Who will stand when the time comes? To the brave go the glory!

What happens when societies crumble, when civilized peoples turn into depravity and violence? In the absence of experience or history to guide them, do  people tend to devolve into unschooled savages?

The author of Lord of the Flies, William Goldberg, seems to think so as do many anthropologists and historians. But it doesn’t take a doctorate or a Ph.D. to come to this conclusion. The average person through his or her own experience and education would probably agree.

I recall a science fiction show many years ago about how modern society had been obliterated through their own excesses. The few who remained had no books or knowledge to chart their course. Information was being withheld. There was no recorded history to make comparisons or to avoid calamity. There was a void of ideas, thinking, and motivation.

The wisdom of the ages had been destroyed. There was no compass of thought or inspirational examples. No past record to shed light on the passage of time and the future ahead. Only one person remained who held the key to rebuilding civilization. Why? Because he remembered; a flicker of light in the darkness set a chain of events moving that powered and re-invigorated the hunger for freedom that exists within each human being.

Now we have Isis that is ravaging brick by brick, stone by stone, the ancient antiquities of Iraq, Mosul and the entire Middle East. Ancient history, holy to many, is being crumbled, desecrated and soon-to-be-forgotten by the ages.

Biblical history is being wiped off the map and replaced with savage violence and destruction. Hatred-wielding thugs are seeking power and carving up the Middle East into bite-sized gulps, devouring the past and filling their bellies with blood and gore. The antiquities of history that gave this region some semblance of stability are being erased.

War mongers are single-minded when it comes to their ravenous power-grabbing intent. Their goal is anything but preserving history. Their enemy is tradition and rational thinking. They seek to change and eliminate the cherished, the courageous, the stalwart and strong that will not bend their knee without a fight.

Those who are unwilling to comply are crushed beneath a mindless authoritarianism. The valiant few struggle to protect the weak. They try to salvage and preserve the treasures of their civilization at all costs for the benefit of future generations where they will be designated heroes and heroines. But they are few and far between.

What about us? Who will arise to save our sinking society – our world? I doubt that they will be politicians who value votes and power far above culture and dignity. Where are the men and women who sense danger and see the signs of its progressing onslaught? Will they be people of faith, doctors, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers or artists? Will they stand up when others stand down?

When our ship of sale is sinking, will we have the courage to stand up and be counted? 

Watch as Isis destroys precious artwork, sculpture and the antiquity of the ages that go back to Biblical and historical times.

Put a Stop to Wheedling Behavior that Robs You of Time and Space

Martin House.  Birds spar for a room in this busy hotel! They fly in
in March and stay until May. I love to watch them.

Do you always get the short end of the stick? Do you shortchange yourself in a negotiation? Do you sabotage your own needs in order to keep the peace?

Heaven forbid there should be a rift in your relationships! But cowardice-to-confront does not make the problem go away. There’s never a good time for a dust up or a scuffle. If you’ve allowed someone else to take the reins in your life, you may be headed for disaster rather than the destination of your dreams. Sometimes you must put your foot down and stand up for what you need, even if there are those who may feel alienated.

Let the person who has power over you own their own problem. You are an artist, a professional, an entrepreneur who must do certain things each day to be successful. When you take back the reins, you also take the power away from those who are used to manipulation or anger to get what they want. Remember, it is their anger not yours. Let it go! Respect goes both ways. 

Allocation gives you control over your circumstances. By parceling out units of time to the priorities in your life, an erratic schedule based on pressure and emotion can be tamed and placed in logical sequence. So that instead of crashing into each other, your activities and interactions bend and flow.

 The “new you” will feel empowered rather than powerless. No more crashes and jump starts. You’ll transition from one project or event to the other. You’ll know where you’re going and how much time it will take. These organizational skills will help you plot a course from one day to the next.

Mimosa Tree in bloom (I should have captured
it sooner!)

If this sounds a little too perfect, be patient. Once your trajectory is on track and is repeated over and over again, it will become a habit. Experts conclude that it takes approximately one month to form a new habit. This varies from person to person because “old habits die hard.” But don’t give up. If you are willing to take control of your life and your success, the awkwardness of building a new life for yourself will soon become a reality.

Mimosa "bush" is more like it!

When you feel “Used Up,” Reach out -- Look up

"Swamp Angel" 16 x 20 oil on canvas

That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling of late: used up. I can blame the flu that bogged me down and left me in a puddle of self-pity, or I could take the advice of Julia Cameron, the author of “The Artist’s Way” and “Heart Steps; Prayers and Declarations for a Creative Life.”

According to Julia’s publisher: “Heart Steps is Cameron’s key to open the door to a more creative world; grounded in her personal methods of inspiration . . . this book is a powerful, practical, and intimate guide to ever-expanding productivity.”

In Julia’s own words, she discovered that “God, or “Mind,” was deeply, personally interested and interactive in our lives – if we would just speak the word that opened the door that opens the heart.”

"Leap of Faith" 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

So begins her step by step book of prayers and inspiration. Some people prefer to call their inspiration a “muse;” others the “Universal Spirit.” Practical people simply call it God. Whatever works for you, Cameron’s guide to inspiration is sure to motivate you to get in touch with a power greater than yourself.

She begins by quoting Sonia Choquette: “The Power of the word is real whether or not you are conscious of it.  Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize. Behind every word flows energy.”

Self declarations and positive statements said aloud to motivate the brain and in turn modify attitudes and actions is not new. This type of “behavior modification” has been around since the 60s and 70s. What is new is Cameron’s attempt at using it to enrich what she deems “the creative life.”

"Robin Hood" 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas

There is much to be gained from her book. My only objection is that she skirts timidly around the premise that there is an actual God, who is our creator, and cares enough about us to want our success and happiness. Our belief hangs on a thread of fear and doubt that if removed can open our minds to the endless possibilities that the universe holds. If we can tap into that, who can stand against us or hold us back?

Julia Cameron is a teacher, a poet, a playwright, fiction writer, and essayist; she has extensive credits in film, television, theater, and she is an award-winning journalist. If anyone could tell us how to tap into creative powers she could.

“The refusal to be creative is an act of self-will,” Cameron says, “and is counter to our true nature. When we open to our creativity, we are opening to God’s good, orderly direction. As we pursue our creative fulfillment, all elements of our life move toward harmony.

“As we strengthen our creativity, we strengthen our connection to the Creator within. Artists love other artists. Our relationship to God is co-creative, artist to artist. It is God’s will for us to live in creative abundance.”

Link to Cameron's Home Page: http://juliacameronlive.com/ 

"Vikeholmen Lighthouse" Skudeneshavn Norway 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas $300

In the Looking Glass; Vanity at Its Worst

"hand feeding cat fish" on Bear Lake

Society places far too much value on appearances. The attractive, the gorgeous, the svelte or muscular often become the rich and famous. Add to that beauty, charm, wit, and a smooth-talking tongue, and you have an unbeatable combination. If used for good, all is well; if not, it’s a recipe for deception and destruction. This has been true since the beginning of time.

Vanity, and the downfall thereof, has been the topic of scripture, great literature, Legends and Fairy Tales. Remember when the wicked Queen in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" looks in the mirror and asks: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” 

We know she’s an ugly old hag; but the mirror, knowing that it will be broken if it speaks the truth, tells the ruthless queen that she’s “the fairest one of all” in spite of the evidence against it.

Like the queen’s looking glass, there are individuals who fawn over famous people; even becoming “yes” men and women in order to “share the wealth” and stay in good favor. The sin of vanity is not only a preoccupation with one’s physical appearance, but includes pride, greed, dishonesty, and misuse of power.

Some people lean their ladder of vanity on the tree of fame and fortune, only to find that they’ve chosen the wrong tree. In their struggle to climb the ladder of success, they willingly crush others under their feet as they scramble to the top. Their ego and thirst for money and power leaves the person they once were behind and they forget their core values. It becomes “all about me.”

"Another view of Bear Lake from the Wasatch Mountains"

Like "Alice’s adventures in Wonderland," things are not always as they seem. I read a wonderful book titled: “Bonhoeffer” a history and biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer a Christian Pastor in Germany during the rise and fall of Hitler’s Third Reich.

The book chronicles the power struggle between the Christian Church in Germany and the Furor’s ravenous appetite for a perfect society--an Aryan race. Eventually, there is a split in the Christian Church between those who want to support Hitler at all costs, and those who don’t.

"Park City Utah" (on vacation)

People became obsessed with the progressive vision of Hitler’s Germany. They were concerned with seeking approval and gaining professional recognition and advancement. 

If that meant tweaking the Bible here, and removing a few passages of scripture there, so be it. 

If that meant forcing compliance of the government’s new and improved German Christian Church; it was for the good of Germany. Christ’s gospel was far too restrictive, anyway, and much too lenient in its treatment of miscreants, half-breeds and inferior people who would simply limit Germany’s rise to greatness.

The complexities of Hitler’s march into evil and infamy boils down to this: The people were misled by a tyrant with a silver tongue who was expert at disguising his evil intents through lies and manipulation (a "wolf in sheep's clothing"). By the time they discovered the truth, the laws had turned against them and there was nowhere to turn.

"Street scene in Park City, Utah"

One such appeaser was Martin Niemoller. A man Hitler appointed to run the government’s newly created “German Christian Church.”

Niemoller realized too late what he had done—what they had all done! When he began to oppose Hitler, he was placed in a concentration camp for eight years. Later, he shot himself.

During his imprisonment he penned this:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. And then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Who will speak for you? If Beauty and worth are in the eye of the beholder, how will you be perceived by others? In the same token, How will your artwork be viewed by others? Integrity is living what you believe and acting in accordance with your values. First you must define who you are and what you stand for.

"Winston" my sister's hot Westie!  He's sooooo smart!