Copyright Infringement, Fraud, Chaos and Lawlessness

Sand Cranes at Twilight

If it were a perfect world, there would be no crime. Artists and musicians could post their work without fear that copyright laws would be broken and original materials copied and resold without their knowledge. Payments to Pay Pal, banks, and credit card companies would be safe from hackers. How did we get in such a mess? Poverty? Greed? Envy? Or are there are so many people in the world that the odds are against us?

Every society has a code of ethics or values they choose to live by. Laws provide structure, and policemen enforce those laws. But what happens when a majority of people look the other way or become offenders themselves? We have chaos. I think we’re on the brink of it now, even here in America. We already have chaos around the globe.

In the past, many ascribed this behavior to indifference or prejudice. So those in authority tried very hard to “level the playing field” hoping to eliminate envy and strife. But instead of getting better, things eventually got worse. Why is that? Because if you don’t earn or work hard for what you get, you want more and more of the good life without putting in the necessary blood, sweat and tears that’s normally required.

"Sandhill Crane"

People have grown flaccid and soft. A young man was recently interviewed on television. He said he wanted to make $80,000 a year because he felt he deserved it.  He’d earned a degree, and would not take a penny less. Thus he remained unemployed.

I think I deserve to get paid at least $1,000 for each of my paintings, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get it. First I must become known, and then I must prove that I can meet the demands of the marketplace and the desires of my clientele. Wanting something is far different from deserving. The reality of our current employment situation is that the marketplace determines what we are worth, not ourselves or the government.

"Arabesque"

We've already watched Greece crumble and fall. We've seen France win an election through empty promises, and Spain is following their lead. What happens when we try to please and appease everyone? We end up pleasing no one. This philosophy may win elections and create dictators such as Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler, but it destroys freedom of choice. So does theft and dishonesty. Until we begin to clean up our own hearts and our own yards, the world is going to that proverbial “hell in a hand basket.”

Look in the mirror people. What do you see? An honest face full of integrity and honor, or a mask of pretense? Do you see a person who plays the two-faced game of appearances at all costs, and then turns his or her back on his fellow human beings or cheats when no one is looking?

"Anhinga in Paradise"

We all seem to live in fear these days. Will our identity be stolen? Will our work and our livelihood be at risk through someone else’s greed? If I were to run an ad I would say: “Wanted a person of integrity who lives what he believes.” We all need to “fess up and fly right.” Our future depends on it!

If you would like to sign a petition to protect copyright laws and artists, click here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/protect-artists-businesses-from-fraudsters

Are the Values of Honor and Integrity Lost?

"Insett Kirke" Norway

The news media hammers us with negative news 24/7. We are bombarded by seductive ads, sleazy commercials, and tales of woe. Crime, including murder, happens every day in our communities. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe.

What does this have to do with art? Even though most artists make a small pittance for their work and for the hours put in, rather than pay for their work, it is being copied and reproduced for free. In our digital age, ripping someone off is easy. First it was downloading music and now it is artwork.

You see it everywhere: Dishonesty in the work place; theft in the marketplace; even our neighborhoods are unsafe. We are being assaulted by our own decay. The firm handshake of the past when a man’s word was his bond is gone. That scenario has been replaced by empty promises and contracts that can be broken with a wink of an eye or the point of a pen.

"Moody Blues"

What has happened to us? Have we turned off our conscience so many times that we no longer hear it? Have we lost our moral compass? Do we think because no one sees us our actions are all right? Have we lost our way – our belief in God?

And why is it nobody wants to talk about God? Is God “unfashionable” and so uncool that we’re ashamed to be a believer? Do we disregard God so much that his laws and commandments seem “old fashioned” and out of date? Have we turned our creator into a legend, a being of fantasy that we turn to only in the proverbial “fox hole?”

"India Rising -- Prince of Thieves"

If ever the world needed a God it would be today. We have lost our way in a world that shouts about “rights” and pursues their dreams even if it means stepping on someone else. We think nothing of destroying someone else’s character in the name of humor or politics as long as it boosts our ratings or success.

In a disaster such as flood, fire ants cling together. Microscopic hairs on their body trap air bubbles and make them float. They form huge living rafts. Alone they would die, but together they stay afloat and survive the raging waters.

"India Rising -- the Found"

In order to preserve goodness and integrity in our world, we need honest and upright individuals to “stick together” and form groups, and communities, and citizens who are willing to preserve what is good. We need people to stand together and fight this assault on our property, our lives, and our survival. Let it be me! Let it be you!