A New Round Table

Every couple of weeks I sit down in Astoria with a group of friends.  It's a crazy group of individuals and independent thinkers; my good friend and film maker Bishop Christodoulos,  Peter a history professor, Joe, a director, Pete a teacher and all around tradesman, and some other guests who show up on occasion.  The conversation is always thought provoking,  sometimes a bit heated, but always interesting and always coming from a place of critical thinking, thinking outside the box, not tied to any one view point, and more often than not, ideas change as well as points of view.  I always leave, with thoughts I haven't pondered before, or with insights or interesting historical facts I previously was unaware of.  Through the years, I've taken these meetings for granted, but recently I am realizing how unique and fulfilling they are.

I think somewhere deep inside, we are all searching for community, for a community which accepts you without judgment and which openly hears and discusses the thoughts you enter into the discussion.  Art and artists at their best, should be capable of this, but more often than not, ego and narcissism take over.  I often read about the round table discussion at the Algonquin, when the great thinkers of the day would get together and explore different ideas and long for that type of community.........but now I realize, I am a part of an Astoria round table..........as a writer and a film maker, it broadens my perspectives and deepens my connection to people of all stations.  I think it is important that as artists, we begin to break the barriers of who we surround ourselves with and begin to realize the depth of insight and wisdom in all human beings and be open to what they can bring to the table.  In the old days, alot of writers, actors, directors,  considered themselves craftsmen, just doing another job, not better than anyone else.  Their backgrounds were varied and often involved years of physical labor in a variety of different enterprises.   There were no colleges for acting or directing, but their education was from life itself.  Their life experiences informed every part of their artistic output and made them more empathetic to the plight of all individuals...........so as I put together projects, I now look for, in addition to talent, people with varied backgrounds, experiences, struggles and life circumstances, people who can open me up to a new and unexpected way of seeing, to different and exciting points of view.........so as I continue to create, I continue to establish a larger and larger round table.......I'm looking forward to meeting more people who will challenge me to expand my philosophy and point of view. Thanks to all of you and to all who are yet to come...................Sal