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Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Moderation,moderation,moderation, The Wisest Advise Ever Given.

One of the wisest men I ever knew in my life was my father. He is no longer here but some of the wisdom he bestowed on me will live for ever in my mind. My father was a Sicilian man and when he was a young man he went to a seminary of Jesuit Priests, for some reason he left the seminary but not before instilling to memory hundreds of mainly proverbial saying's. The one he repeated to me and my brothers while growing up over and over again was MODERATION, moderation in everything he said moderation, in eating, in sleeping, in playing, moderation was the key! He would tell us that even a good thing if over done was not good, moderation. I tell this very thing to my children as my father told me, moderation, I hear the word echo my fathers voice as I tell my children moderation. So today I made a sculpture I titled "MODERATION" in my fathers honor.

Share one statement or saying someone significant in your life said to you that greatly influenced your life.

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Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

In honor of my father's great wisdom and favorite saying. "MODERATION"

Art Prints

 

Frank J Casella

9 Years Ago

Great sculpture Mario. Great title and meaning behind it too. I too live by moderation for the very same reason. Though my father was from Calabria ....

The one significant thing my father instilled in me and my siblings is " you have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything ".

Thanks for sharing your beautiful art and memories.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Thank you Frank, Calabria, they were neighbors then. In my youth I didn't so much follow to closely that advise, now I wish I could remember all the saying's he always uttered ,first in Italian and then he would translate and tell us the meaning, it was amazing he had a saying for everything under the sun.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Frank it just occurred to me, there is a subtle similarity to both those statements most likely influenced by the times, if you think about them in the context of the time period they ( your father and mine) lived in Italy which is during WWII (my father did) and the word of the day in Italy at that time was likely fascist, no surprise my father stressed moderation and yours to stand for something or fall for anything.

 

Marlene Burns

9 Years Ago

A good proverb to live by, Mario and so well expressed in your sculpture.
Just the other day ( or maybe even today) I so stated in the thread that was opened about issues in this forum...I suggested moderation...don't spend too much time here or not enough....problems at both ends of the continuum.

 

Lori Brackett

9 Years Ago

Growing up Dad would always say, "Can't never did anything." Later, he would say, "If you say you can, if you say you can't, you're right." It puts into perspective your attitude going into a project.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

@Marlene, in deed it is, thank you! I did see your reference to moderation and agree and further I say as my father I know would say, Moderation even in the moderation.

@Lori, I bet your father was a fan of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, that is a good frame of mind to have going into any project. Strange though how some times it takes years to really understand the wisdom of our parents. If they were only still around to tell them, now I understand why you used to tell me that.

 

Suzanne Powers

9 Years Ago

Our parents may have been speaking thought now someone else is, are we listening? We are never left out of the loop if we can hear. Now you are older and have to get it (wisdom) for yourself, you are in a different season. The word "balance" also comes to mind, everything in balance.

Every commentator in this thread has said something very important probably all of us need to hear. Lori said attitude and the words we speak are very important. Frank said standing for something is very important (do we know what that is?!). Marlene spoke of moderation in the forums giving and getting information and then do the other things too is what it means to me. You spoke of moderation in everything, that is a Biggie, Wow!

 

Frank J Casella

9 Years Ago

Mario - "the word of the day in Italy at that time was likely fascist, no surprise my father stressed moderation and yours to stand for something or fall for anything." Glad you said that, as I was thinking the same thing. Could very well be, Mario ....

 

Suzanne Powers

9 Years Ago

You may not realize you are being used to help me moderate what I eat and how much I need to exercise. We need to hear something three times before we remember, interesting that you used the word "moderation" three times in your subject title! It got my attention!

Since I am now at home on my computer working I have access to the kitchen and food is easily accessible. I haven't been feeling well and think I have become hypoglycemic, eating too much food, sugars and sitting for too long.

I had a dream recently where I went for the first time to a very large house where my mother lives (she has passed). I got there first before my sister who was to also expected to arrive. I realized later that morning it was my mother's mansion in heaven and I was visiting because I had left the earth (died) before my sister that is why she hadn't arrived yet (she does have heart problems and high blood pressure)! I have been healthier than her but I'm seeing things can change fast!

Moderation is key as you have said so I increased my exercise and now I need to moderate my eating, although I feel better I need to eat less. Several months ago Dan Turner did a thread on sitting for too long can kill you! I think that was for me and now I am getting more information which confirms what I need to do. Thanks Mario.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

@ Frank, come to think of it, many of his sayings were probably related to the war, I remember he was very much always telling us not to waste food and to appreciate the abundance we were fortunate to have, another vivid memory of a story he told was that due to the scarcity caused by the war not everyone could even have access to an apple, the more fortunate that did would peel the apple from there balconies and the children from the neighborhood would gather below the balcony to eat the peels falling to the ground . I still am able to visualize that scene after so many years from hearing my father tell that story.

@Suzanne, the older I get it seems to me that nothing, not even what can be said to be insignificant really is, I don't believe in coincidence, every thing happens for a reason. I am pleased that my words which really are my fathers, have in some way touched you, in a way to help you improve of all thing your health! Thanks for sharing that, and the dream, even though you were in a familiar place where you mother lives, I don't think it was a sign that anything is going to happen to you or your sister.

 

Mary Bedy

9 Years Ago

Whenever I get really anxious about a situation, in other words, I start making a mountain out of a mole hill, I remember what my mother used to say "One hundred years from now, nobody will ever know the difference". It has helped me stop obsessing about problems I can do absolutely nothing about at the time I'm obsessing about them. In other words, "don't sweat the small stuff".

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Mary that was excellent advise your mother gave you, and so true. Some times things can seem so overwhelming as I tried to portray in this sculpture here called Anguish, but as the description says, this to shall pass!

Art Prints

 

Mary Bedy

9 Years Ago

True - I used to say it to some of my co-workers, and they finally got sick of hearing it. I would say "One hundred years from now....." and they would cut me off in unison LOL.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

I understand, sometimes the best advise, the most likely to resolve the problem is the one people run from, makes you wonder do they really want to resolve it or continue in there obsessing?

 

Adele Buttolph

9 Years Ago

About 15 or so years ago, I had to take oral exams. I went around to my committee profs asking for advice. One of them told me "Know what you know, know what you don't know." I have never forgotten this input and use it a lot. It often comes in handy to recognize when you don't know something. Also, I have a lot of respect for people who admit that they don't know something, rather than try to BS people.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Adele, that's a though one, know what you don't know, if I knew that than I would probably know it and I wouldn't need to know what I don't know, as I don't always know what I don't know.LOL

 

Marlene Burns

9 Years Ago

I do believe some people like to obsess...and some like to complain and some only see the negative, etc, etc, etc,,,,,

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

No doubt about it, and they love company! Misery loves company! I tell you sayings really do hold a lot of wisdom. My favorites are all proverbial, and I'll leave it at that but they come from one said to have been the wisest man that ever lived, I'm sure you know who I mean.

 

Judy Kay

9 Years Ago

When my father wanted me to learn to swim, he threw me into a pool and said " sink or swim"...I swam... A great lesson on surviving.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Judy,my goodness, that's one way to do it, I guess. But if it worked and you learned and no harm came to you and further you are appreciative of the fact he taught you to swim, I would just caution parents on that approach, you know the YMCA used to give free swimming lessons.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Moderation,Moderation,Moderation, in these days of such little tolerance for so many things in the world we live in, I just can not thank my father for these precious words that he instilled in me. These words are at the fore front of many of the activities I do daily and it maintains the memory of my father's good wisdom alive. Words have power for sure.

 

Barry Lamont

9 Years Ago

Expect nothing...Accept everything!....

Never be ashamed for being skint ( have no money)... and never be ashamed of being ignorant (have no knowledge)... my journey man and friend Alex(Eck) Benson.

 

Sydne Archambault

9 Years Ago

My grandmother once said, "My God Sydne I am not about to tell you how my children were conceived!"

 

Dan Turner

9 Years Ago

Unchecked moderation is itself an extreme, and that sort of thinking kills ambition. In too many cases, "moderation" is an excuse for letting yourself off the hook and being lazy.

Do you want to learn? Do you want to really live? Then regularly bite off more than you can chew.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Dan, yes you are correct, so we must maintain moderation even in employing moderation.

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Dan, however if one bites off more than they can chew regularly as you suggest they have a higher chance of choking.

 

Donna Proctor

9 Years Ago

" . . . while growing up over and over again was MODERATION, moderation in everything he said moderation, in eating, in sleeping, in playing, moderation was the key! He would tell us that even a good thing if over done was not good, moderation. I tell this very thing to my children as my father told me, moderation, I hear the word echo my fathers voice as I tell my children moderation..."

My mother didn't go into as much detail as your father Mario, but she was a firm believer in moderation. She believed "moderation in everything." She also said, "you can expect anything out of life, but that doesn't mean you'll get it." In fact, she was not big on "expectation" at all.

She was a wise woman . . . she taught me several important lessons throughout my life, most of which I didn't realize until after she died. She was a wellspring of wisdom and I drank from her well often. She made no extraordinary claims upon life – and quartered no faulty sense of entitlement. Work was her ethic and direct was her style . . . she valued the simple stuff of life, and everyone knew if you weren't ready for the truth, you didn't dare ask her the question!

I have all the time in the world to sit at my desk and spend an inordinate amount of time online chatting - I don't. Thanks mom! ;)

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

Donna, "She was a wise woman . . . she taught me several important lessons throughout my life, most of which I didn't realize until after she died." I know what you mean, I wish he were alive today to tell him, you were so right, so right!!!

 

This discussion is closed.