Author: Marilynne

Trees communicate through an underground social network known as the wood-wide web.   It is where microscopic fungal filaments form links between trees and fungi to act as an economic exchange. They share water and nutrients and send distress signals about drought, disease, and insect attacks. Trees in their network change their behavior when receiving these messages. In exchange, fungi receive sugar that the trees photosynthesize from sunlight. Well-fed fungi scavenge the soil for nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals which are absorbed and consumed by the trees. 

Social Economy in the Age of Bots

My first child was welcomed into the world when I was 21. By then, I had completed three years at Boston University and was determined to finish the fourth, but wasn’t quite sure how to manage an infant, classes, and find time to study. My husband, who had started a doctoral program at MIT, was occupied with high-level courses, thesis concerns, and a teaching position that supported us. Though my parents paid my tuition, we lived frugally on our own. Hiring babysitters was more than we could afford. 

Fortunately, a cooperative operating in Cambridge came to our rescue. It was a barter exchange program with points earned depending on how many children you cared for and whether they were awake or asleep. My husband and I took turns sitting for other people’s children to make date nights and afternoons at the library reasonable options. Also, I watched a neighbor’s daughter each afternoon while she worked, and she took care of my son in the morning while I attended classes. At the end of two years and the birth of a second child, I finally graduated.

I often suggested to young parents that they participate in a babysitting exchange rather than pay $15 an hour for child care. No-one ever took up the idea, but after reading Andrew Yang’s Book, The War on Normal People, I was heartened to learn that the concept has legs and a new name, TimeBanking. In an age when computers, robots and artificial intelligence are taking over jobs, we need to imagine another economy, one that will help people survive cutbacks in employment and earnings.

TimeBanking is a barter system where services are exchanged for time-based credit rather than money. You give one hour of service and one-time credit is banked in your account. Neighbors assisting neighbors collect social credit points that can be exchanged for services. Childcare, raking leaves, housekeeping, shopping, handyman assistance, food preparation, driving to doctor’s appointments, dog walking, and guided fishing trips are among the ways people earn and use credit. March 23rd is International TimeBanking Day so expect to hear more about the concept.

TimeBanking can be used by organizations, groups, and individuals to increase personal and community well-being. An example of a time-based organizationis the Burning Man festival, where neither money (nor accounting) is exchanged. The event is based on the honor system. Attendees come to the even with items to share-food, drinks, sound stages, clothing, water, showers, yoga classes, tarot readings, misting tents, fire dancing, etc. 

Individuals tend to join clubs that vary in size from 20 to tens of thousands, according to TimeBanks USA. Edgar Cahn, in his book No More throw-Away People, listed four core values to which he’s since added a fifth.

1. Asset: every person has something of value to share with someone else. 
2. Redefining work: Money is not the basis for building strong families, revitalizing neighborhoods, making democracy work, or advancing social justice.
3. Reciprocity: I’ll help you, you help someone else. The idea is to pay it forward. 
4. Community/Social Networks: communities can be revitalized through support, strength, and trust. An important task is to create communication networks. 
5. Respect: Accept where people are in the moment – not where we hope they will be in the future.

TimeBank exchanges track activities, inform members of events, recruit members, and so forth. They’ve been known to change the way neighborhoods operate by encouraging communication, and how neighbors care for one another. They get to know each other, establish friendships, and offer help through tough times. TimeBank groups gather for potlucks, secure the streets, and plan for emergencies. For those living in Portland, PDX TimeBank is a group that was recently formed. It now has 140 members who have clocked over 5,518 exchanged hours. 

Peer-to-peer lending companies, also known as P2P,are an investment deviation operating in the social economy. They conduct business with goals that do not follow typical banking practices and are a way to help entrepreneurs who may not qualify for a bank loan. It is a form of online lending that allows individual investors to work directly with people or businesses seeking loans. Once an application is received by a lending group, software matched lenders with potential borrowers. By cutting out traditional financial institutions like banks, borrowers can access funds more quickly. Investors shoulder the financial risk for the loan though they usually get a healthy return on their investment, depending on the creditworthiness of the borrower. There is always the risk to a lender that the borrower will stop making payments. A few of the more highly rated lending companies are listed below.

Lending Club: for Borrowers With Good Credit (loaned over $55 billion)

Upstart: for Educated Borrowers (more approvals, fewer defaults than banks

Fund Rise: Investing in Real Estate (minimum $500, annual return 8.6 % to 12.4%)

Funding Circle: for Small Businesses And Big Investors 

Street Shares: for Established Small Businesses (in business at least a year)

Peerform: No Frills (loan up to $ 25,000 – investors from 16 risk categories.)

Prosper: for Originalists (over $13 billion in loans, 3 to 5-year repayment)

Kiva: Best for Charitable Investors (invest out of the goodness of your heart from $25 to buy a Ugandan farmer chicken seed to a $10,000 interest-free loan.)

A common complaint about social credit systems is that they are an end-run around the legal system. The accused have few rights and no appeal. Mike Elgan of Fast Company calls it “a slippery slope away from democracy and toward corporatocracy.” 

A second grumble is that a barter system is incompatible with our system of taxation. It is difficult to assign value to a person assisting a neighbor. Your neighbor might be able to help clear a clogged pipe and save you the cost of a plumber. Service companies don’t like it because it promotes self-reliance rather than hiring their employees to do common household jobs.

I am not sure where social bartering clubs and peer-to-peer lending companies will take the country in the future. Hopefully, they’ll make people more compassionate and help them feel less isolated. They might break down large monopolies that control people through ads that cost them billions of dollars. Social bartering clubs may make neighborhoods safer and foster greater respect for those with different backgrounds and skills. I like to think that they’ll prick the bubble of anxiety and stress that is mounting throughout the country. Living in isolation, fearing loss of employment to robots, and worrying about becoming ill with no one to care for you, is not healthy. The Age of Bots requires reimagining economic and social structures to take into account the needs of all Americans.Next week I will discuss how social behavior is being manipulated for economic gain.

References:

Markosian, D. (2018) Do Trees Talk To Each Other? Smithsonian Magazine. retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/

Delbridge, E. (2019) The 8 Best Peer-to-Peer Lending Companies oThe Balance. retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/best-peer-to-peer-lending-companies-4580285

TimeBanks: retrieved from web site https://timebanks.org

Wang, A.(2018) The War on Normal People. Hachette Books. ISBN- 978-0-316-41421-0

Boyle, M. reviewer (2021)What is Time Banking? Investopedia. retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/time-banking.asp#:~:text=Time%20banking%20is%20a%20bartering,to%20supplement%20government%20social%20services.

Rosenberg, Eric. (2021) What is peer-to-peer lending? credit karma. retrieved from https://www.creditkarma.com/personal-loans/i/peer-to-peer-lending

Art is always for sale. For information go to eichingerfineart.com or contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

                     Blue Birds                                                          Personal Space 

Emerging from COVID with Friends

Anais Nin wrote, “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” She implies that joy, companionship, and growth come from friends influencing how we experience the world. A colleague once advised me that it takes twenty years to make a friend. The comment seemed extreme, but as I’ve aged, I’ve given it more credence. Strong friendships are a critical part of our well-being, but they take nurturing and time to develop.

Zack, the twenty-year-old homeless boy I write about in Over the Peanut Fence, made street-friends instantly. After spending a few hours with a new arrival, he would call the youth a friend, an indication that he was open to knowing the person better. Over the following weeks, the relationship was tested by observing the youth’s willingness to share his limited resources. If he had cigarettes, he was expected to offer  some to his friends. If she pulled in ten dollars begging, she bought the  \pizza and gave her friends a slice. When the person was known as someone willing to share, he or she was valued and could expect to receive favors and help in return.

Loyalty grows quickly in an environment where individuals share experiences and hardships. Simply sharing the brutal story that led the youth to flee home creates bonds. Hearing these tales makes homeless youths realize they are not the only ones to have suffered. They help them take small steps forward towards trusting people again. If caught stealing, the street-thief will take all of the blame, never tattling on a friend involved in the hoist. If a gay or lesbian youth is bullied, friends join together to fight against the perceived injustice. Though street relationships develop quickly, they are lost equally as fast. Those who choose not to partake in drugs or decide to return to school, for instance, have accepted a lifestyle that no longer supports the habits of their former acquaintances. Rather than lose their friends’ trust, they disappear.

Children tend to make friends easily. School, camp, clubs, and sports teams where time is spent with people their age, spurs fast friendships. Adults, unfortunately, find it more difficult to create enduring relationships. They don’t happen automatically as they did when in school unless put in situations where they have to depend on one another, as in the military. For adult intimacy to deepen, it requires intention, time, and effort. Though progress may be slower, growing acquaintances is a similar process to the one homeless youth experience. It involves giving something of yourself before you can expect something in return.

Strong friendships are built on a foundation of sharing, honesty, and trust. Rock climbers and combat soldiers have to trust one another for their lives depend on it. That is not the case in most situations, but it is in some. If a person becomes ill, divorced, traumatized, or elderly their survival often depends on the willingness of a friend to help out.

Research presented in Psychology Today shows that friendships have mental and physical benefits that contribute to self-esteem, greater happiness, a sense of purpose, lower blood pressure, and a longer life span. A University of North Carolina study concluded that having numerous friendships is most beneficial during adolescence and old age. Middle-aged people are less affected by the number of friends they are connected to but more concerned by whether the relationships they do maintain provide support or add strain. My relationships over time fit into their pattern. 

As a child, a college student, and a young adult I had lots of friends and enjoyed doing things with them. When I became a young parent, my husband and I expanded our friendship circle to include couples raising young children. However, by middle age, when deeply involved in the work and care of older children, I spent less time nurturing these relationships. The dinner parties and events I gave and attended were often related to my work. The people I called friends were likely to be colleagues, board members, and professional contacts. It is customary to leave work-friendships behind to let the new president bond with the staff and board when you exit a position as president of an organization. No one wants to run an organization with a shadow over their shoulders saying the old way was better than the new. 

Friendless when I left OMS, I started the Museum Tour Catalog, imagining things would be different when the business sold and I retired. That was not the case. The purchaser asked the staff not to socialize with me.  Building close relationships anew could only  be accomplished with intention. I took pottery classes, stayed to socialize after exercising at my club, became a lay minister, and talked to neighbors strolling by the house. I arranged for walks and luncheons with friends I hadn’t seen for years. It was an effort and took time to deepen these relationships, but it felt worthwhile.  I slowly developed a circle of friends I could call on when needed and committed myself to do the same for them.  When COVID-19 burst on the scene, however, it inhibited my traditional ways of interacting.

Studies show that during the pandemic younger more than older adults reported their friendships had suffered. Though elderly individuals expressed loneliness, younger adults and those less educated were hit harder. Men’s friendships suffered more than women’s because of the way they tend to interact with friends. In general, men enjoy doing things together like watching or playing sports. When together, they stick to concrete subjects while women communicate emotions more directly when conversing. These are stereotypes for sure, but Psychologist, Dr. Denworth claims they are based on cultural and biological truths. 

This last year, people came to view friends as a source of risk rather than as a way to manage it. Instead of going to a friend’s house to ask for help or get advice during the crisis, we spoke through masks and computer screens. We couldn’t hug or comfort friends who were ill or lost a loved one or do the many little things that demonstrate to your friend that he or she is valued. Young people, especially, felt guilty for putting friends and family members at risk. Elders found it easier to slip into loneliness than find ways to make new friends.

There are exceptions, of course, for those who had close relationships and who were determined to nurture them through the pandemic. When they had a serious need, neighbors stepped up by leaving food on doorsteps, shopping for friends unable to do so, and calling to see how they were faring. Close friends and relatives stayed connected as best they could through Zoom. They joined book clubs, writing groups, and gaming associations. Unfortunately, we have a society that values individualism, and many find it difficult to ask for help though most people willingly do so.  It is the back-and-forth give-and-take that builds bonds.

As we heal from a year of isolation, it will take effort to rebuild our relationships. For some, it will be as difficult to resume face-to-face interactions as it was to pull back from them during the pandemic. We are creatures of habit and find it hard to change. In the long run, however, it will be worth bursting the bubble we were forced to be in. Re-establishing friendships requires us to emerge from our cocoons and let people know how we evolved over the past year so we can fly with gusto into the future.

References:

Franco, M. (2019)  5 Skills for Making Friends as an Adult. Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/platonic-love/201909/5-skills-making-friends-adult

Denworth, L. (2021) How Friendship Has Changed in the Pandemic. Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-waves/202102/how-friendship-has-changed-in-the-pandemic

Art is always for sale. Contact me for information at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

Western Bluebirds / acrylic on canvas /  20.5 x 24.5/ framed / $375

Personal Space / acrylic on deep canvas  /16” by 20” /  $299

The streets were covered with snow when Portlanders sequestered during the first week of March last year. I remember walking through the neighborhood, enjoying the silence and softness of blanketed lawns where daffodils pushed through the darkness in search of sunlight. The snow melted a few weeks later and all at once, the tulips burst into bloom. Most of us thought the COVID scare would be over by summer, never imagining it would last more than a year.

By the end of April, gardeners were out in force carrying heavy bags of fertilizer and purchasing trays of young plants to add cheer to their homes and to glorify the streets to remind us of what is good. “Life continues,” we said, “no matter what happens, we have to stay in touch with family, eat, and make the best of it. We’ll plant gardens and be okay.

I took walks in the woods, enjoying the soft yellow-green colors of spring. The path by my house and the arboretum were favorite places to visit early in the morning before they became crowded with hikers and joggers. As I wandered through narrow trails unable to look at treetops without tripping, I inspected the trunks by my side and found beauty in their variety.

I touched their bark, noticing some that were rough and others smooth, some hard as stone while others were spongy.

I saw that PawPaw trees held their outer bark on tight like the skin on a body. The tree is home to insects that sapsuckers find by tapping their beaks in evenly spaced lines. Their fruit is a delicacy that feeds millions of people.

As spring turned into summer, children flew kits along with the COVID virus that kept spreading. Throughout America, hundreds of thousands of people marched in protest of George Floyd’s inhumane death. The clouds cried tears of sadness as men tried to protect loved ones. Children followed carrying hope for the future. Most Oregonians marched peacefully, yet there was much destruction. Many protesters didn’t wear masks. Covid spread.

Extremists turned Portland’s center-city into a disaster zone. A bronze sculpture of an elk was destroyed. Why that? Jobs were lost. Social distancing made shelters inadequate. Adjacent to smashed windows and boarded-up buildings, hundreds of tents were erected. Still, COVID continued. More tents appeared. More trash accumulated. More people died.

Amazon trucks tripled, flooding neighborhoods, yet traffic remained light because people worked from home. The air became cleaner, easier to breathe. With 6,000 fewer planes flying daily there days when the sky was crystal clear.

On the surface, the city looked peaceful. Police records show shootings escalated, robberies increased, and domestic violence became rampant.

Over the summer, there were families that ventured to uncrowded beaches while others looked for shade to get away from the heat.

Then, towards the end of August, the West Coast burst into flame. It was difficult to breathe. People lost homes and cried through their masks. Generous souls made donations to help them survive. Nature showed us who was in control. Life is precious and must be cared for and valued. More people got COVID. More wore masks.

Yet, The Crabapples ripened and were picked for pies. No one goes hungry if they know how to live off the land. Squirrels worked at collecting sap-filled pine cones with seeds to put away for winter. They dropped them from high trees to land with a thud on our porch where they left a sticky mess. When did our trees get so big and falling cones loud enough to wake us up in the morning?

Despite the devastation, the weather began to cool and chestnuts started falling. On outings, I filled a bag with them to roast. They reminded me of my childhood when our turkey was stuffed with chestnut filling. Thanksgiving and Christmas were bitter-sweet holidays filled with longing. Some traveled despite warnings not to, and so COVID flourished. More died.

By then, leaves had changed colors and dropped from their branches. The deciduous trees displayed their bark more fully when they were bare. I loved examining the way their branches are in an assemblage of shapes. Walks became a treebark lover’s paradise.

In the Northwest, we are fortunate to have a variety of Evergreens that keep Oregon green. in winter their color is dark and the trees appear to be sleeping.

January became February, and it will shortly be March. One year after the start of sequestering, despite civil unrest, we have a new president and over 500,000 dead from COVID. Yet there is progress. Almost 14 percent of the US population has received at least one dose of vaccine. The Magnolia trees are budding and getting ready to bloom. There is renewed hope that our lives will be better by summer.

To see the entire COVID-19 series go to https://www.eichingerfineart.com/collections/142242

Feel free to share this blog if you find it an interesting accounting of the past year.

Art is always for sale, contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

Scammers & Victims

Last week I wrote about telephone scams. This week the conversation continues by delving into the type of person who excels at scamming with a focus on charismatic investment advisors, corporate swindlers, and religious leaders.

Though in the past, there certainly were snake oil salesmen who conned innocent people out of their money, today’s electronic technology moved fraudulent deceptions to an entirely new level that enable tricksters to reach broader audiences. As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, 95 million robocalls a day are made to reach a small number of gullible people. 

High among the list of scammers are charismatic leaders who get millions of people to empty their purses. Some are financial wizards who offer Ponzi schemes with promises of easy riches while others are preachers out to benefit unscrupulous ministries. And, there are the conniving ways of executives of large corporations that supposedly operate under the watchful eye of government regulators.

Con artists have been fooling the public for generations. In the late 18 and early 1900s, George Parker successfully sold the Brooklyn Bridge many times over, getting $50,000 for it at least once. Police removed several of victims when they tried erecting toll booths on the bridge. During his career he sold Madison Square Garden, The Metropolitan Museum of art, and the Statue of Liberty, setting up fake offices to handle real estate swindles targeting immigrants and tourists. He turned actor and dressed in Civil War attire when selling Grant’s Tomb. Convicted of fraud three times, he escaped once, was recaptured and sentenced to a life term in Sing Sing. His exploits gave rise to the phrase, “and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.” 

What Parker had in common with other con artists was an ability to exploit a need to feel part of a group. He looked for people with knowledge-gaps and pretended he was able to help them. When techniques like this fail, scammers resort to intimidation or force as exemplified by shops that conduct endless sales and salesmen who push customers with fake time pressures.

In the early 2000s, Enron, under the leadership of Kenneth Lay (now deceased), inflated profits and concealed debt, fooling both regulators and investors with fake holdings and off-the-books accounting. After its stock peaked at $90.75 it plummeted to 26 cents a share causing shareholders to lose $74 billion in what at the time was the largest bankruptcy ever. Lay was considered a good guy who insisted the world needed equal opportunity, that smoking was bad, and that the African-American arts community deserved support. He knew what was best for you, how to negotiate conflicts among peers, and was admired widely.

Parker also liked drinking coffee from china cups, had an Enron plane repainted during a layover because he didn’t like the color, and spent thousands of dollars on antiquing trips and birthday parties when his company was tanking. Lay was featured on television going to church and carrying a bible. Most people in Houston thought they knew who he was, but by the end of his trial the jury uncovered the truth. His win-at-all-costs personality showed him to be imperious, devious, and disloyal, pushing his crimes onto the shoulders of colleagues.

Bernie Madoff’s empire came crashing down in 2008. The following year he pleaded guilty to engineering the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, losing $65 billion that included the life savings of close friends and family members. The 81-year-old, still in prison serving a 150-year sentence, recently petitioned for release due to kidney failure. His request is being considered.

Mr. Madoff was a swindler who conned investors to hand over their savings and falsely promised consistent profits in return. He is described as an affable, charismatic man who moved comfortably among power brokers on Wall Street and Washington. He had a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, shared in two private jets, and owned a yacht on the French Riviera. Madoff honed his image carefully and shunned one-on-one meetings with investors to make him more desirable to those seeking access. He was greedy and didn’t care whom he hurt to get what he wanted. 

Gregg McCrary, a former F.B.I. agent who constructs criminal behavioral profiles, said Madoff shared destructive traits typically seen in psychopaths who lie, manipulate, have feelings of grandiosity, are self-confident, and are callous towards their victims. He calls him a chameleon, good at “impression management,” a man who cast himself as a crusader protecting the interests of smaller investors. He wooed regulators to ignore what he was doing and told employees to adopt the mantra “KISS,” or “keep it simple, stupid.”

A great many mega-churches, pay-for-prayer calls, and televangelists are part of an underworld run by leaders who entice poor and ill people in desperate situations with promises of salvation, wealth, and healing. Known as “property preachers,” they link riches to religion and preach that health and prosperity are controlled by God. Charismatic preachers dress in suits, spout the bible, and urge devotees to send them “seed” pledges to demonstrate their faith. Followers are encouraged to contribute to the church before paying rent or utility bills. According to Christian religious scholar Michael Cooper,

“These personality cults-such as Jim Jones of the People’s Temple, David Koresh of the Branch Davidians, or David Berg of the Children of God/the Family-exhibit extraordinary influence over their followers. While these extreme examples resulted in abuse and death, others have exhibited a spiritual abuse couched in Christian language that appears legitimate for a while, but they are often exposed by disillusioned followers. In recent times, one may recall Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard, Mark Driscoll, Bill Hybels, James MacDonald, and most recently, Jerry Falwell, Jr. as well-known examples of charismatic personalities within the evangelical world who held an extreme influence over followers, thus permitting their deviant behaviors and moral failures.”

They keep messages simple and provide followers with a way to make sense of sickness and healing. Claiming they are God-anointed figures, they promise that bequeaths made to the church will be repaid many times over with good fortune and healing. When donations don’t produce the desired results, followers are told that their faith is not strong enough, and that they need to contribute more. Kirbyjon H. Caldwell from Texas, Spiritual adviser to Presidents Bush and Obama, used his clout and influence to persuade people to invest $3.5 million in bogus bonds issued by the former Republic of China. The $900,000 he received before being sent to six years in prison, helped maintain his lifestyle and pay down credit cars and mortgages. 

Mega-churches collect millions of dollars that make the salaries of their senior ministers rival that of Wall Street executives, while most of their employees barely earn a living wage. They enjoy tax-exempt status and federal subsidies that are supposed to go to community outreach, but are not required to share how much of what they bring in goes to charitable causes. Collections support private jets, expensive cars, and numerous mansions. Followers turn their backs to their wealth since it is seen as proof that God shined on the preacher.

Charismatic scammers, whether financial or religious, are irresistible, hypnotic, exude confidence, and have a force of personality that draws people to them. They are strong communicators who know how to mobilize followers to view them as gifted, heroic and god-like. They are organizers who train banks of telephone callers, volunteers, and salespeople to push rattletrap messages and make pitches that bring in the gold.

Larger than life figures who produce positive results do exist. A good example is Bill Gates, Microsoft’s founder. But when manipulative, narcissistic men like Adolf Hitler take center stage, a dark self-focused side emerges. When errors in judgement, unethical behavior and self-serving actions go unchallenged due to fear of retribution by the leader, followers disengage and withdraw rather than act. Their timidity makes the leader stronger and enables him or her to become more wicked and corrupt.

The Federal Trade Commission says that people are less likely to lose money if they’ve heard about the scam beforehand. They suggest spreading the word when you read or hear about fraudulent acts or were victimized by one. Social media sites and television make it difficult to tell honest promotions from deceptive ones. We can help one another by sharing what we know, and by being dubious about investments and pitches that appeal to emotions and seem too good to be true.

References:

Lisa, a. (2019) 30 of the biggest scams in modern history. Stacker. retrieved from https://stacker.com/stories/2525/30-biggest-scams-modern-history

Swartz. M. (2006) The Three Faces of Ken Lay. New york Times. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/opinion/21swartz.html

Crswell and Thomas Jr. (2009) The Talented Mr. Madoff. The New York Times. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25bernie.html

MacBeth, C. 2020 Are mega churches just businesses masquerading as worship? News Daily. retrieved from https://filmdaily.co/news/mega-churches/

Brown, D. (2020)How Megachurches Blurr Religion and Riches. How Stuff Works. retrieved from https://people.howstuffworks.com/do-megachurches-preach-that-prayer-will-make-rich.htm

Church Law Website (2020) Political Activities by Churches: What’s Permitted and What’s Prohibited. Church Law Center of California. retrieved fromhttps://www.churchlawcenter.com/church-law/political-activities-by-churches-whats-permitted-and-whats-prohibited/

Cooper,M. (2020) the Dangers of Charismatic Leadership. Ephesiology. Retrieved from https://ephesiology.com/blog-post/the-dangers-of-charismatic-leadership/

Audrey M. (2018) Battling the Dark Side Of Charisma. Forbes. retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/audreymurrell/2018/06/04/battling-th

Baker. V. (2019)The preachers getting rich from poor Americans. BBC News. retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-47675301

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Art is always for sale. You Decide – acrylic on canvas painting, 16” x 40” x 2” / $ 385.  Painted by a real live person.For information contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com. 

Scammers Be Gone

Telephone Scammers! I’m tired of them. Robocalls and phone banks of hustlers out to steal money or personal information have made Americans reluctant to answer their phones. This is dangerous, for there are occasions when incoming calls are important.

Hearing that my social security number was compromised or that a large international purchase was made from my Amazon account is getting tiring. Threatening calls come in from the IRS and technicians who want to fix my computer. An extended appliance warranty and a lottery sweepstake award almost trapped me. Thankfully, I realized what was happening before the hustlers got my money, but that didn’t stop their calls from resuming.

Robocalls take pay-to-pray formats to a new level. “Hello, this is the Hope and Prayer Center Ministry calling today to see if you need an urgent prayer. If you would like to have someone from our center pray for you, please press one. If you no longer want to hear from us, please press three.” If you press one, as many Americans do, you will receive a second automated call asking for a donation to the Hope and Prayer Center Ministry. Though not stating how much you will need to donate, it will forward you to a service in charge of collecting payments.

The government anticipates scammers will steal over $2 billion in 2021. Over 95 million robocalls will be initiated daily with the use of advanced autodialing technology in order to reach the few who fall prey to their con. Robocalls are commonly spoofed. That means they are initiated internationally, but the call that comes to your home has a local area code. Legislation introduced in 2019 by bi-partisan members of congress is helping FCC go after companies that spoof.

The government’s warning list of scams is robust. They center on banking, government grants, and pyramid schemes. There are ticket hoaxes, census-related fraud, investment and charity rackets, moving company cons, and Ponzi schemes. Extortionists push time-share vacations homes and supplemental healthcare programs. Since the start of the pandemic, coronavirus ripoffs were added to the list of false rumors and price gouging. Sorry, but you cannot “jump the vaccine line” in exchange for payment. Rackets occur online, through the mail, and on the phone where victims are pushed for an immediate decision. Hardly anyone with a phone is immune from them.

Taking advantage of the public is not new. I admit to fooling an elderly woman when I was twelve. One summer afternoon my cousin and I thought it would be fun to pick a random phone number and tell the person answering the phone that he or she won a prize. Our first call was answered by a sweet lady who was so happy to her of her award that we were horrified by our prank. The woman probably knew we were a couple of kids playing a prank, but she went along with the ruse. Though we didn’t want money or ask anything from the woman, we made an award that was bound to make her feel bad when nothing was received. The guilt my cousin and I felt kept us from making a second call.

For those who don’t know how scammers communicate with unwary victims, I’ve put together a few scripts.

SCAM #1 – Sweepstakes

Scammer: Congratulations, Ms. Smith. I’m pleased to tell you that you won $250,000 from Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes.

Winner: I did? I can’t believe it. I’ve entered for years.

Scammer: Your persistence paid off. What will you do with the money?

Winner: This is so sudden, I’m not sure. Pay some bills and help my family, I guess. I always wanted to take one of those river cruises. But, wait a minute. How do I know this isn’t a scam? I’ll have to pay to get my money, won’t I?

Scammer: “Absolutely not. You don’t have to pay a thing. Here is a number you can call to check that we are legitimate. xxx-xxx-xxxx. (The phone is answered by someone in the scammer’s group. If the winner does not call the scammer back he will continue calling over the following months, reinforcing that the person is a winner and should claim the award before it goes away.)

Winner: This is very exciting. How do I get my check?

Scammer: “We’ll come to your house with balloons and flowers and hand you a large check that we use in publicity. You don’t mind if we take photos, do you? If you prefer to keep your award quiet we can honor your wish as well.

Winner: I’d prefer not to have any fanfare. I don’t want the neighborhood knowing I won a $250,000.

Scammer: That’s understandable. When is a good time to come by?

Winner: I’ll ask my husband when he’ll be home.

Scammer: No, don’t do that. This is for you alone. Let him be surprised when he discovers the amount in your bank account. Does Thursday next week work?

Winner: I’m free that day.

Scammer: Because $250,000 is such a large amount, we’ll accompany you to the bank to make sure the deposit goes through. After it is deposited, we do ask for a small amount ($8,000) to cover expenses for getting the money to you. 

(The check is put on hold for four days before the bank contacts the winner to say it is fake. The winner remains responsible for funds paid to the scammer. When a Michigan Representative was recently asked to look into a scam a constituent’s elderly father fell for, the Rep’s answer was, “More than likely these are legitimate businesses and we are not interested in stopping good businesses.”)

Scam #2 – Social Security

Robocaller: Hello. This is a message from the Social Security office. Someone is using your social security number for suspicious activity. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx immediately immediately to speak to an agent in our office or you could be subject to arrest. Have the last four digits of you social security number ready.

SS Card holder follows through and is connected to a live person. 

Scammer: Your name please, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Due to suspicious activity we are suspending your social security number and issuing a new card.

Card Holder: What? How can that be? I’ve had this card all my life and I’m going on 75.

Scammer: Congratulations for a long life, dear. Too bad this had to happen to you. Unfortunately identity theft is rampant and someone got ahold of your number. It is a good thing we caught the fraud, so you are not implicated. But, to be sure that I’m talking to the right person, please read off your full social security number.

Card Holder: Just a minute, I have to get it from my wallet.

Scammer: Now that I know it is you, I need to verify your address. A new card will cost $45. Will you be using VISA, Mastercard or American Express. Let me know when you are ready. I’ll read the number back.

Obtaining a credit card, social security number and address made the scammer’s call successful. It is good to remember that neither the social security office or IRS communicate through the phone.

To eliminate scams you might consider getting a robocall blocker if you haven’t already done so. Other suggestions are:

a) Never let a recorded stranger talk you into pressing 1 or to press 2, the do-not-call list. Don’t press anything. 

b) Never provide legal businesses with written consent to contact you by phone.

c) Place your number on the FTC’s do-not-Call list and check out the FCC guide to robocalls.

d) Slow things down. Callers try to create a sense of urgency. Ask questions and don’t get rushed into a bad situation. 

e) Spot check and look up the organization that’s calling you and get in touch directly. 

f) Never send a payment on the spot.

February is a time to beware of romance scammers who build relationships slowly before submitting an urgent request for money. In 2019 over $200 million was lost to romance scams. Loneliness during the pandemic has made many people targets of their devious ways.

Have you been scammed? Though it may be embarrassing to admit to being a victim of fraud, your story will help others avoid falling into the same trap. Do share your experience on my blog site at eichingerfineart.com/blog

This method of extortion raises additional questions I plan to address in my next newsletter?

1. Are more people out to defraud the public than ever before or does it just feel that way? Millions of people, especially the elderly, fall pray to a variety of devious schemes. Since they are bad for society, why do we let it continue? Why allow credit card and payday loan companies to charge usury fees for services that put millions of people so deeply in debt they will never escape from it.
2. What makes people gullible to deception and who is most likely to become a victim of fraud?

Tune in next week to find out.

References

USAgov. site about Scams: https://www.usa.gov/common-scams-frauds

Bote, Joshua. (2019) Fraud, private jets and Lamborghini: 10 Televnangelists who have faced controversy. USA Today. retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/17/joel-osteen-kenneth-copeland-10-televangelists-trouble/1471926001/

website ( 2020) How to Deal with Hpe and Prayer center Ministry robocall. Do Not Pay. retrieved from https://donotpay.com/learn/hope-and-prayer-center-ministry-robocall/

Collins,G (2021) Arise, Robocall Resistance! New York Times. retrieved from

web site ( 2021) Scam Spotter. retrieved from https://www.scamspotter.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyJOBBhDCARIsAJG2h5cnuuf6MVPjGbxy3pg-KsGe4hEyfhOFqKbbvwxow8x9nVyGsvHDpvgaAo_GEALw_wcB

Art is always for sale. Coming home is 16x 20 acrylic painting in silver frame available for $325. To make arrangements, contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

The bell rang on the seventh round of The Senses Vs COVID and the crowd went wild with frustration. COVID, coming from behind, upset Smell in the third round, all but wiping him out. Taste rebounded in the fourth as restaurants closed and home chefs produced masterpieces. Waistlines grew broader in the fifth, causing Sight to lose her footing when her eyes closed to what was happening. Sound made up for sight’s loss, soothing spectators with the chirping of birds and awakening them to the banging of pots to thank healthcare workers. A mounting rumble of sadness is causing COVID to turn Touch into the biggest loser of the day by making the fight a no-contact sport. Tension is mounting, friends, as the referee tries to balance sanity with madness from sense starvation before the end of the match.

The Senses Vs Covid

SMELL: COVID-19 plays havoc with our senses. Eighty percent of people who test positive complain of smell or taste lost. The first symptom they notice is loss of smell, but because taste is connected, it soon follows. Recent studies show that those who experience smell dysfunction usually have a milder case than those with severe respiratory infections that include congestion, drainage and other nasal symptoms. Doctors believe the primary reason for loss of smell is an inflammatory reaction inside the nose leading to loss of olfactory neurons. For quite a few victims, the loss is permanent.

TASTE: The pandemic instigated a lot more home cooking. Not only do people feel unsafe going to restaurants, they work from home longer and don’t stop for  meals on their commute.  For many, financial concerns are an added reason to dine at home. According to the New York Times, home chefs, feeling more confident of their abilities in the kitchen, are now making more complex dishes. They are cooking gourmet sources and clearing our spice racks in super markets to do so. Spicy sauces and dishes of all kinds have increased substantially. Taste buds have become more discerning with retailers taking advantage of the change offering round the world adventurous flavors. 

SIGHT: The visual arts play a role in keeping people sane during COVID. A recent survey by the CDC revealed that anxiety and depressive disorders in the US increased considerably since last spring. During periods when we can’t see friends and family, art can reduce stress and help people process the heaviness they feel. According to art therapist, Tammy Shella, the verbal and visual sides of the brain take two different paths. People with PTSD (a side affect of COVID for some) are triggered by sights, smells, colors and sounds reminding them of the trauma. Talking therapy doesn’t always lead to healing, while an artistic outlet may. My experience is similar to others who engage in artistic endeavors.

Creating art puts me in state of flow where I am completely focused on the task at hand. Worries fade away and a sense of peacefulness takes over. Arts (and crafts) provide a way to connect with others. I can express inner feelings to friends through my paintings. Some artists sculpt, make videos, design cards, or make quilts for newborn babies. They are selfless acts that make the practitioner feel good. Engaging in artistic ventures does not have to be expensive. 

SOUND: During the pandemic, many sounds that defined our cities have vanished. Though some residents find the silence is deafening, others celebrate it. In New York, the screech of subways, the chatter of multilingual voices, the blare of traffic have been replaced the sounds of chirping birds and air conditioner motors coming from tall apartment complexes. Stuart Fowkes, a U.K. sound artist, has been mapping sounds of cities around the world since 2014, continuing so during the pandemic. As we adapt to living with less noise pollution, will we rebel when the cacophony of jarring city sounds reappear? Will we finally change laws to outlaw gas leaf blowers that disturb the quiet of my neighborhood?

TOUCH : The trees below were painted with actual bark applied to their trunks. Not only are they visual images, they can be touched. I was inspired by walks in the woods and touching the bark as I passed different species of trees. Are you aware that some are soft and spongy while others are iron hard? On some trees, the bark peels and curls others grow in  plates that fall off and are replaced. Try touching them. It is comforting and challenging to see how they differ.

The complaint I hear more frequently from single friends is their inability to touch and be touched, adding to feelings of loneliness. Unable to hug parents, children, grandchildren and friends or to trust kissing a new paramour, they are touch-starved. Those with partners and children are fortunate. 

Singles are experimenting with solutions to combat social distancing. In one shared apartment, residents instituted a six o’clock hug at the end of every day activity that lasts 25 seconds, that psychologists say is long enough the get the physiological and psychological benefits that touch can bring. Touch can convey emotion faster than words and it is known to reduce stress in adults as well as babies—though it is important to remember that not everyone likes to be touched. When someone is touch-starved, stress, depression and anxiety are triggered with cascading negative psychological effects that effect blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, the digestive and the immune systems. 

I am a hugger and miss putting arms around friends and family and shaking hands with acquaintances. Dr. Fauci doesn’t think we should reintroduce the handshake after the pandemic is over, saying it will go a long way to preventing influenza as well as coronavirus disease. However, I feel certain we will find a way back to tactile  bonding in order to release oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, in the brain. Those feel-good sensations of trust and connection that decrease our fears and anxiety, is such a need, that we will be compelled to find safe ways to touch one another.

The ongoing match between The Senses and COVID will make many people feel like they are going mad. However, this isn’t the first time or the last the world was faced with a pandemic, and we know they end, though it may take years for trauma from the experience to settle. We may be more cautious  and risk adverse than before it started. We may continue cooking at home for pleasure and not shake hands for health reasons, but eventually, fears will lesson. But hopefully, what we learn about ourselves and society will be used to improve lives going forward. 

References:

Staff (2020) Five things to know about smell and taste loss in COVID-19. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. retrieved from https://www.vumc.org/coronavirus/latest-news/five-things-know-about-smell-and-taste-loss-covid-19

Contrearas,T. (2020) How the pandemic is shaping home cooking trends. SmartBrief. https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2020/09/how-pandemic-shaping-home-cooking-trends

Repko,M. (2020) THe pandemic’s new chefs and foodies: How the health crisis shaped what we cook and crave.CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/29/even-after-pandemic-companies-may-have-to-cater-to-a-nation-of-aspiring-chefs-foodies.html

Staff ( 2020) How Art Can Help You Cope With The Pandemic. Cleveland Clinic, Health Essentials. retrieved from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-art-can-help-you-cope-with-the-pandemic/

Scherer, J. MD (2020) Hearing Humanity Through the Noise of a Pandemic. National Institute of Health. retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7301060/

Poor,L. (2020) Soundscape. Bloomberg City lab. retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-22/the-changing-sounds-of-cities-during-covid-mapped

2020 Why I’m not alone in missing hugs during the pandemic. BBC News, retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-54373924

Pierce,S. (2020) Touch starvation is a consequence of COVID-19’s physical distance.retrieved from https://www.tmc.edu/news/2020/05/touch-starvation/

Do comment below. It is always interesting to hear from you.

Art is always for sale. Visit my website at eichignerfineart.com or contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

Senior Moves

A few days ago, my next door neighbor announced that he and his wife were moving to the East Coast to be closer to their children. A day later another woman talked about selling her house and going to a retirement home out of state. I will miss these neighbors whom I’ve known for years. They are threads in the fabric of my life and without them, my cloth will rip and leave gaping holes.

Their current dwellings will likely be sold to families with children who will energize our street with their playful antics. The slow moving couples passing by my house on afternoon outings will be replaced by skateboarders, kids on bicycles and sidewalk chalk artists. When school reopens, these children will play with classmates who live near them. Their parents will invite families with similarly aged children to barbecues in the summer and birthday parties year round.

I am an observer of change, even though I am outside the circle of young mothers. Having young bodies on streets where I live shows how life cycles. I listen to parents  talk of the difficulties of homeschooling children during a pandemic and hear how they integrate their jobs with family life. It is interesting to hear them discuss ways the past year has altered  thoughts about the future. Though burdened by responsibility, they seem spirited, adaptable and hopeful, while my elderly friends, missing their families and past freedoms, aren’t. A weight on many of my neighbors minds is what to do about aging parents. Their stories make me sad, for I don’t like to think of myself as a burden, though I know it could happen soon.

The hardship of aging has always been a two-way strain for families across the globe. Well-known stories about Eskimos no longer able to contribute to the group tell of being taken to sea to be set adrift on a floating iceberg or walking into the night to freeze and be eaten by a polar bear. Those who practiced this form of death with dignity for the good of the community, believed that another world awaited them after death. Children, rather than sending their parents off to disappear in a retirement center, believed they were helping their elders move on to the afterlife. This form of euthanasia, though not widespread, is no longer practiced because government subsidies insure survival of their villages.

Walking through the hills of Hong Kong twelve years ago, I spied an elderly mother, a delightfully wrinkled woman who looked to be ninety, resting on a blanket while observing shoppers come and go. Her daughter, a shop owner, would occasionally join the old lady to chat and pass the day in familial companionship. Their conversation was filled with smiles and laughter. 

Children in China are taught Confucianism, a doctrine stating that an adult child has a duty to care for  elderly parents. And, though filial piety still persists, there is a growing  demand for private nursing homes and senior centers. Due to the one child policy and increasing life expectancy,  the population in China is aging faster than ours. Their children, especially those in rural areas, leave to find work and are not around to care for parents.

Nursing homes are out of reach for most older citizens who don’t want to go into them anyway. Eighty-four percent of elders prefer to stay home alone and not burden their children who have financial needs of their own. Old-age industries, such as voice-activated alarms connected to video cameras installed in front of televisions and other devices, are developing, allowing seniors more freedom until they become ill. Unfortunately, Confucian principles of filial piety don’t work in modern economies and pressure is being put on  the government to underwrite the cost of senior care.

Recent surveys show 901 million people worldwide to be 60 and older, with projections that by 2050 the number will reach 2.1 billion or 21.55 percent of the global population.  Geoworld Magazine published a study of 105 countries and rated them best to worst places for old people to live, taking into account seven categories—life expectancy, health care, safety, happiness, property prices, cost of living, and pension start age. Of the top ten, Finland ranked number one, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Spain. The United States is 28th. The ten worst countries are  Iraq, Kenya, Ukraine, Venezuela, Cambodia, Nigeria, Iran, Egypt, Namibia and the Dominican Republic.

The Happiness index also lists Finland first, followed by Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands indicate that living in a cold climate can be good for health and well-being. What keeps Finland’s seniors happy? For a start, they are highly visible at all kinds of social and cultural events as well as the great outdoors where they speed by on bicycles and skis. The population of Finland is aging faster than anywhere else in the world except Japan, so the country developed networks for home based care. The government makes it easy for elders to use public transport, exercise in pools and gyms, and visit museums, libraries and theaters. Co-housing experiments where older citizens are housed with students in buildings with communal spaces for crafts, exercise, and lounging provide a family atmosphere for young and old. 

Maintaining community is at the heart of elders aging well. The pandemic made them computer savvy since it was the best way to maintain connections with the outside world. Through platforms like ZOOM, seniors maintain ties that soften the misery of being isolated. As more families are faced with aging parents, and more elders realize the need for care in community, society is finding creative solutions to keep them in their homes and not tucked away in senior centers to die alone. More than one-third of Coronavirus Deaths nationwide are linked to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. In Oregon, that number is 53 percent.

Virtual villages have sprung up where neighbors help neighbors stay neighbors, and home based care services are becoming more common in many states. Longevity has forced communities to reimagine old age and insure that elders stay productive and happy as the reach the end of their life cycle.

References:

Revelations. Initial Journey, Eskimos-Old Age. retrieved from http://www.theinitialjourney.com/features/eskimos-old-age/

Xinhua. (2019) China’s care for the elderly boosts ‘silver economy.  China Daily. retrieved from https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201910/08/WS5d9c4004a310cf3e3556f300.html

Ireland,S. 2020. World’s Best (and Worst) countries For Older People to Live In, 2020. Geoworld Magazine. retrieved from https://ceoworld.biz/2020/01/29/worlds-best-and-worst-countries-for-older-people-to-live-in-2020/

( 2021) More than One-Third of U.S.Coronavirus Daths are Linked to Nursing Homes.New York TImes. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-nursing-homes.html

The following letter is one of a series written to my adopted African American grandchildren during the COVID-crisis. They are about my life as a child in comparison to how things are today. I plan to put them in a book for them to enjoy when they are older.

Dear Hanan and Mirna:

Electing a president this year was scary. Donald Trump and many of his friends told so many lies it was hard to know what what was the truth. That is why Mama and Baba and I tell you not to lie even when you do something wrong

Part 20 

  When I was your age, elections that happened every four years were exciting. All my neighbors watched the Democratic and Republican conventions on television to see who would be selected to run for president. Friends wore big buttons and waved flags with the name of the person they wanted to win. In school, we learned about democracy and why voting is important. On election day, we all voted to see which candidate our school favored.

This picture is of a Republican named Dwight D. Eisenhower putting his ballot, a sheet of paper with his vote on it, in a box in 1953. Do you think he voted for himself?  For a nickname they called him IKE and his followers shouted “I like Ike” over and over again. He was very happy when he won.

Democracy really starts at home.  When you are young, your parents and grandma rule over you like kings and queens and tell you what to do. But, when you are older and know more, your family will ask for your opinion about what you like and don’t like. Before you tell them, you have to consider the good and bad parts of what you are being asked to comment on.

For instance, if I ask you girls if you want to go the river to feed the geese, and Hanan says yes and Mirna says no, then a third person will be needed to break the tie. If that person is me, and I agree with Hanan, it becomes two yes votes and one no vote.  We are practicing democracy. Though Mirna may not be happy, if she is democratic, she will go along with the majority. The next time we go out, she might give us a reason to vote for the playground instead.  

The same voting happens in a democratic country with over three hundred million people. The only way it can be managed is by having groups of citizens vote for someone to represent them. 

Imagine being in a group that has clubs all over the country. The club in your town club has ten girls in it who vote for one person to be their leader. The leader will represent them when all the clubs in the country decide to gather. It would be too expensive and too confusing if every girl from every club went to the meeting. The people sent to represent each club will make the rules everyone agrees to follow. After a lot of talk and arguments, they will vote on whether the rules are ones they want by marking yes or no on a ballot. If most people say yes then the rule is accepted. Your leader will come home and share what she learned at the meeting.

Though not all club members will be happy with the rules, if you believe in democracy and not in fighting to get you way, you will accept and follow what most people want. If you wish the vote went a different way, you have to figure out how to get the leaders to change their minds and vote your way during the next election. That is how democracy and politics (running a government) work. 

Problems occur when citizens forget that we live in a country where we follow the rules most people think are good.  Instead, they decide their way is better and they know what is best for everyone else. President Donald Trump thought that way. He did not want to give up his power, so in 2020, he acted like a dictator who didn’t care if people wanted him as president. During the election, he lied to everyone in the country and told us that our votes were not fairly counted, even when they were recounted several times and proved to be correct. He wanted votes for Joe Biden, the man running against him,  to be thrown away so he would win. By repeating the lie over and over again, some people started to believe him. Trump was president, after all. They got angry even when they were told the truth. A big ugly mob with weapons went to the capital in Washington, planning to take over the government. They smashed windows and stole souvenirs from offices. Men beat up the police and tried to capture and kill lawmakers they did not like.

These men and women were traitors to democracy and caused five people to die and many to fear for their lives. Taking over the government by force is called treason. January 6th, 2021 was a horrible day in the history of the United States, a country that is proud that we transfer the power from one person to another without a fight. Though you are only five, Hanan and you nine, Mirna, it is an important day to remember and make sure it will never happen again.

I was very worried when our democratic country almost became a dictatorship. It showed me how important it is for leaders to be honest and voters to check to make sure what they are told is truthful. Politicians who lie, cause many people to get hurt. 

Thankfully, democracy survived, and on January 21st, a man named Joseph Biden became the country’s new president. Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected vice president. She, like you, is a girl of color and proof that if you study hard and decide you want to govern the country to make it a better place, it is possible to get people to vote for you. You might even become president one day. 

Freedom Through Dance

During these dark days of January, many Americans are asking what it means to be free. Does freedom involve breaking into the people’s house and threatening to put a noose around the neck of congressmen? Does it mean bowing to Christian nationalists and conservative militiamen who profess freedom is only for those who believe as they. Or, does it give rise to a pluralistic society where one person’s freedom doesn’t impinge on anther another person’s rights? Many of my thoughts around this issue evolved from experiences I had with dance.

My mother used to say I was a clumsy child who tripped and fell with some regularity. As an antidote, I was enrolled in Miss Dorothea’s dance academy to learn balance and grace. Mom also took me to see professional performances where ballerinas moved on stage as though they were feathers in the wind. The light and playful way they comported themselves as they twirled without getting dizzy and could lifted a leg higher than their heads made their movements look easy. When running across the stage to sail into a waiting partner’s arms, I could imagine what it is to fly free. 

It took me years to understand that freedom through movement comes after years of blending mind and body in a symbiotic relationship. Dancing is restrained without having stretched and toned muscles and a trained brain able to direct how the body moves. Students have to understand anatomy, know how each limb functions and it interacts with other parts of the body. Dancers become practitioners of a mind, body and spirit connections through meditation and focus. 

The history of dance, provides insight into cultural differences in the way it is used to celebrate the cycles of life. Each society’s approach, is intrinsically beautiful, no singular way of expressing movement more correct than another. Life is more vivid, complex, and fulfilling to students who acknowledge the way people move in celebration of their environment. 

Freedom for a dancer is a nuanced concept requiring focus on rhythms and cadence in music that was most likely composed by a stranger. It requires getting into the musician’s head in order to feel what the artist wants to impart, and then transferring those emotions to movement. This is why young people who dance at rock concerts often seem to be in a trance.  And, in truth they are–for as they move with the beat  they become free enough to display unexpressed feelings bottled up inside.

Producing high-quality works of art is a cooperative effort of performers, choreographers, lighting experts, costume designers, etc. Dancing is an activity that is rarely done alone.  Line-dancers in a Texas bar as well as ballerinas in the corps de ballet develop a sixth sense about the person next to them. They move so as to not invade their space, make them uncomfortable, or cause an accident. Being aware of others, working as a team, and developing a strong body, are skills acquired through discipline, commitment, and a work-ethic. They develop a self-confidence that helps people overcome challenges when mastering new goals. 

 Tolerance, connectedness, and disciple grow from having passion about what you are doing and wanting to share your joy with humanity. For this blog, I could have written about basket ball players, Latin, hip hop or classical dancers. I might have chosen musicians, writers, painters, gardeners, or computer programers, those expert enough in their field to be able to create unencumbered.

 For me it was dance that demonstrated the way to have beauty through movement and imagination. I saw it as a gift that brings people together in a creativity joyous way. It provides feelings of unity and connectedness, and after years of training your body to react automatically, dancing brings freedom, and freedom brings power. When shared with others, it is a positive expression of love. But, power must be used cautiously.

To reside in a country where citizens can express themselves creatively, there has to be respect and honor of personal boundaries. Embracing the uniqueness of neighbors, hearing their music and feeling their presence can enrich your life. To not step on toes and to search for beauty in a dances that are not your own, are life affirming actions that make individual freedoms possible. With more tolerance and less “my way or the highway” thinking, we might be able to live up to the tenants of the constitution and avoid another civil war. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Art works are always for sale. For additional information contact me at Marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

The Studio / Acrylic painting on canvas, wood frame, $ 399.

Twin Stars Exploding

Pandora’s box opened to reveal an explosion of reality? Can it be turned into something of beauty or will we feel scars for generations to come? 

My America

I slid from my mother’s birth canal into warm arms

and smiles of relatives cradling me through childhood

Where people lived proudly free from tyrannical rule.

This country of opportunity, I was taught, welcomes

those fleeing oppression to achieve impossible dreams.

It’s an America for you and me and them and slaves.

Those captured and tyrannized need help father said

as he waved us good-by to keep fascism at bay.

In our country, we believe in democracy, not dictators.

Founders fought subjugation by wealthy aristocrats

who step over indigents begging from the streets.

Citizens should vote and elect leaders who care.

Learn not to make mistakes of the past, mother implored

as she bent my head to study with more fervor.

You can reach the moon if you try hard enough.

But, stick with your own kind Grandma added.

You are my kind, I shouted back.You and you and you.

But, said Grandpa, these spacious skies from sea to shining

sea only bless the heathy, wealthy and white.

Not good enough, I replied chanting that Black lives matter,

Women have a right to choose, Gay pride gives dignity.

America will evolve, I thought. Youth and time will make it so.

Love will be practiced, children taught not to lie nor bully, 

cheat, steal or kill. Neighbors will live without fear,

and keep doors unlocked with no need for guns.

But then,

Wednesday, January 6th taught me otherwise. 

Hope, shattered on the Capitol’s steps, was replaced by reality.

Intolerance and hate grew from lies of a despot we chose.

merica. I won’t have it so. . . Yet, I’m afraid.

Art is Always for sale.  Acrylic on canvas paintings.

 Twin Stars Exploding, Twin Stars 16” x 20”,   $299

tured America 24” x 24”, $425

Do comment below. It is important to share your opinions during times of struggle.