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://www.secretsofamuseumjunkie.com
