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8/29/2026 11:35:17 AM
People transfer their trust to animals, knowing they act consistently and don’t lie.
What Happened to Trust?
There was a time in my life when I believed a person’s word was sacred. It was an unsigned contract I could depend on. In the business world, a handshake was enough. If someone gave me their word, I trusted that they would follow through.
As a child, I believed my parents would always be there for me, propping me up when I made a mistake. As an adult, I trusted my spouse completely. When he said he would do something, I knew he would. I expected the same from my children. Their word had to mean something.
I’m not sure I could live that way today. After I won the Gold Manhattan Book Award, my inbox filled with hundreds of messages from people claiming to represent famous podcasts, radio programs, authors, publishers, literary agents, and marketing companies. Many were scammers using names and identities that appeared legitimate. I read them because every so often there was an honest communication among them. But that meant checking nearly everything out before I could believe it. What I discovered was disheartening. These people were using every trick imaginable to persuade me to part with my money.
The experience made me realize something I had taken for granted most of my life: trust makes life easier. When we trust people, we don't have to constantly question their motives. We can ask a neighbor to water our plants, lend a friend a hand, or believe that someone will keep a promise. Trust allows us to cooperate without continually wondering what might go wrong.
And yet Americans have become less trusting. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, only 34% of Americans say most people can be trusted, compared with 46% in 1972. Pew Research Center — Americans’ Trust in One Another That number bothers me. I remember a time when our front door was always unlocked. We didn't think twice about leaving it that way. Today, most people would consider that irresponsible. We are more cautious about strangers, our possessions, and even the information we receive. Some of that caution is certainly justified. Technology has given dishonest people tools that didn't exist when I was young. My experience with scammers is proof of that.
But we have also lost confidence in many of the institutions that are supposed to help us determine what is true. In 2025, Gallup reported that only 28% of Americans had a great deal or fair amount of confidence that newspapers, television, and radio would report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. Gallup — Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S. When people don't trust the news, they turn elsewhere for information. Increasingly, that means social media, friends, family, and neighbors. I understand that. I occasionally check Nextdoor, a neighborhood communication site, to hear about lost dogs, road closures, gardening tips, or neighborhood concerns. But if something seems controversial, I don't automatically believe it. I consider who posted it, whether there might be a bias, and whether I can verify it elsewhere.
Trust also affects our well-being. Research from the American Psychological Association found that people who trust others and institutions tend to report greater happiness and satisfaction with their lives. American Psychological Association — Trust in others, institutions boosts well-being. Perhaps that shouldn't surprise us. Constant suspicion is exhausting.
But trust isn't experienced equally by everyone. After George Floyd was killed, a Black friend told me he had stopped jogging. He was afraid someone might see him running and call the police. How different his experience of the world was from mine! For me, someone running down the street was simply someone getting exercise. For him, it had become something that could make him vulnerable to suspicion.
Trust is rooted partly in personal experience. If someone has experienced discrimination, betrayal, or exploitation, telling them simply to trust others isn't enough. Trust has to be earned. And yet, despite everything that makes me more cautious than I once was, I still encounter acts of kindness that restore my faith in people.
A few years ago, I was taking a pottery class. I had put my diamond engagement ring in my coat pocket and completely forgotten it was there. After class, I went shopping. While I was in the parking lot, I reached into my pocket for my gloves. I didn't realize my ring had fallen out. When I returned to my car with my packages, I discovered it was gone. I searched everywhere. Nothing. I left my name and phone number at the store's service desk and drove home shaking. I dreaded telling my husband that I had lost my engagement ring.
As I walked into the kitchen carrying the groceries, the phone began to ring. It was the store. A customer had found my ring on the ground and turned it in. It had been run over by a car. The setting was damaged, but the diamond was fine. I never discovered who found it, but I wish I had. I would have liked to look that person in the eye and say thank you. Instead, I thank that stranger silently whenever I think about it. Because it is a time when I often question how much trust I can place in other people, someone I didn't know keeps reminding me of something important: There is still goodness in the world.
Trust can't be demanded. It can't be purchased with a convincing email or created by passing a law. It has to be earned, one interaction at a time. Perhaps we can't return to the world of my childhood, when our front door stood unlocked and a handshake was enough to seal a deal. We can still teach our children to live honestly and that their word means something,
I don't want to live in a world where suspicion is the default. I'd rather be cautious without becoming cynical. I'd rather take the time to verify without assuming everyone is a fraud. And I'd rather believe that the stranger who finds a diamond ring in a parking lot might still do the right thing. Though trust may be fragile, it is also one of the things that holds us together.
Click on some the Pew and Gallop references.I find the statistics fascinating. I look forward to your comments. How has trustworthiness changed during your lifetime?
Art is always for sale. What a life is available for purchase through my website at https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/6312341/what-a-life#/
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My books bring to life what happens when people don’t act honestly with compassion, creating a world of suspicion and crime. Is that how you want to live. Like my characters, you can do something about it. Would you like me to give a book talk to your group. My books cover water, air and ocean pollution, logging, youth homelessness, and science museums ? Contact me at [email protected]
Books can be purchased online at To purchase books go to https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Books+by+Marilynne+Eichinger
8/21/2026 9:32:41 PM
Trees Most Majestic — Let’s Save Them
Who Owns What We All Need?
When I received the Silver Global Award, I was surprised to learn that my book had been entered in the political book category. I have always thought of my novels as eco-thrillers. Yet, after thinking more about them, I realized the judges had seen something I had not fully considered: environmental issues are inherently political because they are ultimately about power. Who owns the land? Who controls the water? Who has access to energy and other resources? Who profits from them? And who pays when those resources are depleted, or the environment is damaged?
Activist organizations like my fictional Antheia are, in many ways, political action groups. They try to influence public opinion, but ultimately their goal is to encourage people to elect politicians who will take a stand for clean air, clean water, healthy forests, and equitable access to natural resources.
Environmental politics is a recognized field of study, with international journals, university courses, and research devoted to the relationship among natural resources, government, economics, and society. At its heart is a deceptively simple question: Who has the power to control the resources we all depend upon?
The struggle over resources is hardly new. Land, water, minerals, timber, and energy have always been sources of wealth and conflict. Today, however, climate change, population growth, and increasing demand for energy and raw materials are creating new pressures.
Drought and desertification reduce arable land and available freshwater, intensifying competition among farmers, herders, communities, and nations. Demand for minerals such as lithium and cobalt has created new geopolitical competition over mining and supply chains. Some critics have even described the exploitation of resources in vulnerable countries by wealthier nations and corporations as a new form of colonialism.
Both The Water Factor and Antheia in the Thorns explore this imbalance of ownership and access. My next novel, Kingdom of Greed, will examine it even more directly.
Water may be the clearest example. We turn on a faucet and expect water to be there, but behind that faucet are rivers, reservoirs, aquifers, treatment plants, pipelines, electricity, governments, laws, and agreements among competing users. When those systems fail—or when governments cannot agree about who has the right to use a limited supply—water becomes a political issue.
The Colorado River demonstrates this problem well. Seven states and Mexico depend on the river, yet its water supply has come under increasing pressure from prolonged drought, climate change, and decades of use. Deciding who gets how much water is not simply an environmental question. It is a political one.
Natural resources and the infrastructure that delivers them can also become instruments of conflict. In Ukraine, attacks on energy infrastructure have disrupted electricity, heating, and water systems, demonstrating how essential resources can become targets during war. The conflict has also highlighted the strategic importance of oil, energy facilities, and other resources that help sustain a nation's economy and military.
Water can be weaponized as well. During the war in Gaza, restrictions and damage to water infrastructure have left civilians with severe shortages of potable water. Human Rights Watch has documented restrictions on water supplies and on materials needed to repair and operate water systems.
Oil provides another example of how control of a natural resource can have consequences far beyond the place where it is produced. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for global energy supplies. Any serious disruption to shipping there can affect fuel supplies, transportation, food prices, and economies around the world.
These examples demonstrate something we sometimes forget: Environmental resources are not simply things we consume. They are sources of power. But there is another political question hidden in almost every environmental dispute: Who pays the price?
A company may profit from cutting a forest, mining a mineral, drilling for oil, or manufacturing a product. But what happens when the environmental costs are passed on to someone else? Who pays for the polluted river, contaminated groundwater, destroyed habitat, increased wildfire risk, or health consequences? The company may receive the profits while taxpayers, communities, future generations, or the natural world absorb the costs.
And then there is the question of future generations. Do we have the right to consume a resource simply because we can afford to buy it today? Or do we have an obligation to leave something behind for those who come after us?
These questions have become increasingly difficult in a politically divided America. There was a time when environmental protection was largely a bipartisan issue. Landmark environmental legislation was passed during the Republican administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford with significant bipartisan support. Over time, however, liberal and conservative views on environmental regulation began to diverge.
I don't believe the choice has to be between the environment and the economy. The economy depends upon the environment. We need water to grow food. We need healthy forests and soils to sustain ecosystems. We need energy to run our homes and industries. A stable climate supports the systems upon which modern civilization depends.
Perhaps that is why Antheia in the Thorns ended up in the political category. Environmental problems are not simply about trees, rivers, wildlife, or climate. They are about power, ownership, responsibility, and who gets to decide how the resources we all depend upon are used. They are also about who benefits from those resources—and who pays when the costs are ignored.
Those are political questions. And perhaps they are among the most important questions we face. PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENT SECTION.
Art is always for sale on my website. To purchase Trees Most Majestic go
https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/4075738/trees-most-majestic#/
References:
Urrea Vivas, M. (2024Political Ecology and Environmental Conflicts: The Struggle over Natural Resources.Harvard Advanced Leadership initiative in Social Impact Review. Retrieved from https://www.sir.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/articles/political-ecology-environmental-conflicts-struggle-over-natural-resources
Nawrotski, r.(2026) The politics of environmental concern: A cross-national analysis. National Library of Medicine. Abstract retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5017589/
Faculty (1921) Political Stability and Environmental Sustainability, Columbia University School of Professional Studies. Retrieved from https://sps.columbia.edu/news/political-stability-and-environmental-sustainability
News Release (2024) Isreael’s Crime of Extermination, Acts of Genocide. Human rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Harmash, O. & Voitenko, A. (2026)Ukraine endures its bitterest winter as Russian targets heating and power. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-endures-its-bitterest-winter-russia-targets-heating-power-2026-01-21/?utm_source
8/15/2026 4:44:57 PM
Afternoon Tea
I know a woman who collects teapots. Her pots come in all sizes and shapes and are scattered around the house. She said that when she makes tea for company, she selects a pot to match their personality.
Collectors and Hoarders
I’m a collector. So was my Mom, and so is my grandson. Apparently, collecting may run in the family.
I collect rocks, masks, Native American pottery, and art. Mom collected Wedgwood. When I lived in London for a year, she sent me money and asked me to visit antique shows and find good buys she could afford. My grandson started collecting antiquities when he was in elementary school. Among his treasures are military artifacts from the Second World War. My eleven-year-old adopted granddaughter has her own passion: squeeges. She not only buys them; she makes them. One of my aunts collected glass figurines. She inspired me to collect glass animals when I was a child. I suppose I have been collecting things for most of my life without ever asking myself why.
Then there is one of my friends, who lives at the opposite end of the spectrum. If something enters her home and isn't absolutely necessary or practical, she gets rid of it. Her tidiness has caused considerable anguish among her children, whose treasured possessions have mysteriously disappeared over the years. They have learned to hide some of their belongings behind furniture or under their mattresses. Clearly, we don't all have the same relationship with stuff.
Why do we collect?
Collecting is hardly a modern obsession. For centuries, people have filled their homes with stamps, coins, toys, books, art, antiques, fossils, military memorabilia, and countless other objects. Psychologists have offered many explanations for why we collect. For some people, collecting provides a sense of control and order in an uncertain world. Sorting, categorizing, and arranging objects creates a small universe in which everything has a place.For others, collecting is an escape. The search itself can be relaxing and absorbing—a welcome break from the stresses of everyday life.
Our collections can also tell a story about who we are. The things we choose often reflect our interests, memories, values, and experiences. A collection can become a kind of autobiography written in objects.
And then there is the thrill of the hunt. Finding an unusual piece can turn an ordinary Saturday into an adventure. Collectors visit antique shops, flea markets, auctions, estate sales, museums, and increasingly, online marketplaces. They search for that one elusive object they have been hoping to find. When they finally find it, there is a little rush of excitement: There it is. I've been looking for this for ages. After that, the hunt begins again.
For some collectors, nostalgia is the attraction. A particular object may remind them of childhood, a parent, a grandparent, or a place that mattered to them. Others are motivated by completeness. If you have 47 of the 50 stamps in a series, those missing three can become surprisingly important.
Collecting can also create community. Collectors share information, trade items, attend conventions, participate in online groups, and meet others who understand why a particular object matters. What might look like an ordinary piece of metal, paper, pottery, or glass to one person can be a treasure to another.
And then there is the pleasure of display.My masks are arranged on the wall of my office. About thirty Native American pots sit in a display case in my living room. Occasionally, I take them out so visitors can hold them and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making them. My collections aren’t merely something I own. Collecting is something I enjoy.
There is another attraction for those who are financially astute: investment. Rare coins, vintage cars, antiques, and limited-edition artwork can appreciate over time. The possibility of making money adds another dimension to the hunt. Unfortunately, collecting also has a darker side.
When collecting goes too far
I once hired a finance officer who stole money from one of my businesses' petty-cash accounts to buy antiques for his partner. He eventually served time in prison. Another man I knew collected so many chiming clocks that his wife finally had enough and left him. And there are people who spend money they cannot afford because the need to acquire the next item has become stronger than their ability to resist it. That is where collecting can begin to cross a line.
Years ago, my brother had a neighbor who was a hoarder. He saved newspapers, magazines, bottles, string, and just about everything else. The piles became so high that narrow pathways were the only way to move from one room to another.
Unlike most collections, hoards don't necessarily consist of valuable or even useful objects. A person may save things that most of us would consider worthless. Some people buy items in bulk or order things online that remain unopened in their boxes. Eventually, the possessions take over the home—and the person's life.
Hoarding disorder is a recognized mental health condition characterized by a persistent difficulty discarding possessions, even when those possessions have little practical value. The resulting clutter can interfere with the normal use of living spaces and create significant distress or impairment. Research suggests that hoarding has genetic, neurological, and environmental components, but there is no single cause. Information-processing difficulties, anxiety, depression, attention problems, and other factors can play a role.
There is an important difference between having too much stuff and having a disorder. A collector generally takes pleasure in organizing, caring for, and displaying the things he or she has acquired. A hoarder may experience intense distress at the thought of getting rid of possessions, even when those possessions make the home unsafe or unusable.
Hoarding can be painful not only for the person experiencing it but also for the people who live with them. Families can become trapped between wanting to help and realizing that simply throwing things away doesn't solve the underlying problem. Professional treatment, including cognitive behavioral therapy, can help people make progress.
So, where do we draw the line?
Maybe the difference between a collector and a hoarder isn't simply how much we own. It is the relationship we have with what we own. My masks don't own me. My pottery doesn't prevent me from using my living room. I can admire my rocks without needing to buy every rock I encounter. The objects in my collection have meaning, but they don't control my life. Perhaps that's the real test.
We all collect something. Some of us collect objects. Others collect photographs, books, recipes, shoes, souvenirs, tools, or family heirlooms. Some collect experiences. Some collect memories. Yet some of us collect far more than we realize. Perhaps the question isn't whether we're collectors or hoarders. Perhaps it's what we're afraid of losing.
A collector may be afraid of losing a piece of history. A hoarder may be afraid of losing something that feels irreplaceable. Someone who throws everything away may be afraid of being trapped by possessions. We all have our reasons for what we keep and what we discard. Maybe our stuff tells us more about ourselves than we realize.
Where do I fall on the collector-hoarder spectrum? I'm not entirely sure. My masks are on the wall, my pottery is in a case, and my rocks are—well, let's just say they have multiplied. But I still know where everything is, and I can walk through my house without climbing over it. For now, I'm calling myself a collector. I'll let my children decide otherwise after I'm gone.
References:
Coombe, M. (2018). Thpsychology behind collecting. The Irish Times. Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/the-psychology-behind-collecting-1.3519826
McLeod, S. (2016). Collecting as a hobby. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/collecting.html
Rust, J. (2020). The psychology of collecting and why people collect things. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nostalgia-nation/202009/the-psychology-collecting-and-why-people-collect-things
Pike, J. (2026) Speaking of Psychology: Why people hoard, with Julie Pike, PhD. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/hoarding
Do share your stories in the comment section of my blog site at https://www.eichingerfineart/blog, For questions go to [email protected].
Art is always for sale. Afternoon Tea can be purchase on line by clicking https://www.eichingerfineart.com/workszoom/1372907/afternoon-tea#/
To purchase books go to https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Books+by+Marilynne+Eichinger
8/7/2026 7:31:57 PM
Emerging
Hidden within the fear of doomsday are light and clarity. They emerge when people join forces to confront the forces of human-caused global warming and work toward a better future.
Doom and Gloom: A Dangerous Conclusion
Spend a few minutes scrolling through the news or social media and you may come away convinced that humanity is doomed. Some environmental advocates warn that climate change has already set us on an irreversible path toward catastrophe. Others predict that civilization itself cannot survive. Surprisingly, this message echoes beliefs that have existed for thousands of years.
Many religions describe an end of the world. Christianity speaks of a period of tribulation before the return of Christ. Islam foretells a final struggle between good and evil before the Day of Judgment. Hinduism describes the end of one great cycle before the beginning of another. Buddhism teaches that future ages will bring renewal before the world eventually passes away. Although these traditions differ greatly, they share a common belief that history is moving toward a dramatic conclusion.
Science also acknowledges that nothing lasts forever. Astronomers know the universe itself has a finite future. The Earth has survived asteroid impacts, supervolcanoes, ice ages, and mass extinctions. Researchers also study risks posed by nuclear war, emerging diseases, artificial intelligence, and other technologies. Eventually, life on Earth will end. The question is not whether that day will come, but when.
Climate change, however, belongs in a different category. Unlike the eventual death of the Sun or a distant cosmic event, climate change is driven largely by human activity. Because people created much of the problem, people can also reduce its severity. We cannot eliminate every consequence, but we can influence how much the planet warms and how well our communities adapt.
The evidence that Earth's climate is changing is overwhelming. Satellites circle the globe measuring temperatures, ice cover, sea levels, and atmospheric gases with remarkable precision. Scientists have documented shrinking glaciers, warming oceans, rising seas, increasing ocean acidity, and more frequent extreme weather events. These observations come from thousands of independent measurements collected around the world.
Faced with such evidence, it is easy to fall into despair. Yet despair may be one of climate change's greatest allies. When people conclude that nothing can be done, they stop trying. History suggests the opposite is true. Humanity has repeatedly solved problems once thought impossible. We have eliminated diseases, restored polluted rivers, repaired the ozone layer, and developed technologies that previous generations could scarcely imagine.
The same spirit is now being applied to climate change. Renewable energy continues to expand. Buildings are becoming more energy efficient. Electric vehicles are becoming commonplace. Communities are planting urban forests, improving public transportation, protecting wetlands, strengthening water supplies, and preparing for more extreme weather. Scientists are developing cleaner industrial processes, better batteries, and new ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere. None of these actions alone is enough, but together they demonstrate that progress is possible.
NASA summarizes sustainability with practical goals that communities across the country are already pursuing: increasing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving water, preventing pollution, improving recycling, constructing more sustainable buildings, and preparing for the effects of a changing climate. These are not distant dreams. They are projects already underway in cities, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods.
The greatest danger may not be climate change itself. It may be the belief that our efforts no longer matter. The opposite is true. They do matter a lot. The future has never been something we simply inherit. It is something we build. Every generation faces challenges that appear overwhelming. Ours is no different. We should take climate change seriously without surrendering to hopelessness.
As Sean ÓhÉigeartaigh from the University of Cambridge writes, “The literature suggests that the likelihood of human extinction from exogenous threats, where we have more robust data to draw on, is extremely low. For anthropogenic threats like pandemics and nuclear war, there is far greater uncertainty. However, through the lens of global civilization, we see that society tends to address these catastrophic threats by pooling resources and coordinating governance tools.”
Doom and gloom is not a solution. Neither is burying our heads in the sand. The better path is to acknowledge the problem, support practical solutions, and remember that history is filled with people who changed the course of events because they refused to believe that change was impossible. What you think, do, and say does matter. Chin up. Don’t give up.
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References:
ÓhÉigeartaigh, S. (2025)Extinction of the human species: What could cause it and how likely is it to occur?PubMed Central in National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11950659/
NASA website (2026) Is it too late to prevent climate change? Nasa. https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/is-it-too-late-to-prevent-climate-change/
NASA website( 2026) Evidence. Nasa. Retrieved from https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/
Website. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sixth assessment report.(2026) Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_TS.pdf
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________The The environmental issues facing our world inspired me to write the Rightfully Mine novels. Each book draws attention to specific environmental problems while exploring what it takes to address and ultimately solve them. The Water Factordelves into the social and political consequences of the corporate takeover of water. Antheia in the Thorns introduces readers to petcoke, a by-product of petroleum, and examines how burning it contributes to pollution and global warming. Kingdom of Greed, still in the editing phase, explores the destruction of forests and how they are exploited for private gain.
In today’s political climate, it can be difficult to stand up to corporations that fail to take climate change seriously. Yet change is possible. We can have hope. There are paths forward—ways to protect our environment while creating opportunities for everyone to prosper. Books can be purchased by clicking AMAZON.
Emerging is available for purchase through my website. www.eichingerfineart.com.
