by Marty Coleman | Dec 17, 2012 | Sin and Science - 2012 |
Original Sin
This past week has been all about the Sandy Hook killings and the need for a new discussion about gun regulations and mental health. But I noticed something else that got me thinking and that was the big emphasis on ‘sin in the world’. It certainly is easy to say it, especially based on the predominant Christian background of culture in the US. Christianity states sin came in the world with Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. All evil and all bad things stem from that basic doctrine of ‘original sin’.
Sin, Control and Power
There is a problem with this concept of sin. It is a mythical tale that through oral tradition story telling explains why we are the way we are. But what it doesn’t do is allow itself to be dissected very easily. It needs to be kept in an abstract realm to fit in theologically with the rest of Christianity. If it is dissected its power to impart guilt and condemnation will be destroyed. The powers that be in the Church and in the ensconced power in society as a whole doesn’t want that to happen because if it does, those who are invested in that story no longer have power over you. The can’t blame you or guilt you into behaving as they would like you to.
Mental Illness Explored
Let’s talk about mental illness as one example of how ineffective power is taken away if sin is explored. In medical and scientific circles they know that a mental illness is when something abnormal happens chemically, electrically or biologically in the brain of an individual. They know there is both therapeutic and/or pharmaceutical possibilities of treatment. They also know that research needs to continue into neuroscientific areas so we can learn more about why brains do those ‘evil’ things. What really makes it happen, all the way down to the cellular level, in other words.
Stop Signs
But in the certain religious oriented population it’s more likely you will hear this bad behavior talked about as a result of our sinful condition. And here is the rub – what do you do with that information? Do you scientifically find out the landscape of sin? How it develops chemically? Do we go to a medical lab and delve into sin with an electron microscope to see how it behaves? No, we don’t. We just say it exists and isn’t that too bad. Oh well. Let’s hug our kids and hope for the best.
Go Signs
That is not good enough. We should rid ourselves of the guilt of sin by going beyond it and exploring bad behavior in as much detail as we can in as many directions as we can. That is how we will find answers, not by saying it’s sin and that’s that.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 16, 2012 | Albrecht Durer, Art, Artists I Love |
I first got to know the work of Albrecht Durer, who was a Northern Renaissance artist, when I took an advanced seminar course on printmaking at the Boston Museum of Fine Art while I was attending Brandeis University. I found his work harder to understand than the other two artists we studied, Rembrandt and Goya, but that didn’t make me appreciate his genius any less. And a genius he was. Take a look at his self-portrait when he was a very young teenager.
He was raised to be a goldsmith like his father but was such a talent that he apprenticed the largest printmaking shop in the area instead. He traveled around Germany after that and eventually made his way to Italy where he drew some of the first pure landscapes in the history of Western Art.
Albrecht Durer – ‘The Great Piece of Turf’ – Watercolor, Pen & Ink – 1503
He was one of the first in Northern Europe to systematically investigate anatomy in detail, drawing hundreds of figures and diagrams to help himself understand the nature of the human body.
Albrecht Durer – Nude Self Portrait – Pen & Ink – 1503-1505
Albrecht Durer – Figure of a Woman Shown in Motion – 1528
Albrecht Durer – Studies on the Proportions of the Female Body – Woodcut – 1528
Adam and Eve – 1507
His greatest fame though came from his printmaking. By his mid-2os he was famous throughout Europe for his incredible engravings and woodcuts. The engravings are what I studied at the Museum. They are deeply symbolic and allegorical in many cases.
Albrecht Durer – Melancholia – engraving – 1507
Albrecht Durer – Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – Woodcut – 1498
Albrecht Durer – Knight, Death and the Devil – Engraving – 1513
His detail and composition are always expert of course but it is his willingness to expose deep truths and fears of life that always grabs me the most.
Finally, if you ever look at artwork involving praying hands, such at the huge bronze sculpture of praying hands here in Tulsa, here you are seeing the foundational drawing that they all are rooted in. Probably his most famous work to the non art oriented public. Interesting enough, it is not titled ‘Praying Hands’.
Albrecht Durer – Hands of an Apostle – Drawing – 1508
Durer is well worth investigating, not just the images but his story as well.
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Fall/Winter 2016
Winter/Spring 2015
Summer 2014
Winter 2012/2013
Winter 2011/2012
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 14, 2012 | Gift Giving Notes - 2012 |
Being of sound mind and body I declare this day #5 of Gift Giving Week!
Chicken or the Egg
What comes first the mental illness, then the stinginess? Or does stinginess lead to mental illness? Now, of course this isn’t really a serious question. Mental illness has a myriad of reasons for its existence, not just some simplistic outer indication. But their is a kernal of truth in the question nonetheless.
Acting vs Feeling
One of my favorite quotes is, ‘It is easier to act your way into another way of feeling then it is to feel your way into another way of acting’. In other words, take action first, then the feeling will follow. It’s not always the case, but it is true most of the time. You don’t want to go run, not in the mood, but you run anyway, and guess what? Your mood most likely will change. You don’t want to give away stuff but you do anyway and, lo and behold, you start to enjoy the giving.
Hoarding and Mental Illness
Hoarding has just been designated a mental illness of it’s on this year. What is hoarding about but stinginess? You don’t want to let go of something, get rid of something, allow someone else to have something. Why? Maybe it’s because controlling that object means you control yourself and those around you. And where does grabbing at control lead? To the desire for more control. Is attempting to control everything in line with the human reality we all live within?
Giving and Mental Health
Giving away stuff, giving away time, effort, self, keeps you grounded in a very persistent reality, and that is the reality that nothing lasts. Not you, not your stuff. Staying in that reality is being mentally healthy so maybe it is true, that giving is not only a sign of mental health, it can actually lead to and sustain mental health.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who doesn’t even control the remote.
Quote by Karl Menninger
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Trivia of the day
What does ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’ mean? The only sure fire way to tell the age of a horse, and thus it’s value, is it to look at it’s teeth. The higher the gum line the older the horse. When you get a gift you should not question it’s value, if you do you are looking a gift horse in the mouth.
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 13, 2012 | Gift Giving Notes - 2012, Products |
I am saying this with a Poker Face…It’s the perfect time for day #4 of Gift Giving Notes!
The Gift of the Game
One of my best memories is of playing board games at the family cabin. Whether it was Christmas, Thanksgiving or just a visit without a holiday, we always found time to play board games. It tells you something about the people you might not ever discover otherwise. I discovered some people just could not pay attention for very long at all. Others were highly competitive in certain games, and not in others. The quiet ones were usually the most dangerous players. Some were sticklers for the rules. I mean REAL sticklers, others couldn’t have cared less. As a matter of fact often times they wanted to reorganize the game with new rules. “let’s play with just 3 cards each.” “Let’s use 4 die instead of 2.” or my favorite, “Let’s play the game backwards!”
Poker
If I ever came across a person like that again I would definitely recommend them playing something like Poker instead of a board game. Poker has so many variations. When they were young I taught my daughters how to play poker using penny stakes. It was great fun and they had a blast learning the game. It was very simple 5 or 7 card draw. I remember once watching poker on TV and I didn’t have a clue what they were playing. It certainly wasn’t Texas Hold ‘Em, I knew that much. Since the variations are endless the type of person who likes to change the rules up can just play a different version and voila, the rules have changed!
Mixing It Up
Even if you play the same game, you can always mix things up and try different strategies or approaches. I do that online with the various types of games I play; backgammon, Scrabble, Mancala. You can do it even more in Poker or other card games. If you do like playing cards, check out this lesson on how to mix up your card game in Poker. The site is Poker Junkie and while you can’t play there, you can learn a lot! If I hit Las Vegas soon, which I might to attend a conference, you can be sure I will take a look at Poker Junkie to see what I can learn (which is a lot!)
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Drawing, quote and commentary by Marty Coleman,
In collaboration with Elizabeth Bridges of Pokerjunkie.
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 12, 2012 | Gift Giving Notes - 2012 |
It may not feel like it, but here’s my gift to you today
Forgetting Gifts
I don’t remember gifts. My wife can remember a gift someone gave from 5 or more years ago at the snap of her fingers. I can’t remember what gift she gave me for my birthday this year. I also don’t remember what I gave her for her birthday, but you can be sure she remembers. I would like to remember more, but I just don’t. At least so far.
The Forgetting Gift
But there is another aspect of forgetting gifts that I also have and I am glad about it. That is forgetting what gifts I gave. I like forgetting them because I hate the idea of keeping track of gift giving for some tit for tat type reason. I just don’t have the energy for it and it doesn’t matter to me. So, I like giving and forgetting, unless of course I give the same gift 2 years in a row, then I wish I had remembered!
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who thinks copper eyeshadow almost always looks good on women, but rarely on men.
Quote by Max Beerbohm
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Hanukkah Trivia of the Day
There are a total of 44 candles lit during the eight days of Hanukkah
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 11, 2012 | Gift Giving Notes - 2012 |
And here is my gift to you, day #2 of Gift Giving Week!
What Doesn’t Last?
What do you give your child (or anyone for that matter) at Christmas or Hanukkah that lasts? I have a few things given to me when I was a kid. That means they have lasted 40+ years already. I don’t give most of them another 40 though. So, 80 years maybe? Maybe more if I hand it down and one of my kids care about it and keep it. Some gifts are lucky to get taken off the living room coffee table after the presents are opened. They are played with during the time right after the opening of the presents but they are left behind when the presents are taken to the receiver’s room for safe keeping. Most gifts last a bit longer, but not nearly 80 years.
What does last?
Your love lasts. That is what they will take with them and keep a lot longer than whatever present you give. So, if you are prickly with your love, an untouchable, unfriendly sort, then you aren’t giving much love. If you are an impenetrable wall that hides behind your strength, you aren’t giving much love. If you are a snake, intent on deceiving, then you aren’t giving any love. And your child isn’t receiving any either.
Just remember, when you give a gift, it isn’t really the material gift that will last, it’s the love in the giving that will.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman, who got a lot of love growing up.
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Christmas Trivia of the Day
The song, ‘I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ was written by a 12 year old.
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 10, 2012 | Christmas, Gift Giving Notes - 2012 |
This is my gift to you – a week of notes on Gift Giving. Aren’t you happy?
Trauma Giving
It’s so simple it only needs one sentence. Don’t be a stingy jerk at Christmas or Hannukah. Ok, maybe a few more sentences. That doesn’t mean you give a lot. It means what you give you give willingly, with joy and enthusiasm. If you complain about the cost of something, especially to the person you are giving it to, then DON’T FREAKING BUY IT in the first place! If you complain about how hard it was to find something, how they better enjoy it, how you hope they appreciate all the terrible trauma you went to to get it…then you are ruining the gift giving. Just shut up and give it to them with a smile. You can tell them all about the near death experience of your Christmas shopping in your memoirs or when you are in couples counseling, but don’t do it Christmas morning.
Gracious Giving
The attitude of gracious gift giving is what your loved ones will remember and learn from, not the gift itself (unless you give them an encyclopedia, then they will probably learn from the gift as well). Of course, to get to gracious giving you might want to stay within your means and give gifts you enjoyed getting, finding, making, buying, discovering for that particular person. Just a thought.
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Drawing and quote by Marty Coleman, who never drew a violin before (that he can remember).
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Interesting Gift Giving fact of the day
People with longer last names give more gifts at Christmas
(source: The Goods – the blog of uncommon goods)
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 7, 2012 | Where's The Evidence? - 2012 |
Under the circumstances, you need no proof to know today is day #4 of Evidence Week!
The question is, what does this evidence prove?
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Drawing and question by Marty Coleman, for whom trout is his favorite meal.
Quote by Henry David Thoreau, who knows what this means but is dead.
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 6, 2012 | Bodyless Ghirl Ghosts - 2012-2013 |
Chapter 1 – Urgent Care
They had made themselves up for a night on the town but when Margie came down with red dots on her face they got worried. They went to the bar and by the time they finished their first drink Beth and Bonzai also had red dots. They went to Urgent Care and the doctor saw all eight of them. He was nervous because he had never had eight people, much less eight bodyless girl ghosts, in one examination room at the same time. It was crowded and they all had on a lot of perfume. Daphne was a bit drunk and tried to kiss him but smacked the needle dispensing box instead. He diagnosed Ghost Measles and sent them to the pharmacy to get medicine.
Chapter 1 -Phloating at the Pharmacy
Prudence had the biggest balloon (girl ghosts travel by balloon when they are going out in big groups) so they went with her to the pharmacy. It was deserted except for an old guy reading women’s magazines, which they thought was creepy. They had to wait 15 minutes for the medicine so 4 of them floated aimlessly while 4 of them went back to the magazine rack. Being bodyless they have no hands so they just hung around behind the old guy and looked at the French Vogue he was perusing from behind his back. They liked the editorial of the man and woman wearing masks and underwear.
Chapter 1 – Quarantine
The pharmacist told them that ghost measles was reaching epidemic proportions and that they should leave the city if they could to avoid infecting other ghosts. The decided to go to Jordona’s grandgirlghost’s summer home at the lake and wait there. Luckily for them Prudence’s balloon did not pop until they were almost there. This is a drawing of them floating down from the balloon and landing right at the front porch of the house. They stayed there for 8 days and it all went fine except for Penelope’s melt down over running out of mascara.
The End
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Drawing and Short Short Story by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Dec 5, 2012 | Where's The Evidence? - 2012 |
I am feeling day #3 of Evidence Week bubbling up from the primordial ooze!
Rational/Irrational
My wife, Linda, once told me of a certain fear she had. I tried to explain rationally and logically why she shouldn’t have that fear. She looked at me in exasperation and said, ‘Marty, it’s not a RATIONAL fear, you can’t talk me out of it using rational ideas.’ And I was done. There was only one thing to do and that was to let her know I felt for her in that situation and give her assurance I would help her deal with the fear when I could.
Sailing on the Ship of Illogic
Whether it’s big issues about God & heaven or small issues about fear of bugs, we all have areas where our thinking and the actions that come from those feelings are not rational or logical. They aren’t based on evidence. We all need to be empathetic in understanding how universal it is to behave irrationally.
The Wrong Brag
But knowing that we sometimes aren’t Mr. Spock doesn’t mean we should revel in our irrationality. At least for me, I work hard to minimize that irrationality in my life. I don’t brag about or declare how proud I am of my ignorance of science, mechanics and engineering. I am humbled by it and want to learn more about it. And I make a concerted effort to do so. I make better and wiser choices as a result and I am safer and happier as well.
The List Within
But the main problem with willfully ignoring evidence isn’t that we might not comprehend how electricity works (which I barely understand to this day). It means we are very likely to be held hostage by superstition and fear in many, many areas of our lives. And those can lead to danger and violence, discrimination and bigotry. The list is so long.
Are you afraid of the evidence? Why so?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is not.
Quote by Sam Harris, who also is not.
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