You are the first to view the cover graphic for The Water Factor, a thriller about the corporate takeover of water. Though set in the future, everything in the story is based on fact. You’ll be surprised, horrified, intrigued, and concerned about water cartels operating throughout the world without much oversight. They consider water to be blue gold, a commodity to buoy up billionaires, letting millions drown in poverty. 

The Water Factor will be in bookstores and online by mid-April. Over the next few weeks, I will share some of my underlying research, with a few insights gleaned from what I learned. I hope that people will become better informed and do more to protect the most important substance needed to support life.

Do you consider water a right or commodity. Over the next few weeks, I look forward to reading your thoughts .

Birch Trees. We live in a country where beauty takes many forms. Our job is to protect and enjoy nature’s bounty so it can remain the pride of future generations. 

Holding onto Pride

Last week, I watched Dance Life, an Australian mini-series on Prime Video. It documented 19 and 20-year-olds in an advanced school preparing for a highly competitive career after graduation. I was impressed by how the instructors hammered the students to take pride in their training, embracing their craft with the totality of their minds and bodies. It was no place for students who doubted what they were doing and reinforced their need to commit to success. The spectacular graduation performance led to contracts with agents, dance companies, musicals, modeling agencies, and advertising companies.

The series made me wonder how many youths have dreams they follow through to fruition. The Australian students supported each other, pushing frustrated friends to work harder to achieve the highest degree of excellence possible.

I was reminded of crossing the ocean on a Holland American ocean liner with my young husband. We were served in the dining room by a professional waiter and his apprentice. I could see that the younger man looked up to his mentor, performing as his shadow. He stood tall and proud under the head waiter’s tutelage, mastering his movements and style. I felt honored to be at their table.

When my friends and I married, we were determined to outshine each other as homemakers, mothers, and hostesses. We scrubbed our apartments and studied child psychology books to become super-moms. It didn’t matter whether we were also enrolled in college, working, volunteering, or were home as a full-time mom; the goal was to excel. We believed in America as the land of the free, a melting pot that provided opportunities for families to prosper. We were expected to leave the world a better place than when we were born.

The years following the Second World War ushered in an era of prosperity. The economy was booming, with a record number of children being born. During this “Golden Age of American Capitalism,” the government built Interstate highways, libraries, and schools. Inflation and unemployment rates were low. The military spent millions on new technologies, leading to computers and advanced airplane travel. People felt good about being Americans, though pride led to some being labeled ugly Americans when traveling abroad. The dream of home ownership was achievable–that is, for white citizens and those following the dos and don’ts of a conservative society.

The counterculture of the 1960s and 70s was a reaction to the stringent values of the 50s. The Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and the LGBTQ movements emerged from a desire to recognize all citizens as worthy individuals who could walk down the street with their heads held high. Minorities and women demanded equal treatment at work and access to housing. Youth wanted more freedom and autonomy, especially sexual liberation. The movement was so strong that thousands of us took action. It wasn’t that we believed in dropping out as so many elders claimed; we were dropping in to create a more inclusive society. We were proud to participate in something we saw as fair and essential: treating all Americans equally.

Pride comes from dedication and involvement. A house painter I met recently complained that younger employees show no interest in mastering the techniques of his trade. They do what they can to get by and count the minutes until their shift ends. Is apathy a typical attitude today? What he told me was so different from how I was raised. It didn’t matter if it was a board room or warehouse; I was brainwashed to be all in. I found ways to make routine jobs fun. For example, while picking and packing hundreds of toys to ship out of a warehouse over Christmas, I imagined myself as an elf helping Santa. I feared making a mistake that would lead to a disappointed child. Imagining that my labor was meaningful made the work fun.

The Mental Health Project, a Seattle Times initiative, interviewed 608 people from four generations–Boomers, GenX, Millennials, and GenZ. It concluded that Gen Zers are the least happy at work, with 26 percent wanting to leave their jobs. It wasn’t that they were lazy; it was that they wanted more from their workplace. They want professional development, opportunities to learn, mentorship, and growth. Most of all, they want work they consider meaningful.

COVID-19 gave millions of Americans time to reflect on their jobs. Though many liked their profession, they resigned because they didn’t like how they were treated. They concluded that being over-consumed with work and constantly busy isn’t healthy or satisfying. They started looking for jobs that provided more flexibility.

On average, today’s workers change jobs every 2-3 years. It’s a far cry from a lifelong dedication to a company job that was common after WWII. Businesses are so concerned with their bottom line that they aren’t loyal to their workers. Few offer stable employment that carries substantial retirement benefits. Since that is the case, why should their employees be loyal to them? Loyalty comes with a price tag that includes a competitive salary, excellent benefits, flexibility, and a reasonable workload. Not many people are lucky enough to find work for a company that protects and values its employees above increasing profits for investors.

Millennials and Gen Zers are better educated and credentialed than previous generations. They also have increasingly more debt and a greater need to be with an earning partner. The desire for meaning and security in a gig economy is even more challenging. Short-term jobs related to a career path are hard to find, and self-worth and pride in their work are no longer related to capitalism and production.

So…they are adapting. Careers no longer define the totality of their existence. Upward mobility isn’t the end game. The goal is to find work that provides an adequate salary with a work-life balance that allows time to pursue outside interests. Cultivating a personal life that makes you happy and whole is becoming the norm.

I rarely ask people I’m newly introduced to about their profession. Instead, I want to know their interests and what they do in their free time. One woman told me about the exotic plants she raises. A man described how he plans to ride his bicycle on every street in the city. A senior citizen mentioned collecting trash with SOLVE. These people took pride in their actions and were happy to share their stories.

According to a recent Gallup poll, adult Americans have a historically low regard for our country. This affects their children, who start work at a disadvantage. Without pride in the nation and their communities, they start work feeling hopeless. There is a feeling that nothing they do will make the situation better. They don’t turn up at work to produce the most outstanding products or provide the best service in the world.

Employers have a hurdle to overcome when hiring youth. If they want them to take pride in a job well done, they are challenged to help them see value in their employment. This means mentoring, training, listening, and helping them view the future as one with possibilities for change and growth.

References:

history.Com editors ( 2022) The 1950s. History. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/1950s

Desjardins,M. (2016) Counterculture: The Generational Gap And Reaction to the 1950s. Providence College. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.providence.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=american_studies_forum

Bregel. S. (2023) Gen Z is the least happy generation at work. FastCompany. Workplace Evolution.Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/90879257/gen-z-happy-workplace-gen-x-millennials-boomers-study

Graham, C. Phd. (2023)Millennials and the Data of Job Loyalty: Why do we leave? Medium. Retrieved from https://cagraham1986.medium.com/millennials-and-the-death-of-job-loyalty-why-do-we-leave-8fca863b516d

Brendan, M.  (2023) Extreme Pride in Being American Remains Near Record Low. Gallup. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/poll/507980/extreme-pride-american-remains-near-record-low.aspx#:~:text/

Art is always for sale. Birch Trees is an acrylic painting with natural bark on the trees. It is available on my website, www.ecingerfineart.com, for $ 595. A print delivered to your home can be purchased there for $ 99. Contact me with questions at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

Do share your thoughts below about pride in work and the nation.

Join the The Water Factor’s launch in April. It is the first thriller in the Rightfully Mine series about corporate crime.

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Heaven and Beyond. What lies beyond our sight?

Aliens?

Most people are accustomed to alien life forms in their backyards and don’t think twice about them. But perhaps you do, especially when English Ivy, introduced by European colonists in 1727, creeps up your tree to the canopy, killing it. More recently, our neighborhood has been dealing with stink bugs that arrived from the Orient in container ships. According to Washington State University researchers, changing weather patterns have increased the habitat for stink bugs throughout the country.

And though immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. are called aliens, they aren’t the ones I’m writing about. The papers are full of the pros and cons of integrating people of different skin colors, languages, religions, and cultures into American society. From insects and immigrants, we can see how difficult it is to adapt to things alien to our environment. What if the situation becomes even more extreme and science fiction becomes a reality?

I am curious why the U.S. Congress became so interested in U.F.Os that funding was tucked into a measure in the annual defense policy bill passed last December. It directs the National Archives to collect documents about unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, and nonhuman intelligence. Conspiracy theories abound, and suspicions persist that the government has been concealing information about UFOs for decades. I started wondering about the upsides and downsides of finding intelligent life somewhere in space.

Planetary travel and chance intergalactic meetings can excite and scare those who believe it is possible. Whether the thought is exciting or causes fear depends on a combination of psychological, cultural, and societal factors. Meeting an alien will require people on our planet to change beliefs held since childhood. Remember how long it took for the Catholic Chuch to accept that the world is round? Men like Galileo Galilei were tortured in the Inquisition before their calculations were accepted. People in the Flat Earth Society still think the world is flat, not round. Adapting to a multi-inhabited universe would require change at warp speed.

Some with strong religious and cultural beliefs will view extraterrestrial arrivals as a divine or spiritual event. Within the Aztec Empire, many believed that Cortés was Quetzalcoatl, a god who would return to overthrow the god Tezcatlipoca, who demanded human sacrifice. Other people would view arrivals from space as a threat to the religious and cultural indoctrination they grew up with. A perceived threat to their way of life and well-being would most likely trigger a fear response. Extraterrestrials might stir evolutionary instincts geared toward survival that could lead to intergalactic wars.

In 2014, the Center for Theological Inquiry received $1.1 million to study the societal implications of astrobiology. Many taxpayers were enraged, saying it was a waste, but others said the day will come when humanity has to respond to aliens from space. An increasing number of scientists agree that this is not an idle fantasy and that extraterrestrial visits are a question of when, not if. Their reasoning is influenced by the rapid discovery of thousands of planets seen through the Kepler space telescope.

By January 25th, 2024, space telescopes identified and confirmed 5,572 exoplanets and 4,145 planetary systems, with 59 potentially Earth-sized exoplanets occupying a “habitable” zone around their star. Some studies analyzing Kepler data calculate that the Milky Way could have as many as six billion Earth-like planets. The truth is, we really don’t know. We do know that the more scientists peer into space, the more likely they’ll find something.

Fear of the unknown and unpredictable scenarios are the most common reasons for not wanting to find extraterrestrials. Media and popular culture play a role in stirring up fear. Movies, TV shows, and books range from friendly and benevolent to hostile and menacing. It is easy to be influenced by their portrayals, even when you know they are the imagination of some writer’s brain.

Seeing is believing for those who say they’ve encountered UFOS and extraterrestrial beings. Whether real or imagined, if the experience is positive, the person feels excitement and curiosity. Negative sitings produce fear of future encounters. When such reactions and opinions become supported by their social circle or broader society, they shape the perspectives of a wide range of individuals. Scientific study provides a more reasoned way to view extraterrestrial incidents than believing in your senses, which can easily be fooled. Anyone tricked by a Magician understands what I mean.

To study human uniqueness, scientists consider the principles around nature’s uniformity, plentitude, and mediocrity. They surmise that the physical processes seen on Earth are found throughout the universe, that everything is possible as long as there are no impediments to life forming, and that there is nothing special about Earth’s status. In other words, alien life will likely exist and, if encountered, will require humans to adapt to changes beyond our imagination.

In The Cosmic Question, Carl Sagon wrote that space exploration leads directly to religious and philosophical questions. According to the Center for Theological Study, the main problem is the mediocrity principle that says there is nothing special about humans. It challenges Abrahamic teaching that God purposefully created human beings and that they occupy a privileged position in relation to other creatures. Rather than rely on the bible for the creation story, scientists look to space. They study images captured through satellite telescopes, sophisticated instrumentation, and computers that analyze the data. In  Religion and Extraterrestrial Life, David Weintraub notesthat “we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.”

When alien lifeforms are discovered, religions will have to adapt or perish. The Koran says that “All things in the heavens and/or the Earth” are Allah’s, so they have a built-in mechanism for adaptation. BBC investigator Brandon Ambososino quotes the Talmud as saying, “God spends his night flying throughout 18,0000 worlds. It’s another setup for accepting alien life forms. Though the Mormon church denies its members are taught they will get their own planet in the afterlife, the Broadway show The Book of Mormon influenced many people.  I had a Mormon acquaintance who, on her deathbed, shared the planet she was headed for.

The ones who will have the most difficulty adapting to life beyond earth are people who take the Bible literally. Many fundamentalists continue to reject Darwin’s theory of evolution, believing instead that God created the world in seven days. They will have a hard time since salvation is an Earth-only concept. Given the immense timeline of the universe’s existence, there are probably life forms much older than ours. Survival will require giving up Earth-centric religious beliefs for an order that expands into the unknown. More spiritually and socially advanced extraterrestrials may have to teach us how to become children of the universe.

References:

Ambrosino, B. (2016)If we made contact with aliens, how would religions react? BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react

NASA website. Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System: Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react

Lewis, B. (2023)There may be hundreds of millions of habitable planets in the Mikey way, new study suggests.LiveScience. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/there-may-be-hundreds-of-millions-of-habitable-planets-in-the-milky-way-new-study-suggests

Alper, B. & Alvarado, J. ( 2021) Religious Americans less likely to believe intelligent life exists on other planets, Pew Research Center. retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/28/religious-americans-less-likely-to-believe-intelligent-life-exists-on-other-planets/

Heaven and Beyond is a 20   x 24, framed acrylic canvas painting. Available for $450, free shipping within the continental U.S. For additional information, contact the artist at marilynne@eichinger.com

I look forward to your comments below.

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