A Writer’s Passion

Art, education, Psychology, social commentary

Flickers Caring for Their Young

Access to food and clean water is necessary for the survival of all living species. We need to be diligent about preserving nature’s gifts to humanity. 

A Writer’s Passion

While president of OMSI, I collaborated with Dr. Marion Diamond, my counterpart at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. Before assuming its directorship, she was one of the founders of modern neuroscience and the first to demonstrate that the brain improves with experience and enrichment. Though known for her studies of Einstein’s brain, her rat studies showed that an enriched environment (toys and companions) beneficially changed the brain’s anatomy. In contrast, an impoverished environment lowered the capacity to learn. By showing the plasticity of the brain, she shattered past beliefs of the brain as static and unchangeable, degenerating as we age.

Dr. Diamond advised me to stay active after retirement by changing my daily activities, interests, exercise routine, and readings. Doing so, she said, would develop new synapses to keep me vibrant and engaged throughout my senior years. To grow and continue learning throughout my life would keep me relevant and give life purpose.

So…when I retired at seventy-three, I followed her advice. Instead of remaining a consultant to the corporate world, I divested myself of boards, committees, and fundraising activities, choosing to spend my time with individual endeavors instead. Community activities took on a counseling aspect with singular individuals rather than leading groups. I spent hours engrossed in my art. But of all the undertakings, writing is the one I focused on most. I had always been an idea person, but when I put my thoughts on paper, I relied on others to make my thoughts well composed. My retirement goal was to learn how to write. I joined a writers’ group, so what I put down is critiqued before distribution.  The best way to become a writer is to write every day without fail. Sending out a weekly blog keeps me on course, but most of my effort goes towards my books.

Lives of Museum Junkies and Over The Peanut Fences were non-fiction, partly biographical endeavors. The first explored my early involvement with science museums and hands-on learning, how I learned to manage large institutions, and the people who helped the profession grow. The second accounts for the days spent mothering a previously unsheltered youth and getting to know the staff and volunteers of organizations that help young adults heal.

As I watched the environment suffer due to global warming and pollution, I decided it was time to write a novel, a thriller to capture the public’s imagination and to encourage governments to improve their care of life-affirming resources.”

Capturing attention with the written word requires dedication, a nuanced knowledge of the English language, and an understanding of people’s emotions. My first attempt at an environmental novel was focused on petcoke, a little-known petroleum by-product that resembles coal. When I wrote the last chapter, I realized it could have been better, but I needed to figure out what was wrong. I found a teacher who had me flush out character descriptions in the middle of the night when my mind wasn’t sharp. I was advised not to begin my story before I understood how each looked, walked, talked, was raised, and felt. I had to live in the head of each individual and worry about their families and friends.

After three years of research and writing, I completed The Water Factor, a thriller about the corporate takeover of water. It should be in bookstores and online by late spring. Though set in the future, everything I write about has already occurred.  Access to clean drinking water is in peril and will affect everyone’s life in the future. I was shocked to learn that the World Water Forum of 1998 and 2000 led to water being declared a commodity and not a right. This opened the way for it to be traded on Wall Street and privatized by corporations that charge 2000 times more by bottling it than letting it flow through a tap. Backing from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund followed, giving a handful of international corporations license to take over the management of public water services aggressively, leading to higher water and sanitation rates.

The United Nations recognizes access to water and sanitation as a human right fundamental to everyone’s health, dignity, and prosperity. Unfortunately, well over billions of people today live without water being safely managed. The plot moves from rural Oregon to Ethiopia to a Native American reservation, showing what can happen when corporate interests take over access to clean water.

My purpose in writing The Water Factor is to bring this issue to the forefront so communities can do something about it. The first of the  Rightfully Mine series, the novel shows the depths of manipulation and deceit people will engage in for money. It’s a page-turner to stimulate your brain, though I hope it will do more. The book is a call to action for citizens to monitor how their water and sewage systems are managed. Northwest Natural, an investor-owned gas company in Oregon, has begun purchasing small water companies in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. The company is positioning itself to buy municipal water systems as it expands. It is time to ask if we want our water to be privatized.

Communities need to take heed of water issues. Lives depend on it. Who is selling, and who is purchasing local water rights? How will this affect your family in the future? I hope you get actively involved. Your effort is bound to stimulate new brain synapses and be a meaningful endeavor. 

References:

United Nations website. Human Rights to Water and Sanitation. Retrieved from https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights-water-and-sanitation#:

Burtka, A. & Montgomery, W. (2018) A water right—Is water a human right or a commodity? ERB Institute University of Michigan. Retrieved from https://erb.umich.edu/2018/05/30/a-right-to-water-is-water-a-human-right-or-a-commodity

Green, E. (2018)NW Natural is buying water utilities. Should Oregonians be concerned about privatized water? Street Roots. Retrieved from https://www.streetroots.org/news/2018/08/10/nw-natural-buying-water-utilities.

Art is always for sale. Flickers Caring for Young is a 22” x 25” framed acrylic on canvas painting. It is available for $425 and shipped free in the continental U.S.A. For information or to answer questions, contact marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

I look forward to reading your comments below.

Outside the Box

Uncategorized

Time Outside the Box

Do you remember the first time you left home? Overnight, you were without parents telling you what to do. The day I was accepted to college, I dreamt about how wonderful it would be on my own and not have to care for a younger sibling. I’d be free to stay up late and party through the night. As a sheltered child, my parents didn’t want me far from home, so my higher education began at Ursinus College, an Evangelical and Reform-sponsored college 100 miles west of Philadelphia. 

The surprise that first week away was to find that instead of freedom, I was trapped on campus with strict oversight rules regulating my whereabouts. Among other things, it was mandatory to attend chapel three days a week, with attendance taken to ensure we were there. The transition from Philadelphia suburbia was difficult for a Jewish eighteen-year-old used to the richness of the city. I loved visiting museums, going to theatrical performances, and attending symphonic and folk events. As a child, I was taken to Saturday morning children’s concerts; as a teen, I graduated to youth concerts and went with my friends to Symphony Hall. I was enrolled in art classes at The Philadelphia Art Museum, where their collection of masterpieces inspired me, and I studied ballet with plans to go professional.

My parents weren’t concerned when I traveled from suburbia to Rittenhouse Square for piano lessons. Though going by bus and subway took an hour, it was considered a safe means of transportation. Philadelphia was my playard, grounding me in American history and providing more freedom than I realized.

Years later, I was asked why I chose to attend a small rural college and if I would do it again. I went to Ursinus because Dad had taken his medical residency nearby. It was known for its strong liberal arts and pre-med programs. I was thrilled to be accepted and couldn’t wait to meet my roommate, a young woman who turned my world upside down. She was an enigma, leading me to question my take on reality. Alice (not her real name) opened my eyes to a slice of society coming from another world. There was one other Jewish woman in my freshman class and both of us were matched with Catholic roommates so we wouldn’t pollute the minds of our evangelical classmates.

Alice roommate lived in a small New Jersey town where she grew up riding horses from an early age. In her teens, she attended demolition derbies , went to wild beach parties, and galloped across the country club’s grounds with friends dressed as Ku Klux Klan members. I was shocked by the cavalier way she described her exploits and disdain for Black Americans. In our dorm, she partied in a friend’s room until the wee hours of the morning, and slept afternoons in ours. I tiptoed around the room during the day, studying with the shade down in the dark .

Undergraduate men were also different than the boys from home. Except for the pre-med students serious about their studies, they were into cars, sex, and physical exploits. Their childhoods didn’t include hours spent in cultural institutions. They liked Elvis, while my friends and I were enthralled with the Beatles and Pete Seeger. Most male undergrads came from families where practical work was valued over academic achievement. During hunting season, male undergrads attended class with hunting licenses pinned to the back of their shirts. They’d head for their rifles and hunting gear, he second the bell rang. I’m not sure where firearms were kept. Hazing rituals at fraternities made my hair stand on end. I still hear the screams of initiates drifting through my open window at night.

 Though Ursinus had a stimulating lecture series, few students attended. I sat among the staff with a handful of co-eds, wondering about the curiosity of my fellow students. School dances and movies were well attended.

Freshman women, subject to a hazing ritual supported by the administration, were compelled to wear one yellow and one red sock for our first six week. We slung name placards over our shoulders, like a sandwich sign, and wore freshman beanies wherever we went. As a newby, I memorized the long, fanciful names sophomore leaders took on, and addressed them like royalty whenever they passed. The consequence of forgetting a name was having to sing the school’s anthem before everyone at pep rallies. First-year students met at noon to be tested on our knowledge of the school’s football chants and songs. We were later told that the goal of hazing was to get the freshman class to bond and rise against the sophomores. Our class overwhelmingly failed, and the following year, hazing was abandoned.

I was shy and fearful and didn’t understand all of the rules in the women’s dorm. We had to sign out when we left after seven p.m. and in before ten p.m. weekdays, midnight on weekends. It wasn’t until the last quarter that I broke through my fear of doing something wrong. As a former ballet student, I secured a lead part in a spring homecoming extravaganza. After performing in the stadium before thousands of students, parents, and alums, I was recognized as someone other than a wallflower and suddenly had friends. College became life bearable.

 The following year, I transferred to Boston University where I loved walking through the halls without being recognized. I think fondly the the times I spent having lunch with classmates who talked about what they were studying. Boston University is in the heart of a city with over sixty universities and colleges, and I thrived in the intellectual atmosphere. But when I reflect on my days at Ursinus, I realize that learning to enjoy and accept people with different customs and values may have been the more valuable experience. After opening myself to the joys and hardships of fellow students, I saw that every family has some level of dysfunction, but most children figure out ways to survive. My classmates were down to earth, grounded in reality, and as concerned about their future as I was\. In 1958, only 7.7 percent of American women attended college. Today, that number is at 60 percent. Back then, there was a strong emphasis on exiting with a husband.

Leaving home, whether to further education, travel, take a job, or join the military, is life expanding. It takes getting out of your comfort zone to discover who you are and to be able to evaluate your strengths, likes, and dislikes. A willingess to accept some level of risk taking is as import for senior citizens as high school graduates. Humans are continuously evolving creatures that metamorphosis as they go through life’s passages. 

Congress would do a better job running the country if legislators opened themselves to the commonalities of the human condition. Unfortunately, too many hide inside boxes and shoot barbs at people they don’t understand or know. Cultures differ as does the food we eat.  But as human beings, we all lose baby teeth, learn to control our bladders, and get grey hair as we age. We care about our children and friends and put ourselves out to see they are happy and well-fed.  We teach children to ride bikes, catch balls, cook, clean, brush their teeth, enjoy sporting and cultural events, and use computers.

Everyone wants to be free from illness, poverty, road rage, potholes, and crime. We enjoy decorating our homes for the holidays and spending time with friends and family. Focusing on  shared interests and traits is the starting place for understanding. I implore politicians to get out of their boxes and embrace humanity instead of trashing those they don’t agree with.

I look forward to your comments on my blog site.

Art is always for sale. I Thought I Knew You is a 36″ by 18″ Mixed Media painting on Canvas/ available for $795 / free shipping in the continental U.S. For Information, go to  www.eichingerfineart.com.

Eichinger books are available in paperback and ebook formats in bookstores and online. To purchase on Amazon go to https://www.amazon.com/s?k=books+by+Marilynne+Eichinger

SPECIAL THIS WEEK/ Free Kindle download of Lives of Museum Junkies second edition.

Spiritual? You Kidding

Uncategorized

Blue Ladders (NFS)

There are many pathways to inner peace.

Spiritual? You Kidding?

I never considered myself to be a spiritual person, yet friends say I am. The word itself bothers me. Spiritual brings forth images of ghosts and angels flying in spook shows.  Part of the problem is that I used to live next to Spiritualists whose home was shrouded in mystery. They held weekly seances to call forth the dead behind covered windows. I was also affected by a twenty-year-old client I counseled.  The young man wouldn’t acknowledge he was an alcoholic, though drinking was damaging his life. Though he agreed to go to a detox clinic, he never admitted to the problem.  A year later, I received a call at home saying he didn’t do it. Having no idea what he was referring to,  I asked him to explain. A year earlier, two women died when he crashed into their auto while driving intoxicated. Unable to live with the guilt, he sought out a medium who, after contacting the spirits of the dead women, said it wasn’t his fault. I was stymied about how to respond.

The demand for spiritual guidance soars when people are fearful and when that fear is coupled with uncertainty. A surprising number of people, one in five Americans according to a 2017 Pew research study, have consulted fortune tellers. Consultations with mediums often resemble armchair counseling, with thoughts reflected back to clients through a mystical lens. With more than a quarter of U.S. adults thinking of themselves as spiritual but not religious, more people seek comfort through paranormal sessions.

A boom in psychic readings began with COVID-19 when mediums were forced to conduct their meetings by phone or computer. Ulema Hormaeche, a Los Angeles tarot reader, says that the pandemic and the last election “upended people’s lives and sapped their optimism.” The cost to visit a psychic can be steep, varying between $100-$150 for an hour’s session. I know of a Miami psychic who charges $ 4.49 a minute and another fully booked woman in California who collects $1,000 to read your Akashic Record.

Thomas Rabeyron, a psychology and psychopathology professor at the University of Lorraine in France, labels psychics as barometers of social anxiety. He considers them dangerous fraudsters looking to trick vulnerable clients out of money. There are good reasons to doubt readings based on an endlessly interpretable mystical realm. “Throughout history, whenever there has been some sort of upheaval or some sort of collective anxiety in society, interest in psychics has shot up,” writes York University Professor of Psychology James Alcock. People find it hard to deal with uncertainty. They don’t trust scientists, physicians, and elected officials  hesitant to speak authoritatively. Lacking control over the environment fosters anxiety about the future, so people seek out spurious sources for reassurance.

Spirituality, unlike spiritualism, embraces the deepest values and meanings by which people live. I feel at my best when I am in tune with my inner psyche, my actions, and my perception of the universe. Believing I’m connected to something bigger than myself, I am at one with humanity. To experience this feeling, I have to be in the zone. It is the moment when the world falls away and all that exists in myself and my thoughts.

There are many paths to spirituality, all requiring commitment. Basketball players, musicians, dancers, and fine artists strive through their respective fields to get there. Athletes who are physically and mentally fit get in the zone when they are about to tune out the static that keeps them from acting in the moment. Sufi Dervishes clear their minds with a whirling meditation. When I watched them spin in Turkey, it took about ten minutes to tune out the audience and become immersed in their practice.

The zone is a moment of relaxation and peace. Free from anxiety, it allows you to see the larger picture. It is a religious experience for some, a psychic one for others, and a rational explanation for the scientifically minded. For thousands of years, people of every faith meditated to get relief from the inner turmoil controlling their lives. They do so with the hope of expanding the time they spend worry-free. The moment may start with a flash of realization. With practice, it can spread until calmness takes over both body and mind. A feeling of wholeness and connection with the universe reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and slows heart rate.

My path includes meditating, painting, writing, and walking solo through the woods. Those are moments when I am entirely focused on the here and now. One of my neighbors gets in the zone when she cooks, another when gardening, and yet another through prayer.  Whatever you choose, your mental and physical health must be attended to first.

Our country is going through a difficult time with no magical cure in sight. People are angry, frustrated, and at wit’s end as to what to do to survive global warming, increasing crime, the influx of millions of migrants, and thousands of homeless vagrants. Working on these problems starts by clearing your mind. If you don’t have a calm center, you can’t help others.

I enjoy reading your comments. Please do so below.

To see my art, go to https://www. eichingerfineart.com

References:

Macdonald, F. (2021) What, if Anything, Can Psychics Tell Us About All of This? New York Times. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/style/did-you-predict-this.html#:~:text

Lipka, M. & Gecewicz C. (2017)More Americans now say they’re spiritual but not religious.Pew Research Center. retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-religious/

Peace on Earth

Uncategorized

Mystére

  Bringing peace to Earth

 Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men (women and those in between)

It’s the Christmas season when people sing carols like Hark the Herald Angels Sing and The Peace Carol. The lyrics to these songs were inspired by Luke 2:14. The New American Standard Bible reads, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” The MSG version says, “Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”  

Whether you believe there is a supreme being or not, the sentiment for peace is noble.  Peace on Earth, who wouldn’t want that? The question is, how do you get there? I don’t believe the human species can wait for divine intervention. We’ll have to be proactive to bring it about.

At the end of 1922, there were at least 150 armed conflicts worldwide, up from previous decades when the number covered around 100, according to Our World in Data.  Armed conflicts began escalating in 2013 and have been increasing yearly. From 1800 through 2022, more than 37 million people died in wars.

How does a violent world become peaceful? The answer is complex; a miracle won’t make it happen. It requires the collective efforts of individuals, communities, governments, and international organizations and starts with the media’s willingness to combat the spread of misinformation and propaganda. News anchors have to be allowed to report honestly, irrespective of the bias of owners and advertisers. Peace will never flourish without a factual press.

Problem-solving starts with diplomacy and dialogue, not weapons. Conflict resolution tactics employed at local, national, and international levels move warring factions to discuss their differences in a calm atmosphere. Strengthening international organizations like the United Nations and alliances promoting cooperation on climate change, public health, and poverty helps nations compromise.

At the heart of all peace movements is a commitment to protect every inhabitant’s human rights, regardless of background, ethnicity, or beliefs. A Guatemalan woman I heard recently said, “Even terrorists have families who want to live without fear. Don’t give up hope and think that conflicts between Israel and Gaza  and the Ukraine and Russia can’t be solved.” She said that she had almost given up hope for Guatemala but improved drastically after electing an anti-corruption president who had been considered a terrorist by the opposition.

Hope requires nations to advance education for both sexes and adopt a cultural understanding that addresses the inequalities that lead to social unrest and conflict. It means promoting inclusive, environmentally sustainable economic policies and recognizing that the earth has limited resources. Hope empowers women. Multiple studies indicate that societies with greater gender equality tend to be more peaceful.

Strengthening the rule of law, combating corruption, and ensuring fair, transparent legal systems promoting justice are essential for bringing peace. It is also wise to stay alert to potential conflicts and address them before they blossom. 

To achieve peace on earth is a tall order. Our own country is going in the opposite direction. It has become less democratic and more violent. Lies, inequities, greed, unwillingness to compromise, and disregard for the environment have spiraled out of control. An economy based on selling military weapons and ammunition, one that soothes itself with narcotics and allows homelessness to exist, is on the wrong track. A citizenry that worships criminal politicians and allows the media to promote lies destroys its humanity and all hope for peace. There isn’t a God in the cosmos who would be pleased with what is happening.

Next time you sing a song or receive a card wishing peace, consider your role in bringing it about. For sure, light candles,  fill your home with smells from a home-cooked meal and enjoy a Yule-time drink.  But if you wish others a peaceful year, realize that won’t happen unless you and they practice love, not aggression. Join those who crave a peaceful society and engage in activities toward that end. Vote for candidates who will understand compromise and seek out non-violent solutions. Enjoy in spirit as people celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Yule, the Solstice, and the New Year. It is a chance to show you acknowledge diversity. Let’s ignite an era that brings peace on earth and goodwill to the men, women, and those in between in every nation of the world.

References

Herre, B. Rodes, L. Roser, M., Hassell(2023)  War and Peace. Our World in Data.  retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/war-and-peace#:~:text=Key%20Insights%20on%20War%20and%20Peace&text

Crespo-Sancho.C. (2018) Can Gender equality prevent violent conflict? World Bank Blogs. retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/can-gender-equality-prevent-violent-conflict#:’

Mystére is a 36” x 48” acrylic canvas painting available for $1,900, shipped free in the continental U.S. For information, contact marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

I enjoy reading your comments. Please do so below.

.