement/fence make you feel better?
 
Or are you, in fact, a loathsome sinner worthy of hell? Have your deeds made you a delicious snack for a demon? (I love his expression; you make it after your fifteenth Cheeto—dude is zoning out.) If you are not currently a stand-in for one of the munchable-damned in this painting, do you think you could be if you gave in to a few temptations? Do you see something like this and not laugh from the safe distance of the post-Enlightenment, but instead react like Rilke before the torso of Apollo and hear a voice saying, “You must change your life”?

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All Art is Quite Useful

3/19/2021

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PictureWearin' a flower just 'cause.
I received the following email from Slack yesterday:

​April is National Humor Month and we’re celebrating by inviting you to a special virtual event.

Join us as we welcome the authors of the best‑seller 
Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life, Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, for a conversation on how leaders can use humor to empower employees to bring a broader and more authentic range of their humanity to their work and to their team.

We’ll talk about:

--The behavioral science of humor, and why it is an underleveraged superpower to fuel creativity, foster resilience and strengthen bonds at work.

--How to flex a new leadership muscle that will foster greater boldness, authenticity, presence, joy and love—in yourself, your teams and at your business.

I have a few questions about this: Who passed the resolution declaring April National Humor Month? Were the deliberations bitter and divisive? Were the Democrats in the tank for the comedy lobby? Did Republicans get the GIT-R-DONE guy to testify? And how is something so common that we refer to it as a “sense” both underleveraged and a superpower? Lastly, would it be more enjoyable to punch myself in the crotch for a decade than to attend this? (Probably.)

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    About Dennis

    Dennis O'Toole is an all-set cobra jet creepin' through the nighttime.  He lives in Chicago. 

    If you need to reach me, dial:
    denotoole AT SYMBOL gmail DOT co LETTER M.  

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