loving art, science and creative kids
12/25/2021 12:50:51 PM
Lady With a Cause
It’s no secret that I write my blogs with a cause in mind. I hope to stimulate thought and discussion about issues rarely discussed. I like having my eyes pried open by the research I do. It helps me see the world more clearly.
Last week I wrote about the moment my son discovered jolly St. Nicolas didn't arrive with a bag of gifts on a sleigh led by Rudolf. I received a thoughtful response you might enjoy.
"I want to thank you for your excellent work in maintaining your blog and sharing your wisdom. I always look forward to seeing your art and well-researched essays promoting the wonder of discovery.
"Regarding Santa, I'd like to share my discovery experience. At the time my wiser and more worldly pals began to sow seeds of doubt about Santa, I considered him to be one of a group of magical characters that adults took delight in charming children with. Included in that group were the tooth fairy, easter bunny, Jesus, God, Paul Bunyan, and a host of others. While I thought it was good fun being immersed in the fantasy of these characters.
"I felt a fulfilling sense of coming of age as I discovered the truth behind the secrets adults kept from children. Of the aforementioned group, I thought Santa was the most impressive. He had the best marketing hype, and even when his existence became suspect, I was hesitant to make disparaging comments when the holiday season was upon us. My take away from the well-intentioned, elaborate hoax was that I had to discover my own truth with a questioning curiosity.
"Overall, the experience served me well, as it taught me to rely on self-discovery and not too heavy on the conclusions of others. Thank you for sharing your life of discovery."
Thank you Al, and all of my readers who enrich my life with your comments.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
12/18/2021 12:59:30 PM
Santa Comes to Our House
When my youngest son was in first grade he questioned the existence of Santa Claus. He wanted to believe he lived at the north pole and still liked sitting on his knee at a shopping mall to present his list of gifts. That was the year his friends sowed their seeds of doubt.
My husband and I thought Santa to be a wonderful childhood myth and wanted the fantasy to remain his for another year. Beliefs in Santa and the Tooth Fairy let him know he was taken care of and all was well in his world.
Deciding to fuel our son's beliefs, on Christmas Eve, we devised a plot to prove Santa was real. With our boy's help, we mounted a camera with an attached trip-wire aimed at the fireplace. The idea was that when Santa came down the chimney a picture would catch him bringing presents to our house. Our son suggested we put out cookies and a glass of milk to make sure Santa wasn't hungry as he made his rounds.
With great anticipation, our son went to bed and after several calls for water, fell asleep. My husband and I went to work. We stuffed a pair of red long johns, placed them in black boots, and mounted them in the fireplace with one leg descending lower than the other. We took fireplace ashes and stamped footprints on the carpet. After enjoying a few cookies ourselves we left a half-eaten one and left an empty glass of milk for Santa.
Christmas morning, when our son saw the tell-tale signs of Santa's visit he couldn't wait to develop the film. It was fun to see his face lit with excitement. (Those were pre-cellphone days.) A week later we picked up the photos and gave him the color proof showing Santa was real. Our son gleefully took the picture to school to show his friends.
Several classmates were not impressed. They already knew that Santa was not a resident of the North Pole and never made night trips with reindeer. His friends scoffed at him and told him the truth. I'll never forget his face when he returned from school having lost his innocence. He was deflated about Santa, but more upset about us leading.
Years later he told me he knew all along but didn't want to spoil our fun. I'm not sure what is true.
The fake news my husband and I spread haunts me each Christmas season. The event made me question the wisdom in shielding children from the truth. Should we try to prolong their innocence and protect them from Santas, fairies, and even death? Advice columns say that the way parents respond to their child's questions will determine whether the moment of truth gives rise to tears, anger, or acceptance that myths and magic are there to teach a lesson.
Proponents of Santa say to "lie through your teeth" as long as no one is hurt. Innocence and myths fade away fast enough, so don't burden them with the truth too early. A well-intentioned Santa story provides fun for parent and child and is a gentle way to discover that parents are not always the source of truth.
Other psychologists advise us to tell the truth and teach children about the real St. Nicolas who loved children and was known for being compassionate and generous. Saint Nicolas of Myra was born in the 4th century to Greek Christian parents in Asia Minor. One myth told about him was that he was left a large inheritance that he gave away anonymously. It was said he threw bags of money into homes, sometimes down chimneys under cover of night so as not to be spotted. His good deed added an element of magic to his gift-giving.
My suggestion is to take your cue from your child and wait until he or she questions Santa. Then, share the theme of love and giving and tell the truth. You might as your child to keep the secret so as not to spoil the fun for younger friends and siblings. That will make your girl or boy feel special and grown-up. When children realize that gifts come from people who love them rather than magical beings, they become appreciative of the gift giver.
I wish you a wonderful and cheerful holiday. Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or potlatch stories, share them for the messages they convey about how we should interact with one another. And, enjoy the magic that comes from joining with friends and family. Acts of giving, showing kindness, and creating joy during December are great ways to transition to the New Year.
12/11/2021 12:26:23 PM
Is Democracy What You Want?
The events of January 6th brought the realization that half the people in the country don’t believe in or want democracy. They are willing to throw majority rule away to armed mobs. I wonder if these people know what the consequences of their actions will do to the country? Perhaps their belief in democracy dissolved many years ago.
The line drawn between political and economic systems is blurry. Fifty years ago, an economics professor at Boston University lectured that the United States was headed towards a fascist rule. He said that as corporations become more powerful, capitalism will give way to a dictatorship benefiting business, industry, and the wealthy. I fear his prediction rings true.
With varying ways to organize an economy, we put capitalism together with democracy and have Fascism and dictatorship lurking in its right-wing. The Netherlands chose Socialism and democracy with Communism and dictatorship as its left-wing. I ask myself what the right combination is for a country of our size and cultural complexity?
Economic Systems Socialism advocates ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, capital, and land in the hands of the community. It is under a centralized government that is usually democratic but sometimes autocratic. In its purest form, the system is meant to empower the working class with services provided by the government and paid for by taxes.
1a) Communism, the left-wing movement within socialism favors a classless society based on property held in common. Ownership may be ascribed to the community as a whole or the state. A command economy is when the state controls planning and redistributing resources. In communist nations like North Korea, the state owns and operates industry on behalf of the people. There are capitalist countries that allow communes to operate within their borders. An Israeli kibbutz and a communal housing unit are examples of groups that share ownership make operational decisions.
2) In a market economic system like capitalism, private individuals own and control property in accord with self-centered interests. Proponents say that the interest of society is best served by having free-markets set prices. Capitalism’s essential feature, to make a profit, over time concentrates wealth and promotes the growth of large corporations causing economic inequality. Increased government action and control are needed to bring the economy in balance.
2a) Fascism, a right-wing movement within capitalism, is led by powerful dictators who forcibly suppressed opposition and criticism. It is a command economy with centralized power. The leader’s regime sets all parameters for industry and commerce, often emphasizing aggressive nationalism and racism. Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, and Franco’s Spain are well-known examples. Parents also run fascist households, especially when their children are young. They tell them when to come home, what to eat, and when to go to bed. These authoritarian, hierarchical governments may last well into the child’s teen years. The federal government expects parents to be benevolent dictators acting in the best interest of their children.
3) Traditional economic systems are the most ancient types of economies. They tend to be in rural, second, or third-world countries closely tied to the land. The barter system, where goods and services are traded, was prevalent in primitive societies. It is, making a comeback in the United States as it tends to do in times of economic hardship. A barter is when two or more parties, individuals, businesses, or nations, make an even exchange without using money. You can exchange a piece of art for braces as my husband did when our son was in his teens.
Political systems
Capitalist and Socialist countries tend towards democratic political systems. Fascist and Communist countries tend to be ruled by dictators. The advantage of a command economy by dictators, in theory, is that the government can develop a healthy supply of resources, create jobs, reward people with affordable prices, and move quickly. In reality, that doesn’t tend to happen for most dictators t focus on acquiring wealth through their most valuable resources like oil.
1) In true democracies, leaders are chosen by citizen voters who retain ultimate power. Towns do still exist within the U.S. giving all adult citizens a voting voice on governing issues. For instance, New England Town meetings are public forums that enable residents to share opinions, deliberate, and vote on public issues. Larger municipalities typically have elected representatives instead of direct participation. Of the few places in the world operating by consensus, Guernsey in the Channel Islands is one. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) operates by consensus rule as well.
2) Dictatorships give one individual an absolute right to govern as he or she sees fit. Hitler is an example of an elected official who took control to remain in imperious, overbearing power for years. Today, monarchies like the one in England are primarily ceremonial. Countries where the monarch still maintains absolute power are found in Saudi Arabia, Vatican City, and Brunei, among others. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of individual monarchies.
3) Authoritarian capitalism, is a capitalist market economy with an authoritarian government. Examples include Hungary under Viktor Orban, Russian under Vladimir Putin, Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew, Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and Batista in Cuba. China also operates a free market economy within an authoritarian regime. Communist revolutions, like the one in Cuba, often come about because capitalist dictators swing the pendulum too far to the right. Regulations, government contracts, and protectionist policies around business, at first increase the dictator’s influence. Eventually, citizens become tired of the self-centered system and demand accountability.
The United States has not been a true democracy run by majority rule for a long time. It is guided by a small number of financial, political, and corporate elites. Voting is corrupted by gerrymandered districts and an electoral college as an intermediary to direct voting. A better description of our country’s political system is to define it as a capitalist dictatorship with powerful businesses pulling the purse strings.
Is this what you want?
Reference:(2021)
Ruthenberg, J. Letter: Democracy or Capitalist Dictatorship. Times Union. retrieved from https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Letter-a-capitalist-dictatorship-16246400.php
Agarwal, P. (2021) Economic System. Intelligent Economist. retrieved from https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/economic-systems/
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12/4/2021 12:35:17 PM
The Cave
Imagine the number of changes that have occurred since caveman days. Often accompanied by war, famine, and cruelty, it wasn’t always welcome. It rarely is.
Living With Uncertainty
This week, I passed the following quote posted outside a yoga studio: “Life is not about answers. It is learning to live in the middle of complete uncertainty and doing it gracefully.” It was written by Swami Chetunananda, a 2021 Lifetime Achievement Recipient for his interfaith work. The Swami is a well-published, American, spiritual leader who from college on devoted his life to creating positive change in the world.
I went to his website to learn more. He writes that we are in the world to grow so that we can express the possibility that exists within us. The path to get there is a spiritual practice based on meditation, one that releases tensions and expands awareness. Controlling the flow of your breath enables energy to expand in your body creating a desire and capacity to give back in service. By dissolving yourself in deep breathing, you become liberated of problems, waves of anger, and petty grievances. It frees you from delusions about what life is. He preaches that the freedom obtained through this type of practice brings happiness and unimaginable possibility.
The Swami speaks of other things I have a harder time accepting. And, though I am not one of the Chetunananda’s followers, I do adhere to some of his ideas. I practice aTranscendental Meditation and have been doing so for forty years.
After hearing health professionals and politicians trying to guide us through mutating viruses and listening to scientists discuss likely disasters to come from rising temperatures, my belief that we have to learn to live with uncertainty is reinforced. Constant change is inevitable. It always has been, though many of us wish the world was more stable. We attempt to add consistency to our lives and resist transitions that might make us think differently. Living with uncertainty and being graceful about it, is not easy.
It's why so many follow religious or political leaders who claim to have all the answers. Sorting through reams of information and continuously readjusting behavior to meet evolving situations is exhausting. Since it is easier to have someone do the work and interpret for us, we blindly follow charismatic speakers.
Unfortunately, too many of them tell followers that their way is the only way, the right way. Those who don’t agree are labeled traitors and deemed bad. All-knowing influencers can inflame crowds to make them angry and willing to hurt those with differing opinions. Yet, having violent emotions is neither good for the perpetrator nor the target of their displeasure. They’re the stuff from which ulcers are made and they bring down cultures unwilling to compromise and change.
There is another way forward that is less destructive. To live with equanimity requires a person to be centered so new information flows calmly through body and mind like a soft breeze. As it swirls around and connects with the old, it evolves and opens your mind to changing ideas without experiencing angst. You gain the ability to view what is happening through the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people rather than just your own. It builds a strong center that helps move you gracefully in an uncertain world.
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Do share how you live with uncertainty in the comment box below.
Art is always for sale. Contact me for information at [email protected]. The Cave / 30” x 40”/ acrylic painting on canvas/ $699.
Resources:
Website, (2021) Swami Chetamamamda. Open to an Unimaginable Possibility. retrieved from http://chetanananda.org/teachings/
