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4/24/2020 3:53:17 PM
Fractured America by Marilynne Eichinger Our country is fractured and fragile. To heal and make America whole again we must protect the environment and mend the fractures.
On Being Fragile
It took me years to realize how fragile I really am. Like most young people I was sheltered by parents and relatives from birth until on my own. Food, clothing, and housing were a given taken for granted, as it is for eighty-five percent of the nation’s children. Unless you are a struggling Native American (24%), Black (20%), or Hispanic (17%), life is fairly predictable. Ninety percent of white and Asian people consider themselves to be OK.
It takes a pandemic to realize that even OK people live on thin ice. Viruses, cancer, accidents, and immune disorders are not selective, though those who are well-off receive better care. Still, a pandemic makes us doubly conscious of the fragility of life.
Last week I became aware of my own frailty when I twisted my knee while getting out of a car. One second of inattention sent me crawling on the ground. Unable to walk, I had to be wheeled in a mask through an empty clinic to be x-rayed by a similarly garbed technician. I felt vulnerable and wondered what how I would have managed if I lived alone. What if I caught Covid-19 on top of my injury or if my partner became ill? Television images of sick people isolated from loved ones flashed through my mind, leaving me scared and feeling sorry for myself.
Thankfully my knee is healing. It is one-of-those-things that tell me to slow down and be more careful. But awareness of the ease in which a body can shatter, made me think about my environment and how it is equally fragile. For over fifty years scientists and activists have warned us to alter behavior, but it took a previously unknown micro-organism to force us do so.
By staying home we’ve lowered carbon emissions and kept roadways and forests free of discarded beer cans and MacDonalds wrappers. Residents of smog filled cities can see the top of skyscrapers and report blue skies for the first time in years. With forty percent less domestic air traffic and fewer cars on the road, Bay area pollution decreased by 30 percent, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide is fifty percent lower in New York, and peak hour congestion in Seattle went down by forty-one percent.
Wildlife is saved from becoming roadkills, sea turtles give birth free from human interference, and uncut wildflowers add a swash of color to highways. The risk of asthma, heart attacks and lung disease worldwide has lessened and fish can again swim in clear rivers. I read that four thousand newborns in China are alive because of cleaner air.
Like it or not, we are getting used to working from home, Zooming into meetings, and take classes on line. Businesses say that post-pandemic, some of the ways they’ve been operating will remain. The question on my mind is how long the gift to the environmental will last.
The European Union took a positive step forward by announcing that the Green Deal must be at the heart of an “intelligent recovery.” But, good intentions run up against what Canadian activist author Naomi Kline calls the “shock doctrine” of political capitalism. She writes of how the powerful global elite exploits national crises to push through unpopular measures around the environment and labor rights. We see this occurring in our country now.
The EPA announced that the Trump administration relaxed regulatory enforcements because of the pandemic, basically giving industry a license to pollute. The administration rolled back fuel-economy standards for the car industry for the same reason. Three states criminalized fossil fuel protesters and construction resumed on the KXL oil pipeline. The last economic stimulus bill passed by congress included a $50 billion bailout for aviation.
Since the start of the pandemic, several states banned reusable bags. We’re reminded us that 1 billion trees per year are needed to package shipped goods. Plastic bag producers are celebrating getting rid of a ban designed to reduce ocean pollution. Requests by the airlines for relief from carbon offsets that were to begin this year are likely to be approved.
The problem is not exclusive to the United States. Poor nations with less money and personnel are pulling back efforts to conserve endangered species. Monitoring and protection operations were reined in the Amazon rainforest. China historically responds to financial crisis with “dirty” stimulus programs requiring carbon-intensive, fossil fuel-intensive paths to recovery. We’ll see what they do now. The surge in solid medical waste has put collection workers and landfills at risk worldwide.
Covid-19, a virus born in nature, showed us how fragile the environment is, and gave us a glimpse of what it would look like to have a cleaner, healthier place to live. Now is the time to heed the call of UN leaders, scientists and activists asking to refocus on green jobs and clean energy, building efficiency, and a natural infrastructure. Let’s not let the “shock doctrine” dictate a dirty political solution that sacrifices human health and natural landscaping for the economy. Instead, think about what we want, what we know is right, and how to make it happen.
Las Angeles before and after the Pandemic
References:
(2018) The Population of Poverty USA. Poverty USA. retrieved from https://www.povertyusa.org/facts
Denne, L.(2020) Coronavirus lockdowns have sent pollution plummeting. Environmentalists worry about what comes next. NBC News. retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/coronavirus-lockdowns-have-sent-pollution-plummeting-environmentalists-worry-about-what-n1178326
Kienapple, B. (2020) The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Impact on the Environment. Venngage. retrieved from https://venngage.com/blog/coronavirus-impact-on-environment-infographic/
Watts, J. (2020) Nature is Bouncing Back during the Coronavirus Crisis— But for How Long? Mather Jones. retrieved from https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/04/nature-is-bouncing-back-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-but-for-how-long/
4/17/2020 4:14:52 PM
REPLANTING THE GARDEN
Though this year’s garden may look different than the one planted last spring, your challenge remains the same—to help it bloom.
THE IMPATIENT GARDENER
Planting a garden teaches me a great deal, not the least of which is patience, for I am certainly an impatient person. The moment I conceive of an idea I want to see it fully executed without having to lift a finger. The second a seed is planted, I imagine it mature and am ready for strangers to feast on its beauty and share in its perfume. Yet, every gardener knows it doesn’t happen that way.
There was a time when I planted vegetables, practical and purposeful, to fill my family’s belly with healthy food. The land I tilled was fertile and easy to work, enabling me to share an abundance of harvested produce among neighbors. Years later, I moved to a house with clay in the soil. Sunlight filtered through trees shading most of the garden making it difficult to grow anything. Creating an oasis of beauty involved hours of work, great expense, a sophisticated knowledge of plants and soil conditions, and extra time to nurture seedlings.
Whether planting, inspiring a political movement, creating art or initiating an entrepreneurial venture, or homeschooling children the process is similar. It means cultivating ideas that nourish body, spirit, and soul with weeks of planning, months of watering, and even years to weed out errors for ventures to bloom. Progress requires presence of mind, being agile and able to shift expectations, and remaining calm throughout.
Gardeners need just the right amount of sun and rain to supplement the financial and physical effort they expend on their yards. With little control over floods, unmitigated heat, and locusts, it is easy to become mired in quicksand, praying for a rescue that never comes.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 is interfered with people who have cultivated their careers but now face overwhelming barriers to continuing. They thought they did everything right —set reasonable goals, saved money to get started and prosper, and learned needed skills. They acquired debt yet had the fortitude to persevere even when exhausted by doing so. The one factor they didn’t account for was a “twist of fate. Getting slammed with a pandemic is just plain bad luck, affecting graduates, workers, parents, and retirees.
What should you do when your garden floods—do you pump the ground dry? or when it cracks and dries up under unrelenting sun—do you add mulch, divert drinking water from rivers and streams? It took generations of farmers to learn about crop rotation, the danger of monoculture forests, to discover what species can survive a drought, and to build greenhouses to moderate temperature extremes. They had to change the way they marketed produce to survive ups and downs of the economy. Those who couldn’t adjust, were forced to leave land behind and search elsewhere for fertile opportunities.
Artists, workers, parents, children, and entrepreneurs are grieving. It is a process that could take years to deal with. Struggling with uncertainty is never easy, and despite depression over loss, survival depends being able to keep spirit alive, staying supple, and creatively moving around barriers. We cannot depend on the government or on prayers to bail us out. Waiting for a miracle that may or may not happen is frustrating and iffy at best.
So…while you grieve, regardless of being sad, and despite your reluctance, take a deep breath and give yourself a kick in the behind to get moving. Help yourself, your family, and if possible, your community.
Think young no matter your age, and look forward to years of productivity and adventure. The future is an opportunity to learn, get energized, and renewed. Start by renegotiating debt, brainstorming with others, forming collaborative ventures, findind alternative uses for property that forms a noose around your neck. Don’t look back, only ahead.
Though forced to put old plans and dreams on hold, that doesn’t mean you lost the ability to conjure up new ones. Occasional bouts of stress are good for your brain if managed well. Challenging emotions helps regulate organs, hormones and immune system. According to Neuropsychogist Angela Duckworth ,“use your unpleasant feelings as fuel rather than as a reason to apply the breaks.”
This is not the occasion to be impatient, nor is it a time to stay still. Engaging in mental activity even if it makes you feel unpleasant in the moment stimulates the brain. Taking on a project that is difficult is good for your memory. Pull your legs out of the quicksand, guys. Stand again on firm ground, gals. Remind yourself that pleasure comes from the processes you engage in and people you love. Though it may not be what you thought you wanted, the garden you reap could be better.
Growing Impatiens
Reference:
Barrett, L. (2017) How ’superagers’ stay sharp in their later years.The Guardian (The Observer. Neuroscience). Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/30/work-on-your-ageing-brain-superagers-mental-excercise-lisa-feldman-barrett
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4/10/2020 6:00:53 PM
Spring Burst
In the middle of a pandemic, flowers push through the earth and thrive.
We have been given the precious gift of time to observe and reflect.
What Makes a Meaningful Life?
In the middle of a pandemic, life continues with its challenges, excitements, and disappointments. It gives us time focus on what is important and what is not, and to realign proprieties to coincide with what we consider meaningful.
From a distance of six feet, I conversed with a neighbor who confessed she retired from a lucrative career she never enjoyed. For forty years she went to her law office rather than risk a cut in salary to do something more meaningful. The woman remained trapped in a self-made cage, with little time for anything else. In retirement she travels and takes long walks, but her wonderings are unfocused. She exists in a meaningless vacuum while the world spins around her.
People search for meaning their entire life and never find it. One reason is that their focus is on what they think is missing rather than what really matters to them. I’ve counseled men and women who are bored at work, yet rather get involved in meaningful activities during their leisure time, they bury themselves in computer games and YouTube videos that lead nowhere. They stay unfulfilled by equating how they earn a living with the essence of who they are or could become. The two are not the same.
It is only in the last fifty years that the question of life's meaning became a distinct field of philosophy. Some philosophers asked "What are you talking about?" while other immediately questioned if meaning comes from achievements, a moral character or having loving relationships? They were curious about the role of creativity, of God, and of a willingness to accept the situation you find yourself in-breathe in.
Some investigated spirituality while others delved into existentialism which gives greater license to follow your desires?They asked if meaning involves satisfying sexual yearnings or does it only have do with procreation? To live meaningfully do you focus on personal goals or those of family and society? Answering these questions these takes thought, and the pandemic is gifting us the time to think about profound subjects.
Many seekers believe "meaning" changes with age and maturity causing the need for periodic queries throughout life. Meaning may not be the same for a twenty-year-old starting a career as it is for a seventy-year-old ending one. For others, like my father, there is a consistency that will never vary. Though my father did not attend religious services as an adult, he was a deeply religious man who always acted with a sense of moral obligation.
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes a way to organize thoughts about the meaning of life by considering four ways contemporary philosophers approach the subject. The digest that follows lacks the pro and con discussions, but it gives a taste of what they say.
a) The meaning of “meaning” (getting consensus around the word “meaning” is not easy. Is it best understood biologically? Psychologically? Are some periods during your life more meaningful than others? Happiness, purpose, and worthwhileness are good endeavors to have, but see them as distinct from what is meaningful.)
b) Supernaturalism - Relationship with spiritual realm
b1--Soul-centered relationships (how you live outlives your death: If life is to be meaningful then do something worth doing that makes a difference to the world. Justice rather than wickedness must flourish. See (not all) having a soul as being
immortal)
b2--God-centered relationships (where God is an all knowing: God is all-good, an all-powerful spiritual being grounding the physical universe with a purpose. The meaning in life is to fulfill God’s purpose.)
c) Naturalism - Science
c1--Subjectivism (science is within the mind: Meaning of life varies from person to person. Live has meaning if you believe something, seek it out, and reach your goal. Becoming engrossed in whatever you are doing provides meaning ) or
c2--Objectivism (views science from a physical perspective independent of the mind: Meaning comes from morality and creativity with out the need for a God’s direction. Without a worthwhile project there is no meaning. Ff you take up a worthwhile project and don’t care about it then it too is meaningless.)
d) Nihilism (pessimism) - (Life’s meaning can not be obtained and does not exist:
People are inherently dissatisfied. For a life to matter we must add value to the world but we can’t for everything in the physical world already has value and nothing we do will make a difference. The universe is millions of years old, so what does our 75 of so years matter. Bringing people into existence is immoral if it would harm them.
The struggle people have finding meaning can be helped by exploring the above paths. Once you understand where you fall on the spectrum, the rest falls more easily into place. For instance, an in-law of mine was a God-centered man who put everything on the shoulders of a supernatural being instead of himself. No matter what he did, whether he like it or not, he was at peace in knowing he lived within God’s plan. He remained stress free through economic hardships, times of war, and illness, certain he was in the hands of a loving creator.
A taxi driving friend is a subjective scientist type who found meaning in a different way. He sees himself in the center of the universe looking out at life through a prism of what he knows and experienced. He is fascinated by his customer’s stories, because they also see through a unique lens. He tries to get inside their heads so he can add their insights to his understanding of life. My friend meditates daily to control his involuntary nervous system in order to bend it to his will.
On a trip to Kenya, I roomed with a soul-centered Hindu. This lovely young woman grew up reading the Bhagavad Gita as her source of wisdom. She believes in reincarnation, and engages in good deeds, confident she will be reborn in a higher realm in the next life. Without using threats, promises, or coercion her religion enjoins her to act as she thinks best, which she does with grace and compassion. She meditates to find center so she will know herself before reaching out to others.
My Niahlist friends who say there is no meaning to life, agree that there can be purpose and say that we are better off creating our own. Nazi concentration camp survivor, Viktor Frankl wrote form his observations that people are not motivated by pleasure as Freud thought or power, as Adler believed, but by meaning. "The point," said Frankl, '"is not what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us.” He advises people to 1) Experience reality by interacting authentically with the environment and with others. 2) Give something back to the world through creativity and self-expression, 3) Change your attitude when faced with a situation or circumstance that you cannot change.
My thoughts about the topic have evolved over my lifetimes. When younger, I was God-centered and at another stage, I was a Nihalist. Today I’m more of an Objective Naturalist. It is why it is easier for me to research and write a non-fiction book than a fictional one. As a housewife scrubbing toilets, mother comforting my child’s hurt, hostess serving friends, or business woman closing deals, I felt what I did had meaning when I was fully engaged in doing my best. As an activist, author, and a-whatever-else, I consciously try to make the world around me better. I strive to understand complexity in society, workings of the physical world, and to grasp psychological and biological aspects of the mind. But, meaning only comes from doing something with the information I accumulated. At this stage in life, I try to transfer what I’ve learned to the next generation.
I wrote this article because of the seekers who visited my “Do You Need a Mother Booth” at Shift Music Festival, for clients who came to my office wanting to end their lives, and for older friends and stay-at-home parents who say they are bored and live a meaningless existence. Living without meaning can be as stressful as having fears caused by a pandemic. If you are the type of person who finds that being alone with your thoughts feels like too much to bear, try to go a little deeper within to ask yourself why. The pandemic has given you the gift of time to find the answer and to reorient your goals in a meaningful way.
References:
Metz, T. (2013) The Meaning of Life. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life-meaning/
Burton, N. (2018) What is the Meaning of Life? Psychology Today. retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201803/what-is-the-meaning-life
4/4/2020 12:51:06 AM
Personal Space
What’s Next? Blue Laws?
The way families are adapting to home life, reminds me of the Blue Laws that ruled Pennsylvania when I was young. I sit by my window watching parents and offspring hop, run, and walk by the side of the road, chatting as though the world depends on what they have to say. Without the worry of cars whizzing by, the father and children next door shoot baskets from the street into a hoop near his house. Many who limit screen time, spend afternoons assembling puzzles, experimenting with recipes, and playing games. My guess is that monopoly, scrabble, and charades are favorites.
Restrictive Sunday laws were first enacted in America in 1682, a year after William Penn established a government in the colony that later became Pennsylvania. The term Blue Law didn’t come into common use until 1781 when a document printed on blue paper in Puritan, New Haven was circulated. It listed regulations that forbid regular work, buying, selling, traveling, public entertainment or sports on Sunday. The word “Blue” was also used disparagingly in the 18th century to mean “rigidly moral.” Most colonies had similar laws but, in general, they lapsed after the revolution. Still, statutes remain on the books in numerous states, especially in defining hours for selling alcohol (prohibited all day in Mississippi).
Some states still have Blue Laws on their books. A few counties in Florida limit the number of hours alcohol and sex toys can be sold on Sundays. Hunting remains illegal in Maine and Pennsylvania with an exception in Pennsylvania allowing for foxes, crows, or coyotes to be killed. Michigan, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Maryland (except for three counties) don’t allow motor vehicles of any kind to be bought or traded. It took until 2016 for Fort Smith, Arkansas to repeal a law banning dancing on Sundays. Bergen, New Jersey is the only county in the country that still practices Sunday closing laws. A vote to repeal them regularly appears on the ballot only to be overwhelmingly shot dow. In Bergen, the only open conveniences are grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels, and restaurants.
Put in place by religious organizations, Blue Laws are what economic historians call a “moral economy” while secular minded people see them as a violation of church-state separation. Labor unions have historically supported the concept of a rest day from work and a chance for working people to engage in civic duties like voting. Labor sees the laws as protecting large swaths of working-class service employees from arbitrary scheduling and seven-day workweeks. Unions also have concern for white-collar workers who find their time increasingly invaded by emails that demand immediate answers. A law restricting nonessential businesses from functioning one day a week would eliminate the creeping takeover of work into every waking hour.
I remember when all stores in Philadelphia, including grocers, were closed on Sundays. The day was given over to all sorts of family activities. Teens and young adults picnicked, hiked, joined recreational sport teams, and partied in parks and each other’s homes. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins came together in multi-generational gatherings.
Our family enjoyed long road trips to view fall foliage and spring blossoms. We purposely got lost and made a game out of finding our way home without a map (there was no GPS at the time). During the summer, New Jersey beaches offered a break from the city’s stifling heat (no air-conditioning either). We piled into our Buick with a trunk loaded with blankets, buckets, towels and a change of clothes. It was hard sitting still during the two hour drive, when the thrill of riding and ocean waves and digging holes to China was before us. As the afternoon waned, shedding bathing suits for shorts, we went for dinner and a walk on the boardwalk. Before the casinos took over, the boardwalk was lined with family friendly shops and carnival like entertainment. Feeling mellow after a day in the fresh air, we drove home glued to Mystery Theater, Father Knows Best, and the Green Hornet.
These excursions didn’t happen every Sunday. Some days were spent in the garden or making household repairs. Other times we visited relatives. Occasionally we’d attend an afternoon baseball game. I knew the name and number of every Phillies player and cheered them on. In those days ticket prices were reasonable for a family of six, and kids stood outside hoping to catch a home run ball to use as their entrance to the park.
One spring afternoon, we went to a farm to look at the newborn goats and sheep. I will never forget my ten year old brother climbing a billy goat enclosure only to get butted in the you-know-where. I laughed while he cried, his pride being hurt more than his derriere. New Hope, a pretty tourist town in Bucks County, was a favorite destination of my parents. While most of us wandered galleries and gift shops, Dad headed to the barber shop for a haircut and to hear town gossip. The barber was the elected mayor and his shop the meeting place for politicians and businessmen.
Designating a day of the week off from work to allow families and friends to spend time together is something all political parties should embrace. Though the pandemic requires too much of us, it does remind us we are communal beings who need each other. Shopping may be inconvenient for some if stores close, but with the ability to order on-line, that should not be an inhibiting factor. And, think of the benefits to society. Rest and recreation improves health, lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, decreases stress, and increases creativity. It helps us become better at our jobs, more available in our relationships and more energetic with our families. Life, in general, becomes more enjoyable with time to relax and think.
Let's keep what we find to be good from the pandemic and start a movement to retain one day out of every week for the country to slow down so people can be together with family, friends, or just alone with their thoughts.
I’ve been thinking about what to name our day. The world Blue has too many religious undertones for those wanting a more secular day. Rainbow, Pink or Green might work but they also have connotations that are exclusive. How about putting on your thinking cap and sharing suggestions of what it should be?
Meeting and greeting during a pandemic
I look forward to your comments on my blog site.
Art is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
Personal Space - acrylic on deep canvas / 20” by 16” / $ 299
References:
The Editors (2020) Blue Law American History. Encyclopedia Britannica. retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/blue-law.
Stone,L. (2018) Why we need “blue laws,” the religious tradition that sanctifies life outside of work. Vox. retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/10/2/17925828/what-were-blue-laws-labor-unions
Scott,E.(MS) (2019)How to take a Break From Work (Why You Need It). Verywellmind. retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/why-you-should-take-a-break-3144576
Muschick,P .(2020) Pennsylvania blue laws: It’s illegal to play ball on Sundays on most towns. How that once cost a 23-year-old man his life. The Morning Call. retrieved from MORNING CALL
