humanity

FEAR

This morning a fellow artist posted a meme about fear.

Hmmm, thinking about this … I think, when it comes to fear, depending upon your stage in life, fear can change …

Imagine a young person just moving out of a loving, secure home facing the exciting world of adulthood and freedom, full of hope. As long as the world treats them well they might live a life without fear.

Imagine that same person later in life, beaten down by the fears that their youthful hopes have become impossible dreams.

Then, imagine that person in older age. Is there really much point in looking forward when those dreams of your youth are no longer realistic. And there is no going back. All we can really do is pass on our experiences and our stories in the hope that we might help someone else along their path. For that we need Intergenerational contact. Otherwise, what is there to live for?

If I were to have a dialogue with a younger artist what could I say about fear?

And if that younger artist were me, if I could reach back in time and talk to myself, what might I say?

So what might I say?

I might tell that younger person to be very, very afraid of things like injustice and greed. I’d probably tell her not to run away from these but to fight back, to not ignore negative messages, hoping things might get better.

I’d tell her to not be afraid to stand up for her own beliefs, especially in the face of bullying. As for abuse or violence or revenge, I’d tell her to walk away from these, not in fear but in gratitude that she is able to recognize and avoid such paths.

Most of all, I’d tell her she needs nobody’s permission to call herself an artist.

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Policy

I came across an interesting bit of information yesterday. It would be too easy to become angry and hate whomever wrote it. Considering the mess the world is now in perhaps it might be a better plan to examine it carefully and learn from it whatever lessons it has to teach us.

I wonder whether this became the model for what the world would eventually become, so often hopelessly described as a place where the “rich get richer and the poor get poorer”

“The underlying premise of the Report’s recommendations is how to contain the minority through coercive measures. It consists of policy proposals in five areas: demography and national sentiments, political leadership, economy and employment, education, and law enforcement. ”

It was called the Koenig Memoradum.

Welcome, welcome, they say. Welcome to the Holy Land.

Mercy Killing

Mercy Killing

That is what some people and groups call it … “Mercy Killing”.

Confusing is what I’ve always thought. Two words that don’t go together – something out of “1984”. OK OK! I know I am boring when I inject my old mentor George into another conversation.

It seems our modern world engages in an awful lot of killing. Some might even say the world economy depends upon killing.

Then there are the renegades, those who believe in mercy without killing.
There are even some groups that believe in unconditional mercy. AH … But dare to join any such group and be forever branded by haters. No I don’t join groups so I don’t belong to any. I really don’t belong anywhere. I am just one more independent artist hoping for change.

Will it come with an end to killing innocents who are unable to speak for themselves?
Who will speak?

What if an innocent were able to speak? What might she say?Rebecca

Will change finally come come with article 25?
BINGO

Invisible

It seems that many people throughout history were intended to be invisible. Those who dared to “stir the pot” were identified … Hmmm dare I say targeted, silenced, and even killed. Not all, however, were made totally invisible.

I wonder how many others were never heard of because nobody was there to document their lives or their stories.

“Socrates and Jesus never wrote any books, for instance, but Plato wrote his Dialogues recalling his memory of what Socrates said and the Gospels recount the life of Jesus many decades after Jesus had gone. “1.

As I read this quothe I had one of those strange Eureka moments. What if … What if … What if …
What if they (Socrates and Jesus) had actually written papers or books or scrolls or whatever else writings might have been called back then?

What do you suppose would have happened to their writings? Do we really believe that the establishment would have wanted any of their writings to survive? Just a thought.

1. Source of quote: https://www.ubiquityuniversity.org/courses/the-great-books/?fbclid=IwAR0XgcqXfdnGWuaaTpMVZ8SRvVySsYc0kTjVmGmT3GhYWbnQQGoOPKKstSM

Never Forget

I am the first artist-in-residence at the Doucet-Hennessy house in Bathurst, New Brunswick. My new exhibit opens to the public on Wednesday, July 3

By the way, I strongly identify as Irish. Yes, technically I am Canadian and one might suppose that today I would be celebrating Canada Day. However, for reasons I’ll not go into at present, I prefer to celebrate the Heritage passed down to by my ancestors, the Hennessys and O’Tooles among others.

The Don’t Forget You’re Irish art exhibit opens to the public July 3. Drop by Tuesday to Saturday for a cup of tea and a chat at the historic Doucet-Hennessy House in Bathurst, New Brunswick. If you play Celtic or Acadian music or any sort of traditional folk music, we hope to have informal music sessions on Saturdays from 2-4. Bring along your acoustic instrument and join us. Music workshops are in the planning for September.

This exhibit is open to the public from July 3 – 28 in Bathurst, New Brunswick. More about the exhibit in this press release: https://surmonbabillard.com/art-exhibit-dont-forget-youre-irish-doucet-hennessy-house/”>Irish Canadian family settled on Bay of Chaleur in Canada.

December 10, 2015

New notice from Fredericton, New Brunswick
Looking for artists (knitters, crocheters, weavers, felters, and quilters )

to work for free …

… until January 29
… accepting handmade goods for newly arrived Syrian refugees.
They want hand-made mittens, hats, sweaters, socks, blankets and throws for all ages to stay warm during a New-Brunswick winter.

Drop-off locations for donations:

artsnb office at 649 Queen street, 2nd floor
Yarns On York at 72 York street
Fredericton Public Library at 12 Carleton

What do you think? Great idea! But why stop there? Do you suppose there might be some homeless New Brunswick street people who would also appreciate nice newly knitted warm fuzzy mitts and hats and socks and sweaters and blankets too.
Also …

How about if the NGOs and businesses and Government do-good agencies paid the artists (knitters, crocheters, weavers, felters, and quilters) for the their time and creativity?

Also George … Maybe if the refugees were donated some nice wool and needles … Do you suppose they might like to knit their own? Canadian winters are not only freezing cold … They can be long and boring with nothing much to do unless you have money to go out somewhere.
Hang out in malls? Even buses cost money.

By its resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948, the General Assembly, meeting in Paris, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with eight nations abstaining from the vote but none dissenting. Hernán Santa Cruz of Chile, member of the drafting sub-Committee, wrote:”
Quote from UN webpage http://www.un.org

#12

Pi

Enjoy life, live in peace but carry a big stick …

Perhaps the best advice I ever received was from a dear artist friend who told me this years ago:
” Never forget that you are a human being.”
This advice has helped me survive the effects of a dehumanizing world that grows worse year by year.

While the games and movie industry and the war machines that run this world might encourage us to believe otherwise, we are not owned by them. We are human. However, we are also very vulnerable.

As long as we can remember this and retain some bit of our humanity there might be hope for future generations.