Author: Marilynne

  Limitless Possibilities 

The wall outside my childhood bedroom was covered with photos of relatives both dead and alive. My father didn’t like it. He especially minded walking by the image of his deceased parents. Instead of dwelling on the past and what he had lost, he was a man who looked forward to what came next. It took years before I understood why being constantly reminded of the past didn’t feel good.

Several years ago, I repaired an old turntable thinking that it would be fun to listen to Pete Seger, Joan Baez, Bob Dillon, and other albums saved from the past. The memories they brought back, however, made me sad. I too am not good at dwelling on the past and like to make sure I have something to look forward to. It didn’t take long to realize that when it comes to popular music, I prefer hearing sounds that put me in touch with younger generations.

I occasionally get nostalgic thinking of the various political landscapes I lived through. Free speech and civil and women’s issues were rights I fought for. Yet when I hear people speak of those days as though they were better, I worry. They are quick to forget Nazi Germany or fear of a nuclear attack by Russia. Leanard Bernstein wrote West Side Story because of the gang wars plaguing New York. The Vietnam war was horrific. What people remember is the feeling they had from being involved in something greater than themselves.

In those days, I too believed my generation could change the political landscape and make life better for everyone.  We were confident in our beliefs and focused in actions. The three television stations and newspapers didn’t bombard us with lies and conspiracy theories. The confusion the industrial revolution had brought about a hundred years earlier was well past. We wanted to work and willingly fought for living wage jobs for all. We were open to innovations that made life easier and encouraged entrepreneurs to test their ideas. And though there were warnings, population growth had not yet reached the tipping point. 

What my generation did, was increase global warming, pandemics, pollution, and migrations that are now at epic proportions. Advanced technologies, computer algorithms, and genetics thrust us into an era that can be compared industrial revolution. It is a period of profound change that is bound to bring with it uncertainty and confusion. Old ways of supporting and governing ourselves will not work. Since we don’t fully understand the potential of these innovations it is difficult to prepare for the future. People began to disavow what happened and, like Chicken Little, started calling out that the sky was falling.

Change always brings dysfunction. Patience is needed to think things through, but instead of doing so, people flee to religious leaders and autocrats who know little about technology but offer certainty. It is difficult to live with uncertainty and easy to see why an idealized past is more appealing. Ambiguity is accompanied by anxiety and leads to mistrust. Yet ambiguity is the new reality a society comes to terms with algorithms, artificial intelligence, and genetically engineered health care.

It is kind of interesting. My advice is to be curious and not panic. It may take fifty or more years for the world to settle into a new normal. Practicing patience is the best way to navigate through change. Since we are in the midst of a revolution and don’t know where it is headed, all we can do is stay informed and teach the next generation to pay better attention. They are the ones who will devise economic and social systems that embrace AI and genetic engineering. Hopefully, what they come up with will be just and equitable and allow people to live richer, more satisfying lives. It would be interesting if we could come back in the future to see how the present evolves. 

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

Publications: Over the Peanut Fence and Lives of Museum Junkies are available in ebook and paperback formats in bookstores and online. For more information go to the Autor’s corner at https://secretsofamuseumjunkie.com/

Walking on Air

Though Oregon is a no-tax state, it has two freeports where businesses can avoid customs taxes. Is it worth warehousing my art in a freeport warehouse with the expectation that it will go up in value and be sold where it will be taxed?

My naivety shows!  I haven’t thought much about the pros and cons of freeports or free trade zones as they are sometimes called, until rereading The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities–From Italy’s Tomb Raiders to the World’s Greatest Museums by Cecilia Todeschini. The book is about an art dealer who operated out of a freeport in Switzerland. He sold millions of dollars of illegally acquired antiquities to museums like the Getty and Metropolitan Museum of Art. After exploring Freeport’s in more detail, I found that his conniving ways were more widely practiced than I originally thought. The global art market, estimated to be $65.1 billion in 2021, is riddled with fraud.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a freeport is a lot with a large warehouse located near an international air or shipping port. It is where goods are landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reshipped without the intervention of customs authorities. Since these free zones are outside the jurisdiction of any country, businesses avoid paying import duties. They provide a legal way for dealers and collectors to avoid import and export documentation, taxes, and insurance costs while storing or selling expensive works of art.  No one knows if art stored in a freeport warehouse was acquired through legal or illegal channels. 

Freeports first emerged in nineteenth-century Switzerland where secure storage facilities held valuable agricultural and personal commodities in transit without being taxed. These isolated, enclosed, policed areas with facilities for loading, unloading, storing manufacturing, and shipping by land, water, or air provide legal protection for businesses dealing in illicit trade.

The ostensible purpose of a freeport is to help businesses compete in the global economy. Since lower tariffs are put on imported component parts they can be manufactured and exported from there at competitive prices. Governments consider them to be good investments because they stimulate trade. The question is since the businesses don’t pay taxes, how do they really benefit society?

Free Trade Zones are havens for money laundering and tax evasion. With less red tape and taxation, ownership is concealed while trade is conducted untaxed. Bad actors in the art world commonly use it to buy and sell illegally acquired antiquities and fine art. Since there is no oversight no one knows what is stored in these warehouses.

Consider the following:  Art purchased at a Detroit gallery would cost the buyer 6 percent over the price in sales tax. A Californian would pay 7.25 percent more. To avoid paying sales taxes, many collectors buy and store their art in a freeport, speculating that the price of the piece will escalate in value. I found the art trail reported by TAXVOX to be most interesting.

“Consider the sales trail of the most expensive painting ever purchased, the Salvator Mundi. In 2005, an art hunter bought the painting for $1,175 at a New Orleans estate sale. In 2013, after experts asserted the painting was by none other than Leonardo da Vinci, art dealer and freeport magnate Yves Bouvier purchased the canvas for $80 million. The next day he sold it, tax-free in his freeport, to Russian fertilizer tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev for $127.5 million. 

Four years later, a buyer widely reported to be working on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman purchased the painting at New York auction house Christie’s for $450.3 million.

Normally, a buyer in New York State would owe 8.875 percent sales tax on the purchase. In this case: a cool $39.9 million. Alas, New York State has not collected a dime. Originally, the painting was scheduled to be exhibited at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. But it’s not there. Nobody knows, or is saying, where it went.” 

Globally today, about 3,500 freeports operate with the content of their warehouses unknown. When I asked friends about them, not one was aware of their existence. There are approximately 298 freeport zones in the United States (statistics vary). Oregon has two, New York has sixteen, California seventeen, Michigan seven, etc. What does it mean to the economy of these states? There are also 400 sub or single-purpose zones that permit businesses outside the confines of the freeport, to have the same benefits as those that are inside.

 If freeports are so important to trade, why isn’t the entire country one big free trade zone? Who benefits from warehousing and selling at a freeport? I’d like to know more. 

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

Walking on Air is a framed, acrylic on canvas painting / 26.5” x 49.5”/ available for $850.  Oregon does not have a sales tax.

Do you have an insight into freeports? Do comment below.

references:

Berniker, T. (2020)  Behind Closed Doors: A Look At Freeports, Center for Art Law. retrieved from https://itsartlaw.org/2020/11/03/behind-closed-doors-a-look-at-freeports/#:~:text=While%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9Cfreeport%E2%80%9D%20is,of%20Customs%20and%20Border%20Patrol.

Wikipedia website. Foreign-trade zones of the United States. retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign-trade_zones_of_the_United_States

Forsters Website. (2021) Freeports — at the good, the bad or the ugly? retrieved from https://www.forsters.co.uk/news/blog/freeports-good-bad-or-ugly

Zaewraky, R. (2022)Does the World Need Tax-Adantaged Art Feeeports? TAXVOX Tax Policy Center. retrieved from https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/does-world-need-tax-advantaged-art-freeports

Kim, L. (2020)Where the Superrich Store their Art to Avoid Taxes. Town and Country. retrieved from https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a35032655/what-is-a-freeport-art-collections/

TETRA consultant Website. Free trade Zones in the United States. retrieved from https://www.tetraconsultants.com/jurisdictions/usa-free-trade-zones/

Great Expectations

When my oldest son was 10, I remember picking him up from a two-week camping trip. He was excited to be home, and as I learned later, he imaged running into the house and collapsing on his favorite chair in our living room. He was in for a surprise, for while he was away, my husband and I rearranged the furniture.

He was shocked when he ran in ready to leap. Instead of what he expected, the chair wasn’t there He became disoriented by the change and very upset. Having a predictable environment disappear in two short weeks threatened his security, making him lash out at his parents.

The way my son reacted is not at all uncommon. I had a similar experience when I was twelve and arrived home after school to find my bedroom bureau askew. My grandfather was hidden behind fixing an electrical outlet. The shock I felt from my bureau being out of place flooded through my body. I was hot and tense and began shouting at my mother. By the time my grandfather stood up to see what the commotion was about, I calmed down. But I was embarrassed and felt like hiding. How did such a violent emotional reaction occur so fast?

Today, I realize that my son and I experienced a fight-or-flight response to what we perceived as a stressful situation. A surge of adrenaline made us more sensitive to our environment giving us an automatic physiological reaction to an event we perceived as frightening. Autonomic or involuntary nervous systems are difficult to control.

I mention these stories because many triggers today are making us react to perceived threats where there are none. We panic at hearing a car backfire, assuming it is a gun going off, are afraid of walking on the same side of the street as a tattooed person with piercings and chains, and fearful that someone in the car next to us is in the midst of road rage. I recently read of a woman who will not leave her apartment because she is afraid of the radiation from a nuclear weapon. 

We panic in the presence of immigrants, those of color, and people with different cultural, sexual, or religious beliefs. We have nightmares about becoming homeless. New to the list are those with a different political view. Children are afraid of being shot in school and being bullied online. Any of these fears can trigger a panic attack and bring on a flight-or-fight response.

The flight-or-flight response was useful when our ancestors lived among dangerous predators. Imagine what would happen if a hungry bear came wandering into your cave. In that situation, responding quickly with added strength given by a surge of adrenaline and cortisol would increase your chances of surviving.

People used to think that body and brain were separate entities, but today we know that they are connected. It’s just that it is easier to understand voluntary nervous responses. You hit a brick wall and feel the pain. Bingo, you got it!

The involuntary or less conscious part of our nervous system baffles us. It can cause havoc during panic attacks that occur without the presence of danger. Borrowing from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 inaugural speech when talking about the Great Depression, “. . .the only thing we have fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

The response triggers of panic are:

• Increased heart rate
• rapid breathing
• increased blood flow to muscles creating tension
• dilation of pupils
• hearing loss
• tunnel vision that focuses on the danger at hand
• sweating to cool your body’s response to the heat generated as your body prepares to confront danger.

These bodily changes enable fast reactions that usually dissipate in twenty minutes. But what happens when a response is triggered when there is no danger? It often produces prolonged stress that leads to ulcers or heart disease. Studies show that over the past ten years, anxiety and panic attacks have increased among both genders and all education groups, most especially among those with some college. It is greater among adults who have never been married, young adults, and those with the lowest income. They often start after a serious illness or accident, the death of someone close, separation from family, or the birth of a baby. 

Pandemics, gun violence, police brutality, fears around global warming, high expectations, parental disapproval, and peer pressure are factors that contribute to rising anxiety among the population at large. Learning of a school shooting or online bullying can set off reactions that send people to the hospital. 

Those who experience panic attacks need professional help. Talk and drug therapy are among the arsenals used by most counselors. Deep breathing, relaxation practices like visualization and meditation, physical activity, eye desensitization, and social support from family and friends help people cope in moments of acute stress.

The stormy day a 150-foot tree landed on our roof is one I will always remember. Our house shook so much that I was sure we were having an earthquake. The sound of window glass shattering and of rain pelting the floor through the skylight turned my legs to jelly—at first. An instant later my heart started racing, my head spun, and my muscles tensed. As a practiced meditator, I told myself to take deep calming breaths before leaping into action. In a matter of seconds, I was energized and focused on making my response efficient.

My advice is not to wait until an event triggers panic. Prepare your mind and body in advance, so you can control your emotions and react with equanimity when a situation arises.

_________________________

I look forward to your thoughts. Please share them below.

__________________________

References:

Ankrom, S. MS, LCPC (2019) Flight of Flight Theory of Panic Disorder. Verywell mind. retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/the-fight-or-flight-theory-of-panic-disorder-2583916  

Richmond,C. (2021) Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks. WebMD. retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-panic-disorder 

National Library of Medicine website. Trends in anxiety among adult in the United States, 2008-2018; Rapid increases among young adults. retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7441973/

Puirse, M. (2021)Techniques to Tame the  Flight and Fight Response.VeryWell Mind. retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/taming-the-fight-or-flight-response-378676

Origin of a Thought is an 11.5” x 14” acrylic painting on canvas in black frame / available for $175. For information about shipping contact marilynne@eichngerfineart.com.

Tigers, Rhinos, and Elephants—Oh my!

It has been months since I last visited the zoo, but though Friday was cool, it was fair, so I decide to go there for my daily walk. The animals were alert rather than asleep as they usually are when I visit during the summer. Observing them was more interesting. At my first stop, a tiger was walking around his compound rather than sleeping under a covering near the back. He walked in circles, coming toward and away from me. The animal was handsome and looked to be well cared for. He put a smile on my face, but also pulled at my heartstrings.

Tigers are among the favorite animals visitors seek out when visiting zoos. But viewing them in captivity always makes me wonder if it is fair to keep them locked up. Most zoo animals don’t require as much space as tigers who like to explore. I wondered what this powerful beast thought about while paced instead of running wild in nature. It wouldn’t be about catching his next prey for his food was provided.

About 300 tigers are in U.S. zoos. Another 4,700 are in private backyards and private breeding facilities.Only 3,500 remain in the wild. In East and Southeast Asia, nearly 8,000 live in tiger farms where they’re being raised for their skins and body parts.

Should they live as captives or be left to survive as they can. Unguarded, they are losing ground to poachers and loss of habitat. Zoos have breeding programs to preserve the species. WildAid, a conservation group to preserve threatened animals, thinks zoos are valuable.”Zoos play a positive role in sensitizing people to conservation…the actual experience of seeing a physical animal is nothing like seeing one on a TV screen.”

Born Free USA, believes otherwise. They write that “the tiger is a perfect example of the way that zoos are missing the point about conservation. Money spent on zoo tigers should be redirected to protecting habitat for aid tigers if we want the real thing to survive and not just a shell of the beast we call the tiger.”

The question, of course, is where is there enough habitat to let them roam free? The only place they are doing well is in Eastern Siberia, an area sparsely inhabited by human beings.

Until we find open areas for them to roam, zoos will have to do. As good caretakers, we must ensure their happiness and well-being. Tigers need larger enclosures with greenery and things to play with. At the Minnesota Zoo, tigers are given fake carcasses-fake moose they have to wrestle with in order to get the meat inside. They love it.

Further on, I saw another first when a rhinoceros started running.ru The guide said they can run thirty-five to fifty miles an hour, as fast as a horse. This particular rhino was pacing anxiously for his mate to be brought to his pen. But his caretakers are hesitant, wanting to make sure the resulting calf arrives in warm weather sixteen months later Poor Daddy Rhino lost his free will when it comes to sex.

Rhinoceros in cave paintings show\ a time when they roamed through Europe, Asia, and Africa. At the start of the 20th century, there were 500,000 rhinos, a number that dwindled to 27,000 today. Few survive outside of national parks and reserves. Three species are critically endangered. Prized for their horns in Asian countries, they are prey to hunters for their medicinal powers and status symbols of wealth. Those using rhino horn to cure ailments really believe it works. Tens of thousands of people worldwide have died because of mistaken beliefs according to Save the RHINO, a non-profit organization. Zoos are praised for bringing back the white rhino after it was considered extinct.

As my stroll continued, I didn’t want to miss my favorite—the elephant. Fifteen years ago, I spent time at a Kenyan wildlife preserve researching elephants in the wild.  It was exciting to see young elephants climb over one another at play and watch their mothers scold them if they ran off. They spent a great deal of time around pools hydrating themselves and would then roam as much as 50 miles in a day, Female elephants sleep in a circle with their babies in the middle. After 45 minutes to two hours, the matriarch starts them on their next trek. They need to walk for the soles of their feet act as pumps circulating blood to the heart.

Do they belong in Zoos? Critics say they are never given enough space to be housed properly but proponents believe they are better off in captivity than in the wild where they are decimated by disease, drought, habitat loss, poaching, and conflicts with people. The debate is a complicated tug of war. In 1971, 1.3 million wild African elephants were alive, while today there are fewer than 500,000. In the wild, they travel in kinship groups while in zoos, babies are often separated from their mothers and sent to other facilities. Advocates say funds would be better spent by supporting wildlife preserves in their native lands rather than building costly outdoor and heated indoor facilities with concrete floors that foster foot infection.

My thought is that zoos are wonderful assets to a community when their prime concern is the well-being of the animals and not those who come to gawk.  The animals may be more difficult to see if they are given adequate space but that will help people feel like they are on a safari. As guest visitors to the natural world, they will better understand what it takes to be a caregiver and why animal habitats should be preserved.

References:

World Wildlife Fund website.  5 things Tiger King Doesn’t Explain about Captive Tigers. retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/5-things-tiger-king-doesn-t-explain-about-captive-tigers

McCarathy,S. (2008) Tigers don’t belong in Zoos, But where can they go? Salon. retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2008/01/05/tigers/

Save the RHINO website. https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/threats/poaching-rhino-horn/#:~:text=Rhino%20poaching%20is%20being%20driven,to%20display%20success%20and%20wealth.

Shaw, E.(2017)How fast Does a rhino run? Sciencing. retrieved from https://sciencing.com/how-fast-does-rhino-run-4586507.html

Cohn, JP (2006) Do elephants Belong in Zoos. Oxford Academic. retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/56/9/714/262884.

Adminisrators (2020) Let Sleeping Elephants Lie—How Elephants Sleep! HERD. retrieved from https://herd.org.za/let-sleeping-elephants-lie-how-elephants-sleep/

Please share your thoughts about zoos. Should animals be kept in captivity or not? Comment below.

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

The Rhino is a 30” by 22” acrylic painting on canvas, $495.

Mystery

We commonly put laws in place without analyzing the consequences. Vigilantism, bounty hunting, and denying women the right to manage their own health are likely to wreak havoc beyond most people’s imagination.

Bounty Hunting

The Texas law that bans abortion includes a measure to ensure that the law is enforced. If an abortion takes place after six weeks of pregnancy, residents can sue clinics, doctors, nurses, and even those who drive a woman to get the procedure and receive 10,000 or more dollars for doing so. As Sonia Sotomayor said in her Supreme Court descent, “(Texas) deputized the state’s citizens as bounty hunters, offering them cash prizes for civilly prosecuting their neighbors’ medical procedures.”

Though a great deal has been said about the horrific impact of abolishing Roe vs. Wade, little has been mentioned about what bounty hunting laws do to citizens. Last week, a friend described what it was like to live in a country where citizens turn neighbors over to the authorities in exchange for money. He had just returned from Rwanda where police had barged through the door and shot his uncle while he and his relatives were visiting. His shocked family was threatened not to mention the incident or they too might disappear.

In 1994, with genocide at its height in Rwanda, the government encouraged citizens to take up arms against their neighbors. Over 800,000 people were killed, and though the practice is not as common today, unsavory practices do continue. A 2021 UN Human Rights report claimed that Rwanda still has unlawful and arbitrary government killings, forced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention, and political imprisonment. Freedom of expression is censored, websites are blocked, journalists are threatened, and restrictive nongovernmental laws are in place. Neighbors, tribal dissidents, and family members spy on each other in the hope of collecting a bounty payment. 

The Texas law is a wake-up call that what is happening in Rwanda could occur here. We already have vigilante groups and militias that take the law into their own hands. That Texas has deputized all citizens and encouraged them to spy on one another over abortions is only the beginning.

What happens when states stop protecting the rights of the LBGTQ community? What about Hispanics, Jews, Blacks, and those of Oriental descent who are targets of vigilante groups. Will government continue to deputize citizens so they will turn  people in if they have backgrounds an elite group decides are unsavory? 

Vigilanteism and bounty hunting are on slippery slopes that can easily  separate people and make them fearful. Such activities are pushing Americans into groups of like-minded individuals.  Looking to find fault for the things they don’t like and the end up hatful and fearful of those who are not part of their tribe. 

Dr. Seuss understood what could happen when he wrote his children’s poem,  The Sneetches.

“Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches

Had bellies with stars.

The Plain-Belly Sneetches 

Had none upon tears.

Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small

You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.

But because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches

Would brag, “ We’re the best kid of Sneetch on the beach.

With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d say

“We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!

And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,

They’d hike right on past them without even talking…”

Then, Sylvester McMonkey McBean, the Fix-It-Up Chappie, came along and made stars for the plain bellies so the two groups would look alike. The original Star-Bellies decided to get rid of theirs so they’d be different and “better” again. A competition arose to see which group was better. All the while Sylvester McBean was making money. He surmised, “They never will learn. You can’t teach a Sneetch. “

“But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say

That the sneetches got really quite smart on that day,

The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches 

And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.

That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars

And whether they had one, or not, upon thars. 

I hope we can learn from Dr. Seuss to put aside differences and celebrate our common humanity. Whatever we believe, however we act, let’s not stoop to so low and be so narrow that we turn neighbor against neighbor and can’t tolerate diversity.

I imagine you have a lot to say on the subject.  Please comment on my blog site.

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

Mystery is a 19″ x 24″ framed acrylic painting on canvas. available for $425.

Resources:

Picchi, A. (2021) Texas abortion ban turns citizens into “bounty hunters. CBS News. retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-abortion-law-bounty-hunters-citizens/

Rwanda events of 2021. Human Rights Watch. retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/rwanda?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PKTBhD8ARIsAHChzRI9iAICmhJpBsulXYOtZ64spja_OfCjDxvYYOk0QPDseEiBuC97cAUaAnjoEALw_wcB#

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) Before You Read. The Sneetches. elements of Literature. retrieved from https://www.hanover.k12.in.us/cms/lib/IN01001361/Centricity/Domain/2242/Sneetches.pdf

APPLAUDING THE BLUES

Morality and Happiness

As I drove past the corner of Broadway and Vista, I was given the finger by a driver plowing out of turn through a four-way stop sign. A few days later in broad daylight, my partner passed a doubled parked car on a busy road while a man was stealing a catalytic converter. There was no place to pull over to stop the thief, and he would be long gone before police could arrive. Both incidents made us angry and unhappy.

As crimes like these increase, I question the moral framework that guided those men when they were young. I think back to my childhood when families, whether religious or not, spoke of the ten commandments and golden rule and felt guilty when they were broken. Parents and teachers indoctrinated children with ethical behaviors that set the stage for their future. 

Today, I doubt that children know the golden rule and wonder how often moral dilemmas are discussed at the dinner table. Children observe their parents tucking elders away in assisted living facilities, purchasing guns, engaging in self-defense cases, and observing neighborhood killings by inebriated, angry adults. Adultery is commonplace, as is stealing and lying. My guess is half the country is unhappy because they don’t follow the tenth commandment that says not to covet (desire)your neighbor’s possessions. 

I believe there are more good people in the world than bad, but also realize that virtuous people aren’t admired as well as those who are bad. Caring, honest individuals are seen as open books that are boring. With evil-doers, you are called to figure them out, a more interesting process. As I write Rightfully Mine, my latest novel, my editor keeps telling me to add chilling events if I want it to be a page-turner. People are drawn to things that put fear in their guts like on a rollercoaster ride.

By surrounding themselves with like-minded friends, evil individuals and nations commonly justify their actions by blaming the other party as deserving of their wrath. The only interest some people have is to acquire power, money, and status. Without concern with harm being inflicted on humanity, they surround themselves with enablers to achieve their agenda. Their happiness, fleeting at best, makes them grab for more. Living on the edge of the law with adrenaline pouring through your limbs can be exciting. And for those who are risk-averse, there is a pleasure to be had by living vicariously through them.

It is difficult to be positive all the time and try to live in harmony. There’s no monetary reward to engaging in good deeds. Goody-goodies often become targets because they make evil-doers own up to things they’re ashamed of. So instead of altering their behavior, bad people are rude, become bullies, and label do-gooders as weak. Their pleasure results from making people more unhappy than they are.

According to Dan Ariel in The Honest Truth about Dishonesty, the world isn’t made up of a few really bad apples but rather a lot of slightly bad ones that include you and me. Most people cheat a little. If a cashier makes a mistake by not charging you for an item at the grocer’s are you likely to bring it to the person’s attention? Ariel says that telling people of the negative consequences of unethical behavior isn’t helpful because most people rationalize and don’t consider themselves to blame. 

His advice is to remind people of moral principles before important decisions, like filling out tax returns or taking an exam, are made. An experiment at MIT demonstrated that students who signed an honor code before taking a test, didn’t cheat, while a high percentage of those who didn’t sign, did. 

Global warming is a human-made situation resulting from the poor decisions of many. To combat unethical societal behavior, however, the rules we live by will have to change. Consider what would happen if people were judged on happy they were instead of how much money, power, and fame they possessed.

An enjoyment model would likely make us more empathetic and interested in how others are enjoying their lives. Days acquire meaning when you follow your interests rather than dig for gold. Creative activities can’t be stolen and doing them rids the psyche of anger and frustration, leaving time to love and have compassion.

I’ve been watching our country becoming more fractured, descending into chaos as groupthink and greed become its moral compass. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of countries that have happy citizens. An annual U.N. study of happiness looks at life expectancy, social support, trust, corruption, perceived freedom, and generosity as guidelines. 

Finland, ranks first among the happiest countries in the world, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and the Netherland. Those five are also among the top ten morally ranked countries, after Germany and Austria. You might want to visit them the next time you travel abroad.

Resources:

Ragjimatjam.Rak. (2012) The Difficulty of Doing Good. Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sapient-nature/201209/the-difficulty-doing-good

Website, reviewed by staff (2022) Ethics and Morality. Resources Psychology today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/ethics-and-morality

Lee, L. (2019) Edutopia,. George Lucas Educational Foundation.retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-teaching-ethical-dilemmas#:~:text=Teaching%20ethics%20can%20not%20only,and%20social%20and%20emotional%20competencies.

Morton,C. (2022) These are the Happiest Countries in the World. Conde NesteT. retrieve from https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-10-happiest-countries-in-the-world

website, Travel Morality Index: The Top Countries for Theical Travel. Latin America Travel Country. retrieved from https://www.thelatinamericatravelcompany.com/travel-morality-index-the-top-countries-for-ethical-travellers/

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Painting makes me happy and sharing it with you is fun.  It is always for sale. 

19/25” x 23/5” Acrylic on canvas painting in a gold frame. Available for $485. contact me a marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

A friend recently mentioned that getting old is inevitable, but growing up is optional. He and I share the desire to keep our minds as young and as flexible as possible to belie our aging bodies. We are not alone among those with this wish, but we do work at it.

London researchers studied the responses of 6,500 men and women to the question “How old do you feel you are?” The respondents were over 52 with an average age of 65.  

• 70 percent felt three or more years younger than their age, 
• 25 percent felt close to their actual age 
• and 5 percent felt more than a year older.

Eight years later, when examining the same group to determine how many were still living.

• 75 percent of those who felt older than their age were among the living.
• 82 percent of those who felt their actual age were alive.
• and 96 percent of those feeling younger than their actual age were still walking about. 

After getting these results, they wanted to know why feeling youthful kept people alive longer and found a relationship between self-perceived age and cardiovascular strength. Feeling younger tends to lead to maintaining better health habits and a sense of resiliency. The advice of many physicians to use it or lose it holds true.  

To maintain a youthful spirit you have to challenge yourself with new activities, continue to learn, and develop new skills. That is how you behaved in your youth, and there’s no reason not to continue the practice through old age.

For those who have fallen off the path, a way to catch up is through mindfulness meditation to help focus you on the here and now. Then, throw away regrets about the past and delete thoughts of future deterioration. Instead, find meaning in what you have, for as long as you are breathing you are alive with possibilities

Focusing on something larger than yourself, connecting with friends and family, and helping to improve the lives of others will give meaning to your days. Participating in pleasurable activities, whether it be gardening, bike riding, or designing birdhouses are energizing pursuits. Exercising, caring for your skin, getting a new haircut, and preparing to dance at ninety will give you something to look forward to and make you happy.

I like Julie Anderson singing in the Sound of Music;

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels

Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

These are a few of my favorite things…

You are never too old to ingrain positive thinking in your psyche. It was Albert Einstein who advised, “Do not grow old, no matter how long you live.” Though we can’t be against aging, it will happen to us all, we can keep our minds quick and energetic. It’s an attitude that will let you engage in philosophical conversations that rekindle your idealism so you feel excited and make you realize it’s never too late to try, try again.

And for those of you who are under fifty, be careful not to let your spirit age. When you start setting a rigid time to be home so you can see your favorite TV series and have a good night’s sleep, watch out. If you save weekends for errands and chores instead of visiting friends and partying, take care. When you speak to people slightly younger than you and start with, “Back in my day,” warning bells should ring in your ears. If you feel entitled to a seat on the subway because you deserve it, or if everyone and I mean everyone, including babies annoys you-beware of becoming a fuddy-duddy, old grouch! If the thought of traveling or shopping is exhausting, or if you find collecting coupons intriguing and delightful, be cautious. And, if you decide discussing dinner options with your pet is normal-think twice, your youthful spirit is fading away. 

Lastly, if you’re thinking of retiring early, consider your options carefully. Many long-lived professionals work (at least part-time) well after retirement. Work gives a sense of purpose and provides movement to your day that helps keep you healthy. So when you do retire, plan to engage in meaningful volunteer work. 

Many of my friends talk of travel as a way to fill a vacuum, and that may be fun for a while. But travel is increasingly expensive and not as easy as it used to be. And though travel without purpose may occupy your time, it doesn’t necessarily lead to feeling fulfilled.

As Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” With that in mind, examine yours and make it count. 

Do share your thoughts about maintaining spirit below.

References:

Lam, D. (2020) How to Stay Young When You Feel Old AF. WOOK:PLAY. retrieved from https://www.wonderwall.sg/workplay/how-to-stay-young-at-heart-when-you-feel-old-af-/

Godman, H. (2014)Feeling young at heart may help you live longer. Havard Health Letter. retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/feeling-young-heart-may-help-live-longer-201412177598

Main,Sami.(2013) 22 Signs You’re an Old Person Trapped in a Young Person’s Body. BuzzFeed. retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/signs-youre-an-old-person-trapped-in-a-young-persons-body

Art is always for sale. ALIVE is a 24” by 20” acrylic painting on canvas/ available for $339. For information call marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

“Ancient Egyptians believed that chaos is the first and most necessary ingredient in the universe. It could sweep you away, but it was also the place from which all things start anew.”  (Jodi Picoult, The Book of Two Ways).

Chaos theory is a mathematical field of study teaching that unpredictability will always remain a constant. In nature and in social behavior the systems that tie elements together are so complex that the only prediction that can reasonably be made is that life is unpredictable. Researchers who are interested in chaos study the unpredictability of behavior or nature with the aim of making it understandable.

Perhaps because it’s spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about our chaotic world. I don’t understand how conditions throughout the globe have become so dire. I yearn for a way to give it order. Like the Egyptians, I am searching for ways out and new beginnings.

From early on, chaos theorists postulated that complex systems go through changes that are rarely repeated. Scientists search for the factors that break up states of equilibrium and study what it takes to return the system to balance. Though chaos theory grew out of mathematics and applied to science, its influence is broad and includes the social sciences. I can easily apply it to my life. 

For example: After giving birth to three children my family settled into a somewhat predictable routine. When an unexpected fourth child came along she interrupted the order in our daily lives. Late-night feedings and other infant cares diminished the amount of time I could spend with my older children.  There were shifts in the relationships between my husband and me, the two of us and our children, and among the three older siblings. Our days became more chaotic. As time went on, we adapted and modified our schedules. After a year, equilibrium returned to our household until it was broken again by moving out of state. And so it goes.  Like many people in similar situations, we never took the time to analyze in advance the potential ramifications of a change in condition.

Three features define a chaotic system.

• They are not random but are deterministic with equations ruling their behavior.
• They are sensitive to initial conditions. Slight changes in the starting point can lead to different outcomes. Small changes can lead to large ones later. 
• They are not disorderly, for there is an order and pattern to chaos.

Since chaos theory emerged in the 1970s it helped answer problems in quantum mechanics and cosmology in the physical sciences. Health scientists gained a better understanding of heart arrhythmia and brain functions. It influenced toy developers who devised games like SimCity, and SimAnt.

What does this me to me, to our community, and to the nation?

It is important to realize that change does not occur in a vacuum but rather within a system. If you want the system to return quickly to a state of equilibrium after the change is made, a variety of factors must be considered and controlled.

To understand what happens when ramifications aren’t thoroughly evaluated we can look at how various governments dealt with COVID-19. The virus was unexpected worldwide, disrupting the way societies operated.  New Zealand responded quickly with sequestering and mask mandates just three days after the World Health Organization raised the alarm in January 2020. By June of that year, New Zealand declared itself free of the virus. As new strains spread the country continued to respond swiftly, and though cases did escalate, they were kept under control. Auckland was recently rated as the most livable city in the world because of its response. Auckland was recently rated as the most livable city in the world because of its response. 

Those with the highest death rate per 100,000 are Bulgaria, Bolivia, Lithuania, Eswatini, and Peru, countries that ignored the virus. The percentage of people wearing masks and the percent of people vaccinated are extremely low.

Scientists suggest that the COVID pandemic may be the first of many. Hopefully, countries will be better prepared for the next disruption, and citizens will be more willing to deal with it rationally.

Native Americans are taught to consider the effect of a decision on the seventh generation. To do this requires patience and a willingness to delve broadly into the potential consequences of suggestions on everything affected before making a change. I wonder how we would have handled the Iraq and Afghanistan wars if we had thought through the ramifications to their people, their environment, their art, our soldiers, informants, and our finances. The wars are vivid examples of what happens when a country reacts emotionally rather than taking the time to understand the ramifications for all involved.

Chaos brings with it fear, trauma, and uncertainty, but it also brings change, hopes, and renewal. Like springtime, plants reemerge seemingly the same, yet always different. This year, as we celebrate Easter, Passover, and Ramadan, let’s make our actions count so that the changes we initiate during the year will bring us out of darkness to a better equilibrium.

References:

Biswas,H. & Hasan, M. & Bala, S. Chaos Theory and its Applications in our Real Life. University of Barishal, Department of Mathematics. retrieved from https://bu.ac.bd/uploads/BUJ1V5I12/6.%20Hena%20Rani%20Biswas.pdf

Crossman, A. (2019) Overview to Chaos Theory in Sociology. Thought Co. retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/chaos-theory-3026621

Partridge-Hicks, S. (2020) 5 Countries That Are Getting Covid-19 Responses Right. Global Citizen, retrieved from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/countries-with-best-covid-responses/

Howell, B. (2022) The countries who’ve Handled coronavirus the Best – and Worst. MoveHub. retrieved from https://www.movehub.com/blog/best-and-worst-covid-responses/

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I’m Upset 

Homelessness, a national crisis, is even more of a problem in Oregon. It is number four in the per capita number of people unhoused. The city reminds me more and more of a giant refugee camp similar those to ones across the border from Ukraine, only our camp is worse because there are no regulations,  few facilities, and limited services. Environmental, sick, and poverty- driven local refugees are creating a pandemic to rival Covid.

The problems are complex, and government leaders are baffled as to how to proceed. Some people feel bad for the homeless, and blame the government while others fault the homeless for having made bad decisions. No matter your feelings, it is a difficult problem needing multiple solutions. We shouldn’t be forming factions that fight as we find our way forward. 

Portland’s Safe Street Policy that legalizes homeless camping was just extended for three years, a decision many find intolerable. Taking a different approach, People for Portland (PfP), a community-based non-profit organization, is collecting signatures for a ballot measure to ban homelessness on city streets. When a city councilman recently suggested opening five, mega-shelters with services, homeless advocates were up in arms. They want funds directed to building low-income housing, not spent on shelters. Unfortunately, constructing apartments for the 16,000 people living in vehicles and tents will take years. With the number of unhoused people escalating at 14 percent annually, how can the city keep up? Scattering homes and safe villages around town that hold 60 residents is a band-aide for a bleeding wound that is spreading.

The city became unsightly almost overnight. Crime, graffiti, and drug use are at a record high. The mentally ill roam neighborhoods unmedicated. Instead of downtown a cultural center that lifts one’s spirit, it was filled with people no one wants to be around. Businesses and tourists are abandoning it in record numbers. I think of our downtown as a donut hole filled by well-meaning people who didn’t understand the consequences of letting street people take over the city.

Finding a solution involves compromise and a willingness to test a multitude of ideas including shelters in facilities like our expo center. When the idea was put forth, I was alarmed by how fast it was dismissed by homeless advocates. The proposal was to erect 1000 refugee-style tents inside a building that is heated and air-conditioned, containing bathrooms and food vendor areas. There’s plenty of outdoor space for RVs and for service organizations to set up clinics, classes, movies, and daycare. Located near light rail, access to the rest of the city is easy. One complaint was that a 1000 person center is too large. I wonder if these same people think 1,500 person high schools, senior centers, and community colleges are also too large.

Criticism was also directed against having the national guard provide security. But, why not? Wealthy people live in gated communities and pay for private security guards. Why shouldn’t our refugees sleep soundly at night and leave their tents without worrying they’ll be robbed? 

Vibrant cities elevate citizens so they want to reach for the stars. They are inspirational cultural centers that attract tourists and tax money that supports the arts as well as those needing special assistance.

Unfortunately, well-meaning volunteers and social justice organizations, not just the government, let our city evolve to the point where ordinary citizens are afraid to walk on sidewalks and in the parks they support. Permitting vagrants to trash the environment is turning several Oregon cities into third-world communities.

A common first instinct is to say no rather than yes, let’s test the premise. People, in general, don’t like change. Yet, to solve the multitude of problems caused by a large unhoused population, we have to stop negating suggestions before they are tested. We are on the same path of seeking a compassionate solution that is acceptable to everyone in the city. We face a very big problem that calls on courage and thinking outside the box to bring our city back to life

States With The Largest Homeless Population Per Capita In The US

1. New York
2. California
3. Oregon
4. Washington
5. Massachusetts
6. Alaska
7. Nevada
8. Vermont
9. Colorado

Please comment below.

My interest in homelessness goes back over forty years. 

I attended many A Home for Everyone meetings, interviewed agencies serving the homeless, wrote numerous articles, gave talks, and authored a book about homeless youth. Before directing science centers, I trained as mental health therapist, counseling alcoholics, and drug addicts.  My husband and I took in a boy who was unhoused for four years, learning a great deal by doing so.  As president of OMSI and The Museum Tour Catalog, I made sure we reached people from every socio-economic sphere.  I can be reached at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

Groupthink vs. Freethink

Conformity, obedience, diffused responsibility, and  groupthink control behavior,  challenging an  individual’s reactions to an emergency. The power of the crowd compels conformity. We all have a desire to fit in, be liked, and not be considered a fool.  People often seek company from those worse off than themselves to maintain a sense of self-worth. When subjects in a research project were asked if they got an 85% on a test whether they’d prefer to associate with someone who received a 95% or a person with 78%, more chose those with the lower than higher score.

Though groups have a positive influence on human behavior by adding harmony, security, and social support, they can also lead to faulty decision-making. In 1963, Stanley Milgram, a social psychology professor at Yale, designed an experiment that recruited volunteers to participate in a study they were told was to improve learning and memory. 

The participants were instructed to teach students (learners) correct answers to a series of test items by using a device that supposedly delivered electric shocks of varying intensities up to 450 volts. They were instructed to shock the learners when they gave a wrong answer to a test item, assuring them that the shock would improve the learner’s memory.

When responding to incorrect answers from the learners, the volunteer participants obediently and repeatedly shocked them, raising the voltage when instructed to do so. The learners acted out by crying for help and begging the participants to stop. Some even complained of heart trouble.  Yet, when told  to continue, 65% of the participant volunteers did so, raising the maximum voltage to the point that learners became unresponsive. 

Milgram wondered why someone would throw away reason and values to the point of potentially causing serious harm to another individual. He found that the setting seemed to make a difference. When the experiment was conducted in an office rather than a school, the highest shock rate dropped to 40 percent. If the orders were given by phone, the rate dropped to 20 percent.

Groups often manipulate members to act against their own values. Political parties develop platforms that many members don’t support. Groups stop people from hearing opposing information as happened under George Bush in 2003 when the U.S. government convinced a coalition to invade Iraq based on faulty information saying that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The war resulted in 6,000 American soldiers killed and thousands of civilians dead or maimed.

Groupthink occurs when perceiving the group as invincible and morally right, believing that it can do no harm. The thought that others  know more than you, makes people willing to give up their responsibility to search out the truth and com to their own conclusions. Some groups censor members by withholding information, quashing dissenting opinions, and shielding the leader from dissenting views. Leaders fan an illusion of unanimity among the members and promotes negative stereotypes of  those who aren’t. It makes members  making less likely to help humanity outside their circle.

The media is filled with examples of people standing by while someone is raped or assaulted without  anyone intervening or calling the police. Though the crime may occur  in front of their eyes, they don’t act. People have been caught taking photos and even laughing as they observe the outrage. Social Psychologists label their behavior as the bystander effect—not offering help when in a group. 

Reasons to act this way start with not recognizing someone is actually in need of help.  When those around us are calm and don’t react to what is happening, then we may fail to acknowledge the need for emergency action. I witnessed this when a man I was talking to at a trade show suddenly stopped breathing and collapsed. Turning to the crowd that was forming, I shouted for CPR assistance, certain someone in the group of educated people could assist. When no one stepped forth, I used my rusty skills, updated by watching television med-series and thankfully brought him back to life well before the paramedics arrived. 

People are afraid to get involved when no one rushes to assist. They won’t take personal responsibility, in part, for fear of appearing foolish. The more bystanders there are, the less responsible an individual feels. They imagine as I did at the trade show, that someone in the crowd was more qualified to help. Since I stood apart from the group, I acted.  I feel certain that among those watching my then-dead colleague, there was a more qualified person.  Alone, I acted immediately.

If you ever find yourself among bystanders watching an emergency, recognize that most people’s first instinct is to deny responsibility for the victim. This awareness can help you snap out of a bubble and realize everyone in the crowd is responsible. If assistance is called for, don’t shout as I did to a wall of bystanders, but look one person in the eye and ask for help, either by calling 911 or assisting with CPR if trained.  Even if that person is unable to assist, it may stimulate someone else to come forward. Trust yourself, not the group, to do the right thing.

As crime increases throughout the country, we need to be vigilant. Thefts of catalytic converters are commonplace, and since the Ukraine fiasco, gas is being siphoned off or taken by drilling a hole in gas tanks under the car. We have to stay diligent and do our part to stop such behavior.

If someone looks suspicious, don’t be subject to groupthink. If the crowd appears unconcerned, yet stays to watch, there’s a problem. Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for someone else to act. We are all on neighborhood watch and must speak up. Talk to the person in question and find out what he or she is doing? Get a nearby person to approach the suspect with you, so you are not alone. Act fast. You may be the next victim needing someone’s assistance.

References:

Forcyth, D. (2022) The Psychology of Groups. NOBA project. University of Richmond. retrieved from https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychology-of-groups

Website. (2022) Group Behavior. Lumen Introduction to Psychology. retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/conformity-compliance-and-obedience/

Burkley, M. (2009) Why do we Help Less When there is a Crowd. Psychology Today. retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-social-thinker/200911/why-do-we-help-less-when-there-is-crow

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

The Village is a 6′ by 2′ acrylic painting. available for $ 699.

Have you ever seen the negative effects of groupthink?

I look forward to hearing from you and invite you to share your experiences below.