Bias? What do you mean?

Crows seem to love my deck.

Every day they come for a visit.

One by one they line up on the railing.

And they ''chat''. Loudly. And a lot.

I have never really thought of crows as ''beautiful''

but I do find them intriguing.

According to folk lore (depending on culture),

 they are cunning, smart and often viewed as ''tricksters''.

After watching a crow ''snowboarding'' (YouTube) down

a snow cowered roof over and over again,

I think I may have to add that they seem to be

able to have fun as well.

Without going into any depth on the subject, is it possible

that because the crow is all black, has piercing eyes,

scavenges around dead things and caws menacingly (to our ears),

many of us perhaps view them as creepy, scary,

and ''bad''?

Some say that the black=bad notion has its roots in

us having a deep-seated tendency to associate darkness

with wickedness. Evil deeds being done under the cover of

darkness and so on.

Strangely however, when it comes to clothing, dressing in black

often seems to represent power, authority, elegance,

sophistication and formality.

I don't know about you, but I am somewhat flummoxed

by why so many religious institutions who claim to represent

the ''good'' (good=white) often dress in black (clergy, priests, nuns,

bishops, rabbis, etc.etc.).

Take a ''goth'' kid for instance, his or her dressing in all

black is often viewed as a sign of rebellion, whereas a clergy

dressed in an ankle-long black cassock is a sign of humility.

Just imagine a judge who enters his courtroom dressed in

a multi-coloured robe, or a doctor who wears all black

scrubs, would you trust them?

Would you trust a solicitor dressed in a red and

white polka dot suit as much as a solicitor dressed in a

black suit?

Bias.

A learned inclination for or against something.

Although, that is often not how we experience it.

Often our biases are hidden from our consciousness

as it is something that we have acquired very early

in our lives at a time when we were too young to be able to

differentiate between fact and opinion.

(Cognitive biases, is an ''umbrella term that refers to

the systematic ways in which context and framing of

information influence individuals' judgement

and decision-making.'')

Basically, biases are repeated patterns of thinking

that have not been scrutinized as to their veracity.

Example:

''Would you like to try a Swedish meatball? They are delicious.''

''No, thanks.''

''Why not?''

"I won't like it.''

''How do you know that you won't like it if you have

 never tried eating one?''

''I just know.''

Having biases is part of being human.

We all have them.

Knowing what they are and when they kick in,

has the potential to help us become less quick to

judgement and more open to others perspectives.

''The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.''

(Robertson Davies)

''Be like a crow...

Collect shiny things

Hop happily down the street

for no apparent reason

Scream loudly when you see your friends''

(?)

about the image: acrylic on canvas

Hard does not mean impossible.......

I have often wondered why we are mean to each other.

Why do we purposefully say things that we know will

hurt? 

Why are kind people often viewed as ''weak''?

Why is a gentle person often regarded as a ''push-over'' ?

Why is having a heart of gold not as important

as being self-assured?

It may be hard but not impossible to change our ways:

To choose kindness rather than meanness,

to choose words that uplifts rather than tear down,

to choose gentleness rather than harshness,

to choose to aim for a heart of gold rather than a pot of gold.

It may be hard but not impossible to: encourage rather than correct,

to support rather than criticize, to give rather than take,

and to love rather than hate.

''If we wait for others to change the world,

we may have to wait forever.

 If we change ourselves, the world

 as we perceive it will immediately be changed.''

(Citizen Z)

Does growing old scare you?

Old.

A heavily charged word.

Often associated with something surpassed by something 

newer, something improved, something more ''current''.

What about human beings?

How do we view ''old'' people?

We all know that aging is a part of the human experience,

but do we really know, or want to know, what it feels like

to evolve from being a ''person'' to being an old person?

As a society, how do we treat our old people?

In the midst of a pandemic that seems to affect the elderly

worse than other age groups, the media has made it

quite obvious that we (here in the western world)

 more often than not do not treat the elderly with compassion

and understanding.

Often, perhaps without us really being aware of it, 

old age may be one of those subjects we just don't want

to think about. We may even feel somewhat annoyed with

those pesky, try-hard ''baby-boomers'' who just don't seem

to know when to retire and ''take down the plaque''.

60's is the new 50's, 70's is the new 60's and so on.

Where ever one goes, there they seem to be. In the coffee shops,

on the bike tracks, in the gyms, in the swimming pools,

at yoga, on the hiking trail, (often dressed in colourful Lycra)

on the beach, etc.etc. 

Some of them even seem to get a new lease of life once they

have retired! Some sell their houses, buy camper-vans, boats, buses, 

and start to travel. 

Some get engaged in charity, community, and other kinds of 

volunteering work. Some join classes: pottery, painting, writing,

computer, music, counseling, etc.etc.

Some embrace technology and become wizards at most

i-thingy's. 

Baby-boomers, what have they really contributed to society?

*  That it is important to be an informed member of society and 

to question governmental authority.

(Remember Watergate? The Vietnam war?)

*  We inhabit one environment, one planet.

Conservation of the environment and the planet,

is not a political or financial issue, 

it's a ''survival of the planet'' issue.

(Greenpeace was established in 1971.)

*  The need for us to be involved in our communities:

Civil rights and women's rights, aka human rights

need to be fought for for a more egalitarian society.

*  Art is not just a pretty picture, or a beautiful piece

of music, it can be

a powerful agent that can be used to generate

 cultural/societal change.

(In 1969, Jimi Hendrix performed a rendition of the 

''Star-spangled Banner'' at Woodstock in which he was

able to capture the essence of the very complicated 

issue of the Vietnam war on his guitar. (May be

worth a listen.))

*  DNA fingerprinting, the implantable artificial heart,

The Apple II, The World Wide Web, The Universal Serial

Bus port (USB) are just a few Boomer inventions.

 Aging is part of the human experience, how we deal with it 

however is up to each of us.

Some say: ''You're only as old as you feel''.

Recent studies have shown that there is merit to that saying,

but I would like to add to that: ''and think".

Age, in my view does not have to determine how we think.

Embracing change, being passionate,

curious, compassionate, caring, mindful, interested,

thoughtful, etc.etc. is not determined by our age

but our willingness to have and keep an open mind.

''The sooner growing older is stripped of reflexive dread,

the better equipped we are to benefit from the

countless ways in which it can enrich us.''

(Ashton Applewhite)

about the image: acrylic on canvas

Sometimes talking to a stranger can be easier than talking to a friend.......

I look at my watch. 4 am. Four more hours to go. 

Standing in the kitchen at the Crisis Center I hear my phone 

ring again. I grab my coffee and run to my cubicle.

''Stanton Crisis Center, how may I help you?''

I can hear someone breathing on the other end

of the line.

I try again: ''I am listening, can I help you?''

Finally a deep voice answers: ''I've never done this before,

I mean called a Crisis Center, and I don't know if you

can help me, but I guess it's worth a shot.''

''I am happy to give it a try. Why don't you tell me

what's on your mind?''

The caller sighs.

''I can't sleep. My mind just wont shut down. It's like

I've got ants crawling around in my brain. I have never been 

much of a worrier, but nowadays it seems as if all I do

is worry.''

''What do you worry about?''

''Everything. I worry about my kids, I worry about losing

my job, and I worry about if perhaps there is something

wrong with me. 

I've never been an emotional sort of person but lately I seem to

have become one and that worries me.''

''You are concerned about your emotional state of mind?

 Is that right?''

''Yeah. I wouldn't say that I'm depressed, but I feel down

most of the time. I don't seem to be able to shake it off

which I am usually able to do.

 It's like there's a dark cloud hanging

over me all the time. That's not normal, is it?''

''You are feeling down which is unusual for you.

You have tried to shake it off but you have not been

able to do so. 

Are you now worried that the feeling

that there is a dark cloud hanging over you is not normal?''

''Yeah, I mean, it's not normal to feel down all the

time is it?''

"Is it okay to feel down sometimes in your view?''

''Sure, it is. It's okay to feel down when there's a good 

reason for it. Like when something bad happens.

I mean, like when my marriage fell apart and I had

to move out. Or when I found out that my daughter was

bullied at school.  Feeling down when stuff like that

happens is normal.''

''It sounds to me as if it is important for you 

to be viewed as normal, is that right?''

''It is. People are too emotional these days, always

on about their feelings. My mum was always on about

expressing one's feelings. Not that it did her any good.

She took an overdose of sleeping pills last year and died.

At the funeral her doctor came up to me and told me that

he had been treating her for depression for years.

Depression? Why had she not told me??!!!''

''I can sense some anger in your tone of voice.

Would I be correct in suggesting that you are angry with

your mother for killing herself?''

''You bet I'm angry! If she would have told me how

down she was feeling I could have done something!

Instead I always feel guilty for not having seen how

bad she was feeling.''

''That feeling of guilt and anger, do you think it may be possible

that it may have something to do with that dark cloud 

that you feel is always hanging over you?''

''Hmmm, I've never thought of it that way.

So, let me see....I am angry with my mum for not

telling me how bad she was feeling, I feel angry with myself

for not having noticed that she was struggling, and I feel

guilty for not having done something about it all.

Is that about the sum of it?''

''Perhaps, what do you think?''

''I guess it is possible. If I am to be honest, it was suggested

to me by my ex that I needed to go and see someone.

She said that after my mum died I'd changed,

 that I had become really moody and withdrawn.

Actually, come to think of it, 

the kids have said the same thing.

So, to get rid of the dark cloud I should go

and see someone? 

Someone like a counselor or a psychologist?

Lay it all out there? Express my feelings??''

There is a touch of sarcasm in the caller's tone

of voice but I ignore it.

''What do you think?''

I can hear the caller taking a deep breath and then letting

out a sigh.

A few extraordinarily long seconds pass in silence, and

then finally: ''I guess it couldn't hurt. I do want to

get back to feeling normal again with a clear

blue sky above my head, void of any dark clouds.''

*********

I did spend a year ''working'' at a Phone Crisis Counseling

Center some years ago, but the above story is merely an example 

of a Phone Counseling session, not an actual one.

''Sometimes it can be easier to tell a stranger

what you're going through than it is to tell a friend.''

(Citizen Z)

about the image: acrylic on canvas...  

first I threw a few splashes of colour on the canvas, then I covered the canvas

with black paint. When it was semi-dried, I removed some of the black

paint with a cloth to reveal the face

Need some comfort during these trying times?

''The idea is not to live forever, but to create something that will.''

(Andy Warhol)

Well, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) certainly managed to live up to those words.

Some suggest that he is responsible for: the rise of Pop Art, for

changing the concept of what being an ''artist'' means,  introducing

new art techniques (the use of silkscreens and the use of overhead projectors),

 coining the phrase ''15 minutes of fame'' and predicting the

rise of the media and celebrity culture.

Some say that ''art is a reflection of society and the times in which it

is created'', and as an artist, Andy Warhol's work can in my view be viewed

as a representation of the most important events that took

place during his life time.

What about now?

Is the arts not just an indulgence?

With mass un-employment, thousands of people

dying every day and all over the planet, people and businesses going

broke, people losing their homes, etc.etc.etc. what

could the arts possibly contribute?

Sometimes it can be easier to appreciate the importance of

something by imagining the absence of it,

 so let's imagine a world in which there is no art of

any kind nor any artists.

No movies, no music, no visual arts of any kind (including any

kind of graphics/designs), no sculptures, no magazines, no TV, no radio,

no You Tube, no photos, no books, no Video's, no DVD's,

no fashion, no architecture, etc.etc.etc.

Come to think of it, if you are interested, there is a movie

titled ''Equilibrium" (2002) with Christian Bale which pretty

much depicts what a world without art would be like.

The underlying premise in the movie is that emotions

are prohibited as they are the primary cause for fighting and friction.

Art stirs emotions, so all forms of art are prohibited.

(Although it is true that we ''need bread to live'', is it not

perhaps equally true that we cannot ''live by bread alone'?)

Take an average day for instance: the bed we slept in was designed

by an artist, so were the sheets, the clothes we wear, the shoes,

the furniture, the coffee maker, the car we drive, the phone,

etc.etc.etc.

 For an idea to progress from the abstract to something concrete,

an artist/designer has to interpret the idea and turn it into

a visual representation.

For instance, would we be able to grasp the concept of 

what DNA is if somebody had not created a visual representation of it?

Before we had the technology of photography to memorialize

events, people, structures, etc. we only had artists renditions thereof.

Take someone like Leonardo da Vinci for instance, not only did

he paint portraits, he also did in-depth sketches of both anatomical

and botanical subjects. He combined his scientific curiosity with his

skill with both pencil and brush and left behind an invaluable legacy 

for both the sciences and the arts.

How important is the arts in the midst of a crisis?

In my view it depends on how we define what it means to

be an artist.

 What if the definition of an artist is someone who is able

to conceptualize ideas, imaginations, and emotions into 

something tangible?

What if art is something that expresses /communicates emotions,

ideas, and life as experienced by an artist?

Is it not possible that the arts may be something that can help

us cope with troubling times even if momentarily?

I think it can.

I believe it is possible to experience comfort and joy through music,

poetry, movies, musicals, theater performances, ballets, comedies,

architecture, sculptures, cartoons, anime, and so on.

Art, in my view, is made by people for people to share their experiences

of what it means to be a human.

''Art is science made clear.''

(Jean Cocteau)