This is Jonathan Peugeot. He's an Orthodox icon carver from Quebec, and the chief editor of the Orthodox Arts Journal.

He's cultivated a community of artists, authors, and creators and given them space on his symbolic world blog.

He also explores symbolism and art, literature, philosophy, and popular culture in talks he's given around the world,

and his YouTube channel also called Symbolic World.

He recently published a graphic novel, God's Dog.

Please join me in welcoming Jonathan Pichaud.

So first off, I really would really like to thank Amon and Catherine and Scott for this amazing event and this amazing opportunity.

You know, these discussions we've been having for years now, I guess it's becoming, have

been, they've just been wonderful to, you've saw it yesterday.

Like there's a, what I've been seeing, what I've been feeling is this, this desire to

understand each other, desire to enter into real communication with each other.

And, and I'm like, I'm now, I like, now I'm almost used to it, right?

I'm used to it.

And so I'm looking at the content and the, and yesterday a few people were telling me,

oh, you know, my father was here and he was just amazed at the generosity and the discussion.

Like, yeah, I have to always remember that that's actually the basis of why we're even able to have these discussions.

And so I want to thank all of you for coming here.

I was right from the first day when people started arriving,

I was just amazed at how much people have been following this discussion

and how I felt the same generosity and openness to listen and to engage

that I felt when I talked to John or when I talk to Paul.

The big confession I have to make is that, oh, last night I suffered greatly.

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