"OUR GUEST OF HONOUR: VANNA BONTA"

by Vittorio Curtoni

Vanna Bonta  e'  una  personalita'  multiforme: giornalista,
autrice  di  canzoni,  attrice,  sceneggiatrice  televisiva,
poetessa, e scrittrice di fantascienza.  Ama dire di  vivere
nella Via Lattea, sul pianeta Terra.  Le sue poesie le hanno
meritato,  fra  l'altro,  una medaglia d'oro dalla citta' di
Firenze.  E' stata tradotta  in  Giappone e Italia.  Ha dato
la sua voce ai personaggi di molti  film.   FLIGHT,  il  suo
primo  romanzo, e' uscito negli Stati Uniti nel 1995.  Edito
dalla Meridian House, e'  un affascinante volo nella realta'
quantistica  del  nostro  universo,   con   molti   risvolti
imprevedibili...

Vanna  Bonta is a many-sided artist: journalist, songwriter,
actress, screenplayer,  poet,  and  science  fiction writer.
She likes to say that she lives in the Milky Way, on  planet
Earth.   Her  poetry  has  won  her  international  acclaim,
including  a  gold  medal  from the city of Florence, Italy.
Her work has been translated into Japanese and Italian.  She
has made  voice-overs  for  many  films.   FLIGHT, her first
novel, has come out in the United States in 1995.  Published
by Meridian  House,  it's  a  fascinating  flight  into  the
quantum  reality  of  our  universe, with many unforeseeable
developments...

Vittorio Curtoni


"WHAT IS GENIUS"
by  Vanna Bonta

Epitomized in one  of  Italy's  and the world's greatest
leaders, Lorenzo dei Medici, is a  very  important  ability,
the  understanding  of  which  elevates  all  humanity.  The
ability is measurable and  evidenced  by the cornerstones of
science and quantum leaps of divine achievements  in  Beauty
during  his  reign  which  speak with undwindled power after
centuries.  Lorenzo's most  laudable  attribute as a leader,
and an indication  of  the  man's  own  greatness,  was  his
ability to recognize and support genius.
	
The  period  which came to be known as "The Renaissance"
was no stroke of luck;  it  was under someone's hand that so
many  geniuses  proliferated   and   the   most   culturally
significant   time   in  recent  history  flourished.   Yet,
refusing to use his  birth-title  of Duke, this leader lived
simply and it was the people who  dubbed  him  "Lorenzo  The
Magnificent".
 	
Unprecedented advancement in society and civilization is
no  random  occurrence.   Leadership of a man who recognizes
genius and does not  fear  greatness  is a catalyst for such
impact on the  world,  even  if  the  leadership  is  brief.
Likewise,  it  behooves us all to recognize as leaders those
individuals interested in  elevating  civilization, the ones
who understand that Art, science, knowledge, and freedom are
more vital to our survival than most else, for therein  lies
the fount of solutions, both fruit of and food for the soul.
Society  would  experience another "re-Birth" if genius were
protected and supported as a valid "minority".
	
Genius is a quality which  too often seems to escape the
eye of contemporaries, much to the detriment of all  of  us.
Part  of the problem may be an actual lack of technique.  It
would behoove us  all  to  polish  up  our  skills on how to
detect the  real  thing,  especially  in  today's  marketing
noise.  Genius, like love, has many impostors.
	
The  ability  to  recognize  genius will have beneficial
ramifications in production  from  the most mundane activity
to the most divine of art.  While people puzzle over what in
the world makes a  meal  of  beans,  oven-baked  bread,  and
extra-virgin  olive  oil  a  memorable  royal  banquet,  and
automatically  equate  the  title  PHD with brilliance, true
genius remains too often  invisible,  perhaps because of its
simplicity.
	
Fortunate were those who did not need the inflated price
or chic posturing to know exquisiteness!  Italians,  in  the
tradition  of  recognizing  genius, knew olive oil and fresh
bread  to  be  a  royal  feast  before  marketing  made them
"gourmet" and "elegant" (to inflate prices).  There was also
a day when "espresso" and "cappuccino" were  simply  coffee,
appreciated as such and priced accordingly.  This was before
the  days  of  "Cafe  coffee",  "shrimp  scampi",  and  that
redundancy  known  as  "gelato ice-cream"— twice said, twice
the price.
	
If there is anything to  be  said  for this, it could be
the benefit  of  "increased  appreciation";  but  since  the
quality  of these things wasn't recognized in and of itself,
until labels and prices, it  has  to be wondered: what is it
being  appreciated  and  detected?   And  conversely,   some
delights  are  unduly  scoffed  at  and thereby missed, only
because  of  their  "gourmet"  classification  is personally
taken as snubbery.
	
Perhaps in matters of the most mundane  joys  to  divine
Art,  Italians  recognized  the  real thing before marketing
dictate because they  trusted  what  moved  them and had the
integrity to admit it, with or sans approval.
	
One can apply the same axiom  of  recognition  to  other
arenas.   Professors, for example, can profess all day long,
yet the ratio  of  professing  to  actual  doing is evidence
that, while an earned degree indicates  acquired  knowledge,
it does not sparkling brilliance make.  Perfect grammar does
not  make a poet, author, or philosopher.  The capability to
reproduce  photographic-quality  copies   does  not  make  a
Painter.
	
The Renaissance was not devoid of the same  pitfalls  of
illusion  as  today.   Leonardo  da  Vinci complained in his
notebooks, "I am well aware that certain presumptuous people
think they can  slight  me  because  I  am not learned.  But
though I cannot, like them, quote from all the best authors,
it is much better and more praiseworthy to be  well-read  in
the book of experience, the teacher of their teachers."
	
It's  difficult to imagine this genius being so regarded
in his day.  Then again...maybe not.
	
Wouldn't it  be  wonderful  if  most  had  guidelines to
recognize  and  assist  greatness  during  its   time?    As
evidenced by Lorenzo's reign over Florence, even if only one
leader  has  the ability to recognize and value that calibre
of genius in others, a civilization will flourish.
	
The most common  misguidance  of perception instilled by
self-serving interests and perpetuated today by the media is
that arrogance and aloof flash ("attitude") is genius.  It's
an astounding phenomena to watch someone strut  on  a  stage
glowering hateful, arrogant, superiority looks to the public
be  hailed  as  "great"  and paid millions for acting better
than everyone.
	
Conversely, real genius is being underplayed in the name
of "equality".  The word  "equality"  is  abused as a banner
for "mediocrity." Instead of the  concept  being,  in  fact,
about equal rights, the term is used as a slogan to champion
"lowest common denominator." 'We must lower standards in the
name  of equal rights.  In the name of equal rights, we must
not overly praise the competent lest others feel inferior.'
	
What a misunderstanding  of  democracy that equal rights
be misconstrued into the rampant fallacy rooted in fear that
to excel, or to acclaim and perceive greatness makes another
less.  It does not.  Levelling everyone  off  to  mediocrity
makes  everyone less.  And true greatness, whether perceived
or achieved, by self  or  another,  elevates all who contact
it.  Eventually it even lifts those  incarcerated  by  envy.
As  well  as  being perpetrated by ignorance, the fallacy of
"nobody's that special" is  also implemented by those intent
on "cutting others down to size" for fear they  will  suffer
by comparison.
	
It  is the complete misconception of "equal rights" that
mediocrity be  championed  to  console  fear  of inadequacy.
Beyond it is the realization there is  nothing  to  fear  in
perceiving  greatness, for in it we will find harmonics that
serve our own essence, and the sparks each of us posses!
	
Today, as a result  of  the desperation to be recognized
and perceived, there  is  also  another  disease:  consuming
media  ambition  about  "being great".  Yet those busy doing
the strut miss the first  step...being able to recognize and
see greatness.
	
We as public, in America more  than  any  place  in  the
world,  are not educated in the appreciation of one another,
life, and genius.  Instead,  we're being trained through the
media to "buy more to become better." Held up for veneration
as our artists and heroes are mostly people who look  at  us
with  haughty  disdain,  or  who  are  famous  no matter the
reason, be it  for  heinous  crimes  or  immorality, and who
further perpetrate the slavery-to-economics myth (gotta have
lots to be  great).   Look  at  the  surrogate  princes  and
madonnas  of  today.   It  is  sad  when  the  inversion  is
discovered:  All  groomed  and dressed up with nothing to be
great about.
	
What is a  genius?   The  word  is  from the stem "gen",
meaning " to beget, create",  and  from  "geni",  a  spirit.
("Genius  loci"  was  a Latin term for a deity that tended a
physical locality.)
	
Mozart was correct in defining the primary ingredient to
genius: Love.  Only from love  and sincere devotion does any
service or product have a soul that is of value  to  others.
Only  Love  patiently persists against all obstacles to tend
excellence, to give,  to  contribute;  and  that's the first
sign of genius: dedication and Love for  duty's  sake.   The
second key sign of genius: service to something greater than
self.   The  third  is  the  achievement  of  excellence  of
execution, performance, creation, delivery, and discovery.
	
Creativity,  the  ability  to  make something and effect
change,  is  the  inherent   nature   of  the  human  being.
Creativity encapsulates the spirit of Beginning of humanity,
and stems from our very origin.   Any  creativity  contains,
therefore,  in  some  amount,  an element of "genius" - gen,
begetting.  That is our spirit, each and every one of us.
	
When a person  is  true  to  one's  self, and devoted to
developing personal,  natural  talents  in  a  given  field,
genius  cannot  help  but proportionately develop.  Becoming
prolific is inevitable when  daily  activity is dedicated to
talent's  expression  --  be  it  science,  sports,   music,
aethetics,  writing,  home-making  --  for  the  reasons  of
devotion and wish to contribute.  The more genius (genesis),
the  greater  the  power,  whether  artistic,  humanitarian,
scientific, or familial.
	
It  could  be  said  that  each individual is capable of
genius in  different  arenas.   There  are also indisputably
those about whom the word can  be  used  to  describe  their
entirety.
	
If there is anything divine about mankind, it is genius.
Lorenzo  knew this, and did not fear great and free-thinking
Men.  Perhaps  if  geniuses  were  truly  recognized, others
would not fear them either, but  embrace,  exalt  and  honor
them;  their  arrival  is  beacon and reminder to the divine
spark that is the essential  fire  of each of us.  Genius is
senior to even the mechanics of the intellect for,  while  a
mind is capable of being "smart" with acquired and organized
knowledge  from  exterior  sources,  only  a  soul is itself
source of sheer  intuit-based  creation.  When respected and
cultivated, genius is a living fountain of creation;  it  is
true  and  complete  when  rooted in Love and service to the
greater whole.
	
Time  proves  that  trends  and  popularity  induced  by
economic   manipulations   are   short-lived,  synthetically
supported, they wilt once the  marketing  stops.   Classics,
however,  are  imbued  with  their own life, imbued with the
spark of life by their creators, who in turn are serving the
spark universal to each of us.  Throughout ages the works of
genius coax,  whisper,  and  speak  of  forever because they
speak to us about what we really are all about.
	
The work of genius embodies principles  of  forever;  it
offers  portals  through  which  we  can glimpse back to the
beginning from which all is eternally true, and look forward
to ever-new  heights.   Thus,  the  works  are evidence that
their creators —  artists,  Men  of  science  or  society  —
themselves   recognize  and  serve  something  greater  than
themselves.
	
If we truly see  it,  greatness  beckons the best within
each of us.  There is  no  more  exhilarating  feeling  than
watching   another  touch  the  hem  of  perfection  through
dedicated work.  That garment is somehow the timeless fabric
of us all.
	
One of the most efficacious  things  we could do for the
quality of living is to teach ourselves and one another  not
to  fear,  misunderstand,  misidentify, minimize, or neglect
genius, but to  recognize  and  embrace it, within ourselves
and in others.  Let's kindle the sparks within us that serve
greatness.  Genius is the  champion,  capable  of  effulging
into  magnificent  lights  for  a  civilization.  Perceiving
greatness is humbling  and  awesome, inspiring and familiar,
duty and privilege — the greater of life is served,  and  we
are closer to a civilization based on love, problem-solving,
service to one another, Beauty, and discovery.

**********************************************************

Most often mistaken as Genius:
*the "misunderstood madman"
*the cold, erudite professor
*the irresponsible "dreamer"
*the self-serving, haughty egotist
*an unkempt person with glasses
*someone wearing glasses and/or tweed coats
*someone acting highly superior

Tips for recognizing and finding genius, your own and others:
*Understand economic manipulation of perception of "value"
*Know what stirs your own very heart
*Know  that true greatness never seeks to make you or others
less
*Know  that  true  greatness  always  itself  recognizes and
serves those concepts and people greater than self


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