Winter Warmth
Acrylic painting/ 25” by 28” / gold metal frame / $ 450
The Spinning World Makes Me Dizzy
When my son was 12 years old we went to a wallpaper store where he selected a pattern for one wall of his newly painted bedroom. The paper he choose was a wall-sized map of the world, a great selection that is still used by the rest of the family. Whenever we travel the first stop is my son’s bedroom to plan our route.
Each time I look at the map it is immediately obvious how the world has changed since he was a child. Boundaries have moved and countries have new names. Sometimes it is hard to remember that Burma is now Myanmar since it can not be found on his old wallpaper. Yet the mountains and valleys remain the same, and whether we want to be or not we are all connected to planet earth. With international banking, mega corporations, trade agreements, and people fleeing poverty and war, isolationism is a luxury of the past.
How does an ordinary person keep up with these changes so as not to be caught in a time-warp? I hear a great many discussions about how technological developments impact our lives but little of substance is provided about the specifics of global issues beyond the refugee crisis and ISIS/ISIL.
Remember the idiom “Nature abhors a vacuum?” As an anthropology student I was taught that if a poor overpopulated country is located near a wealthier one, especially one with a smaller population, those living in poverty ignore boundaries and move into the country with greater resources. There may be federal laws in place to prevent that movement but the laws of nature show that the desire to survive is so great that people will do whatever is necessary to feed their families. Most anthropologists will agree that in dire times need overcomes written law. These population movements create unease that greatly effect the lives of host country residents as well as those migrating. I have come to realize that it necessary to pay as much attention to world issues as to the latest
i-pad.
Environmentalists claim that mass migrations from Syria and Mexican are not half as bad a problem as we will see in the future due to global warming. Imagine what will happen when Bangladesh, Venice, and perhaps even Manhattan are under water. Where will people go? Did you know that the average global sea level has increased eight inches since 1880, and is now rising at an accelerated rate on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. World wide wildfire seasons are longer and more damaging than ever and trees removed by logging are no longer there to help ameliorate the carbon cycle.
Changing long held beliefs and patterns of action is difficult. It involves digging for unbiased updated information and a willingness to shift position when presented with new information. Keeping up with change is a never ending process of study and adaptation to be repeated over and over again, challenging minds that basically want to be comfortable with old ways of thinking an doing. Remodeling minds to incorporate current world events has to be given as much attention as learning how to use Skype or the latest app.
I am a good example of a person who resisted the early use of computers. I made sure they were in my museums, but I had staff to operate them for I did not want to spend hours each day on a machine. That was a bad decision. Now I realize that staying abreast of technology as well as the world’s social, environmental and political landscape are a requirement for living fully and making informed decisions. And preparing children to embrace lifelong learning so they will be able to adapt to continuous change is a must for any parent.
Yes, a spinning planet can make us dizzy, but knowledge has a way of getting rid of vertigo, at least for a while.
Art work is always for sale at. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
I would love to hear your opinion. Please comment below.
http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/science-and-impacts/global-warming-impacts#.VlPMqISsZHg – Impact of global warming
http://www.oregonwild.org/forests/climate-change?gclid=Cj0KEQiAm-CyBRDx65nBhcmVtbIBEiQA7zm8lbmpzuT4EMFH4MBzv4ZOpUD9Oa470Eueybhd6Bk8-WMaAsW98P8HAQ – forests and global warming.
Home » Blog » The Spinning World Makes Me Dizzy
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Acrylic painting/ 25” by 28” / gold metal frame / $ 450
The Spinning World Makes Me Dizzy
When my son was 12 years old we went to a wallpaper store where he selected a pattern for one wall of his newly painted bedroom. The paper he choose was a wall-sized map of the world, a great selection that is still used by the rest of the family. Whenever we travel the first stop is my son’s bedroom to plan our route.
Each time I look at the map it is immediately obvious how the world has changed since he was a child. Boundaries have moved and countries have new names. Sometimes it is hard to remember that Burma is now Myanmar since it can not be found on his old wallpaper. Yet the mountains and valleys remain the same, and whether we want to be or not we are all connected to planet earth. With international banking, mega corporations, trade agreements, and people fleeing poverty and war, isolationism is a luxury of the past.
How does an ordinary person keep up with these changes so as not to be caught in a time-warp? I hear a great many discussions about how technological developments impact our lives but little of substance is provided about the specifics of global issues beyond the refugee crisis and ISIS/ISIL.
Remember the idiom “Nature abhors a vacuum?” As an anthropology student I was taught that if a poor overpopulated country is located near a wealthier one, especially one with a smaller population, those living in poverty ignore boundaries and move into the country with greater resources. There may be federal laws in place to prevent that movement but the laws of nature show that the desire to survive is so great that people will do whatever is necessary to feed their families. Most anthropologists will agree that in dire times need overcomes written law. These population movements create unease that greatly effect the lives of host country residents as well as those migrating. I have come to realize that it necessary to pay as much attention to world issues as to the latest
i-pad.
Environmentalists claim that mass migrations from Syria and Mexican are not half as bad a problem as we will see in the future due to global warming. Imagine what will happen when Bangladesh, Venice, and perhaps even Manhattan are under water. Where will people go? Did you know that the average global sea level has increased eight inches since 1880, and is now rising at an accelerated rate on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. World wide wildfire seasons are longer and more damaging than ever and trees removed by logging are no longer there to help ameliorate the carbon cycle.
Changing long held beliefs and patterns of action is difficult. It involves digging for unbiased updated information and a willingness to shift position when presented with new information. Keeping up with change is a never ending process of study and adaptation to be repeated over and over again, challenging minds that basically want to be comfortable with old ways of thinking an doing. Remodeling minds to incorporate current world events has to be given as much attention as learning how to use Skype or the latest app.
I am a good example of a person who resisted the early use of computers. I made sure they were in my museums, but I had staff to operate them for I did not want to spend hours each day on a machine. That was a bad decision. Now I realize that staying abreast of technology as well as the world’s social, environmental and political landscape are a requirement for living fully and making informed decisions. And preparing children to embrace lifelong learning so they will be able to adapt to continuous change is a must for any parent.
Yes, a spinning planet can make us dizzy, but knowledge has a way of getting rid of vertigo, at least for a while.
Art work is always for sale at. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
I would love to hear your opinion. Please comment below.
http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/science-and-impacts/global-warming-impacts#.VlPMqISsZHg – Impact of global warming
http://www.oregonwild.org/forests/climate-change?gclid=Cj0KEQiAm-CyBRDx65nBhcmVtbIBEiQA7zm8lbmpzuT4EMFH4MBzv4ZOpUD9Oa470Eueybhd6Bk8-WMaAsW98P8HAQ – forests and global warming.
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