loving art, science and creative kids
6/25/2016 8:22:10 PM
Squiggle - Acrylic on canvas/ $ 25” by 37” / old frame/ $ 490
Fear often results from confusion. Being unclear of the path forward can produce unsettled, anxious feelings and the inability take risks.
Why Fear?
Throughout my working career I noticed that many workers were reluctant to take risks because they either feared failing or getting fired. Instead they remained docile and stayed in the shadows as they went about their tasks. I wonder if their brains were clamoring, “ you won't succeed if you try a new concept or you can't possible do that because it's too difficult.”
Perhaps as children these yes sayers were ridiculed for spending time on “crazy or unproductive,” ideas. Maybe they had parents who told them, “you don't do anything right! You always mess up. That's just the way you are. ” Those deflating words can create insecure, timid adults afraid of tackling new ventures. Or perhaps they were risk takers but lost money trying to get their venture off the ground. Their self-image might have been destroyed and they became afraid of trying an unproven concept again.
Public pressure is another reason people refrain from testing new ideas. Savvy politicians are quick to say an idea won't if it doesn't come from their political party. Opponents are always on the look out for power plays and the media has great fun elevating potential failures to lofty heights making it politically dangerous to try. Once an idea fails, even though a great deal was learned that could lead to a more productive outcome, negative press can be devastating.
The difficulties generated from not taking risks can be great because failure is often a precursor to success. The scientific community knows this is the only way to make progress. Scientists experiment with ideas, continuously making adjustments because of failures. Years are often spent pursuing an idea even though results renaub disappointing.
In 1937 a Bell Labs scientist named George Stibitz used relays in a demonstration adding machine. The same year a German engineer built his Z2 computer using telephone company relays. Building on these trials David Packard and Bill Hewlett played around in their garage, overcoming one failure after another before inventing the 200A Audio Oscillator, a piece of test equipment for engineers. In 1940 Walt Disney Pictures took a risk by ordering their 200B model to test recording equipment and speaker systems for newly equipped theaters in order to show “Fantasia.” Each of these entrepreneurs spent hours taking risks, often failing before developing societally useful applications.
I wonder what their families thought of their early frustrations. Did they say, “Honey, what you are doing is well and good but you need to spend your time making money to support our family.” Did they turn to their friends and say, “ She's such a nurd, never doing anything practical!”
Penicillin was accidentally discovered by Alexander Flemming, Professor of Bacteriology at St. Mary's Hospital in London. In the 1940's he had just returned from a holiday in 1928 when he went to his lab. Sorting through petri dishes of Staphylococcus bacteria (the one that causes boils and sore throats), he noticed something strange in one dish. In a spot where a bit of mold was growing the Staph colony had disappeared. He had an idea. Yet It took ten years of further study, failures and research at Oxford University to turn what Flemming discovered into a life saving drug. Researchers remained focused on their goal even though they did not achieve immediate results. The risks they took cost money but their curiosity and hope led them to pursue their dream of curing disease. As they looked for answers they somehow overcame their insecurities.
I too have experienced many failures but each one gave me an idea to treasure. And though I want to help my children avoid my mistakes I have come to realize that they need to reach out, take risks and learn on their own. The best I can do is support them in their endeavors, overlook their failures and encourage them to use boldness in following their ambitions.
http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/ - history of the computer
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html#alexander-fleming-penicillin- discovery of penicillin
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
Do respond below with your thoughts.
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Books by Marilynne
This August look for the long awaited publication of Lives of Museum Junkies.
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .
6/18/2016 2:59:00 PM
The Firmament
Acrylic on Canvas / 20” by 24” / NFS
Explosions are part of creation. When the product of emotions they get channeled for good as well as evil.
Exploding Emotions
Last week I wrote about passion. Due to the horrendous attacks in Orlando my thoughts have turned towards anger because the two are often intertwined and also because I need to understand why such things happen. Aggressive behaviors can result from a person passionately embracing a cause that was triggered by real or perceived injustice. When anger festers it eventually becomes so violent that it erupts in an explosion that does great harm to others in the name of the cause.
A terrorist’s violence frequently does not further his or her stated purpose. Instead, a common public reaction is to close down empathy, shut off communication and increase vows to retaliate. Horror, hatred, punishment and revenge are the overwhelming outcome, and questions of why it happened in the first place take a back seat.
Most of us espouse change by law and not violence, yet a great many frustrated individuals resort to aggression when their way is not endorsed. Those who feel they are not being heard may decide that the only way to get attention is to maim, kill or destroy property.
I was intrigued by a sentence in a book by Joy Kogawa about the plight of Japanese-Canadians during World War I I. In ITSUKA she writes about a eulogy given at a funeral. “He praises his dead friend because he never complained, because he paid the price for harmony in a world of discord. He did not add to the din. He was obedient to the command to be meek, but he did not in the end, I am thinking, inherit the earth.”
What is the way forward? Is it better to be quiet and not make waves or to live in the wild west and take law into your own hands?
Consider religious fanatics who burn abortion clinics and shoot their doctors. Most of those killers consider themselves to be religious practitioners following the teaching of God. Unfortunately, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are replete with hateful statements about non-believers. Yet, there are also many passages that speak of love. The new testament says, “turn the other cheek” and the ten commandments include, “thou shalt not kill,” but self-righteous fanatics ignore those teachings and commit the very crime they abhor. How did they become radicalized and care so little for humanity?
According to an article by Jennifer Williams for Vox, there is no one religion that can shoulder the blame for violence. It is found among followers of all religions and of every political persuasion. But becoming “radicalized” is not the same as becoming a terrorist. Many individuals who follow extremist views are not violent. Of the 318 events identified in an FBI report only 7% were attributed to Islamic extremists.
The article mentions societal factors associated with a risk of radicalization.
• The presence of a large minority population that is socially, politically, and economically marginalized
• Treatment of certain groups as "suspect communities" that are subjected to invasive and overbearing counterterrorism efforts
• A cultural or political hostility toward religion in general or Islam in particular
• Unpopular foreign policies, such as support for repressive regimes or involvement in a military campaign, especially in a predominantly Muslim country (or several of them)
• The presence of preexisting recruitment networks
Following are a few individual risk factors;
• Personal ties to an already radicalized individual
• A sense of personal failure, often tied with a yearning to do something important and meaningful with one's life
• A desire for adventure, rebellion, and life experience
• The need to belong
• Feelings of compassion and concern for the suffering of others with whom one feels some kind of personal connection, often (but not necessarily always) co-religionists
• And, of course, good old-fashioned teenage angst
An NPR reporter mentioned the possibility that the Orlando shooter was confused by his own sexual identity. For years he paid visits to the gay nightclub he massacred. Until there is a thorough investigation it is difficult to know his true motives - homophobia or ISIS.
There is no one path to radicalization but the most common begins in prison . It may be instigated by the internet, social media or personal ties to friends and family. According to Bruce Hoffman in The Daily Beast, terrorists are motivated by altruism, albeit misguided, feelings of self- defense, and a commitment to their faith with the belief that they are divinely commanded.
It is my opinion that we need to rethink our counterterrorism policies by diffusing individualized anger and neutralizing organizations that are a threat to our way of life. We need to search for ways of changing people’s minds so terror will never be considered a way forward. To do so systems have to be in place that pay attention to complaints so that people feel heard. Mental health services need to be better supported so they can be utilized to help confused, disgruntled people and zealots who are a threat to themselves and society.
I remember when an close acquaintance of mine allowed his 13 year old daughter to accompany a friend to an evangelical Christian summer camp. It took only one week for her to become brainwashed. Campers were required to stay up past midnight when they were exhausted and vulnerable in order to participate in mind altering services. They were even told how to deal with their parents upon returning home. My friend had to send is daughter to a psychologist who specialized in cult post-trauma recovery. I now understand how easy it is for a vulnerable person to be brainwashed and how difficult it is for that individual to renounce newly adopted beliefs.
There is much that can be done to combat terrorism. Politicians can pay special attention to all of their constituents, not just those with money or share their biases. For instance, many oppose Syrian immigration to the U.S., and though I am not one of them, it is important to listen, reach out and discuss various viewpoints and options before making a decision that affects the country. People want to be heard and responded to with dignity. They have a right to feel comfortable in their homes, not afraid to travel freely and satisfied that their concerns are being addressed.
Government could help by responding more fully to the needs of the growing army of ignored citizens, many of whom are poor and jobless. The press could be supportive by focusing less on inflammatory remarks and reporting on the news rather than sensationalism. Lastly, kindness and social awareness should be taught as part of the school curriculum so violence and bigotry have a chance of being nipped in the bud. Bullies, terrorists and racists are not heroes. The melting pot envisioned by early Americans is a good one that can work to our benefit if we want it to.
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/20/9764078/paris-terrorist-radicalization - How ordinary people become terrorists.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/27/answers-to-why-people-become-terrorists.html - Why people become terrorists.
http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecovery/study_trauma.htm - Cult Post-trauma recovery
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
Do respond below with your thoughts .
___________________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .
6/10/2016 2:58:51 PM
Bold Beauty by Marilynne Eichinger
acrylic on canvas/ 30" by 24" / $350
Red flowers represent passion and love. They lead to power.
I tried to infuse in my children the importance of embracing both.
Seeking Passion
A preview: The following excerpt is from my book, “Lives of Museum Junkies.” Publication will be complete by August of this year. I’ll keep you posted. copyright © 2016 by Marilynne Eichinger.
“Passion has many definitions. It can include love and rage, sometimes at once. It can mean fear and hate as found in the writings of Mao Tse-Tung or joy, a feeling that is natural to all people. When I watched the movie Gandhi, I observed a man feeling a rage so intense that it moved him to action. Gandhi was willing to die for his cause. His love for his homeland and his compatriots was so powerful, so overwhelming that he was able to justify sacrificing himself. In the process of freeing India, he provided an important model of peaceful resistance. Martin Luther King based his civil rights marches on Gandhi’s lead, as did Nelson Mandela. The passion of these men helped win their fights for freedom.
I spent many evenings with my children discussing the pros and cons of passion. My most fervent hope was that they would be willing to take the risk to live honestly and with commitment. I did not want them to be afraid to experience the rewards and the pain that comes from following opportunity. When they were young, I tried to help them discover things to do that they would find absorbing. It did not make any difference what their interest was as long as it was legal. I wanted them to experience what it felt like to be totally invested in an activity and to be consumed so that it occupied their minds for hours each day. My hope was that when they became adults they would crave the feelings experienced as a child, and transfer their desire for passion to selected careers.
My views were influenced to an extent by my parents. Mother was a Republican and staunch capitalist. She believed nothing was beyond my grasp if I became focused and passionate about my undertaking. Mom convinced me that at the very least it was my responsibility to try wholeheartedly to reach my goals. As a side value I learned how important it was to have family support for my activities. My mother believed it was part of a family’s responsibility to their children to provide a consistent and positive foundation. She encouraged me to participate in various ventures and, if I failed, to view it as a learning experience—no problem. I am sure that is why I see failure as a precursor to success. It is also why I am not afraid to try.
Dad was a Social-Democrat who dedicated his life as a physician to serving the poor. He believed it was his responsibility to care for others less fortunate than he. His actions led him to seen as a saint to his patients and an eccentric to his family. We all paid a price for his passion as he worked around the clock to take care of those in need. I remember him getting up at two or three o’clock in the morning, rushing to see a patient in hospital or home. Observing Dad’s total dedication to his profession was inspiring to a young mind.
Martin Luther King Jr., the Kennedys, and Nelson Mandela knew the risks of advocating social and economic changes. As the nation honored these men of conviction, surely their families anguished over whether the risks taken were worthwhile. Janis Joplin, Judy Garland, and Jimmy Hendrix were passionate about their music and yet were never satisfied with their accomplishments. With every performance they were compelled to do better, to be more perfect. They were afraid of slipping, of being ordinary. They had passion for their art, but they lived without compassion for themselves. All three committed suicide. There is a delicate balance between dedicating yourself to a cause and maintaining a sense of identity. This is a great challenge in a meaningful life. . . . .”
More recently I am moved by stories of Mohamed Ali and by the actions of Bernie Sanders. Both men have lived passionately and stood by their beliefs. Ali in particular exhibited tolerance for those who thought differently but was effective in finding ways of getting his views heard. From the distance of my living room I believe both men have lived happy, fulfilling lives. They have done their best and were not afraid to try.
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
Do respond below with your thoughts.
___________________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .
6/4/2016 9:17:52 PM
Soaring / 38" by 49"/ mixed media / $765
Soaring above the Crowd
A few weeks ago I watched a newborn owl receiving attentions from its parents. The family reminded me of raising my own children, providing them with wings so they could glide into adulthood and watching my own regenerate with newfound flexibility.
It wasn’t until I was in my mid-fifties that I could fly freely. One by one my five children had left the nest and though I did miss them I also enjoyed being free from the responsibilities of parenthood. Days of carpooling and worry about college applications being submitted on time were left behind. I understood how important it was to balance work with play and especially looked forward to the play part.
And so I started a new business publishing the Museum Tour Catalog and looked forward to utilizing the knowledge gained from running two museums. Not worried about supporting anyone but myself, I was open to failing or succeeding through my own wits and effort. It was a terrifying, exciting time filled with opportunities in a field that was new to me. I loved every minute of every day even when balancing the budget became difficult. Annual buying trips to China, evaluating hundreds of educational toys, working with talented people and brainstorming ways to improve service were challenging and stimulating activities. I lived in the flow at the the top of my abilities , sailing through highs and lows with relative equanimity.
One year our company decided to promote the catalog on a billboard in Times Square. Flashing lights bearing our logo moved across a sign located adjacent to the Toys”R”Us store. I must have gone out of my way a hundred times during a February visit in order to stand and stare at the crowds as they passed under the billboard. My wings were spread and I was flying high.
Owl Chick Spreading Wings 16" by 20" / acrylic on Canvas / $ 299.
And so I watched with great interest as the newly hatched Great Horned Owl extended its feathered appendages for the first time. He (or she) was a puffball, looking twice its size while covered in soft white down. Periodically the fledgling shifted, testing his stance while Mom sat stoically on a rock nearby and Dad perched unmoving on an overhead wire. They were waiting for evening to supply food for their chick that demanded ten feedings a day. Owls are patient parents and excellent hunters that often go after large prey. Using their strong beaks and talons they tear off pieces that can be swallowed by their young. Tasty morsels of rabbits, squirrels, snakes, possums and fish augment their diet.
Parenting is a chore. It takes about 9-10 weeks before a hatched chick learns to fly and a bit longer to gain hunting techniques. Once airborne the parents continue to nurture for another two weeks before their offspring is left to fend for themselves. The owl family often stays in the same vicinity over the summer but by fall they disperse to live solitary lives until the next mating season. Both adult and fledgling are free. Each night they can be heard hooting and their shadows observed soaring through the sky as they dive silently for food. You've heard them,haven’t you? “hoo-hoo hoooooo hoo-hoo?” I love the sound.
It is now graduation season and my granddaughter is among the thousands of youth nationwide marking the end of childhood and moving on to embrace new experiences. Her parents provided a secure childhood and equipped her with wings to survive in the adult world. As she arranges to move out of her home, I sit back and contemplate where her flight will take her.
I also think of the freedom my daughter will have when all three of her children leave home. Her wings have been clipped for a great many years. Will they grow back and give her opportunity or will she be bothered by an empty house?
Psychology Today describes parenting as a long-term investment. “Be prepared to put far more into it than you get out of it, at least for some time.” they say. Because of the stress of American culture, their happiness factor decreases the minute they become parents. “And it gets worse before it gets better.” Happily, in the long run, parenting is one of the most rewarding jobs life provides.
Children in the United States are often nurtured until they are in their 30s Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne writes in anther Psychology Today Article. Rarely are they pushed from home and told that they are on their own. Once they do leave they return for vacations, when they lack money or when jobs turn sour. They appear at the door after devastating divorces or when they are just confused about life’s choices.
Yet as children reach maturity and parental pressures lesson many feel sad, get depressed and grieve. This is why the time and energy previously spent as a caring, nurturing adult needs to be redirected. . . and it usually is. Even those with returning children create new ways of relating to them. Healthy parent-child liaisons often evolve into peer relationships that provide space for both parties to move independently. Empty nesters feel fulfilled by their community involvement, work and extra money they have for travel and entertainment. And yes, according to a study of 15,000 Canadian women they even have more sex than they did when the kids were home.
A period of rapid growth and contentment swept over me as I adjusted to a quiet home-life. I was surprised that my wings grew stronger with each opportunity seized. I learned to soar to new heights by by saying yes instead of no. And though I still fly solo I often travel in flocks with others who have reached this stage in life. My friendships deepened as I relaxed, accepted my own foibles and realized that we all do the best we can. It is a good time to be alive.
References:
http://www.owlpages.com/owls/species.php?s=1220 - About great horned owls.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/parenting - parenting today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/empty-nest-syndrome - Empty Nest Syndrome
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
Do respond with your thoughts by responding below.
___________________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds.
Go to AMAZON .
