Behind the Mask—A Time of Conscience

"What's a conscience! I'll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today."          —Jiminy Cricket to Pinocchio, (from the movie, Pinocchio, 1940.)

“We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community." —Barbara Jordan, (1936-1996), (1976 Democratic Convention speech), First African-American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives.

The conscience of America is being tested daily during this stressful crisis period.

Hard questions require soul-searching answers—Should I wear a mask? Should I kneel during the National Anthem? Will my protesting in the streets jeopardize community health? What can I do to alleviate systemic racism?

The answers can be found in what is right and wrong—what is true or false—and how these answers affect our collective well-being.

Photo Credits: Venetian Plague Doctor, 1760, print by Jan van Grevenbroeck; "Hazmat Suit," WWI, France 1918,wellcomeimages.org; "Federal Troops-Portland" Oregon Public Broadcasting

How wearing a mask became a political statement is one of the many mysteries of COVID-19. Scientists have told us that until we have a vaccine the best way to prevent infection is to wear a mask, social distance, or—as signs posted in Japanese theme parks read, “please scream inside your heart.”

Psychologists have told us that uncertainty breeds fear. Failed leadership, misinformation, and mixed messages have fueled these fears and are the primary factors causing division in our nation.

Some Americans feel that the Constitution grants them individual freedoms that supersede what Barbara Jordan referred to as “a national community.” Do we want to be part of a “national community” that values science, health, safety, and justice; Do we listen to our conscience and decide what is best for the collective good of the country? Or do we retreat into fear, hubris, entitlement, and vanity for our own personal benefit?

"A quandary for the present—in search of our future.”

Pending—The Space Between

There is really nothing more to say—except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how.  —Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate in Literature (1993), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)                                                                            

Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.—Euripides, Greek Tragedian, 430 BC                                                                                    


The Japanese have a concept called “Ma—the space between”—a pause in time— creating space to allow for reflection—a promise yet to be fulfilled. There is no Western term for this concept.                                                                                                                           

Pending, a preposition that defines the waiting period before a decision or conclusion fulfills a psychological definition, but not an intrinsic meaning for the power to shape time and space.

Since the beginning of this decade we have found ourselves in this space between: the silence between notes that form music—a door that is open to light—a truth to be considered—a life that is pending:

Jeff Key’s work from the “Vessel Series” can be seen at:

Jeff Key’s work:

https://www.sculpturesite.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=356

Pulse—In Pursuit Of Gravity

“Once I got into space, I was feeling very comfortable in the universe. I felt like I had a right to be anywhere in this universe, that I belonged here as much as any speck of stardust, any comet, any planet”     

 —Dr. Mae Jemison, American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. (The first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.)           

            "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."  —African Proverb                                                                            

The world still has a pulse—randomly fluctuating with the political climate.  During our quarantine it beat at a slower pace only to pick up and begin racing when faced once again with the outrage of racism and police brutality.

Now grappling with social and political upheaval and our fourth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are floating untethered in a space most of us have never known.

This time of cognitive dissonance has forced us to reconsider priorities—how to tilt the scales of justice toward equity, how to channel anger into productive action, how to be more benevolent toward our neighbors, how to teach equality, morality, and empathy to our children, how to protect the planet, and in general how to become a more compassionate society.    

As we once again begin to open doors, walk the streets, take public transportation, go to a store, or sit down at a restaurant, we are looking at life from a different perspective—one that emphasizes more than ever our interconnected sense of community.  

Mental health issues have increased with uncertainty and inequity surrounding health, safety, employment, housing, and education. The consequences of injustice, rage, frustration, and grief, along with sheltering-in-place, wearing a mask, social distancing, and the need for human touch have taken a toll on everyone. 

           Jeff Key's new work from "The Vessel Series" is included in an 

On-Line Exhibit  "Opening a Window—A Window Onto the World"

https://www.sculpturesite.com/Exhibit_Detail.cfm?ShowsID=156

Jeff Key's Sculpture: 

https://www.sculpturesite.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=356

A Black Hole—What’s On The Other Side?

Black Hole: A cosmic body of intense gravity from which nothing, not even light can escape. (britannica.com)

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less.”

                    —Marie Curie (Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics-1903, and Chemistry-1911)

 "I know what I have to do now, I've got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"

—Tom Hanks character, Chuck Noland, from the movie, “Cast Away” (after being stranded on an island for 4 years.)

For the last few months the nation and the world have been engulfed in a “black hole.” Forced into isolation and fear by a relentless virus, we have been reeling in limbo with the pervasive question—                                                            What lies on the other side?

Unfortunately history has shown that at times it takes a crisis to learn painful lessons. As we begin to reopen society and commerce it’s time to figure out what went wrong, regroup, and move forward. We need to make the investment of resources and time to prepare and prevent rather than being forced to respond and improvise without a well-conceived strategy.

Virologists have told us that the arrival of new and recurring viruses is here to stay—the product of climate change, animal to human transmission, and population density/ migration.  

Will we be prepared for the next wave?

It’s going to take a concerted worldwide effort of coordination, cooperation, and equity in the areas of health, education, economics, and environmental policy.

We now know that we need factual, science-based information, up-to-date equipment properly stored in catastrophe-ready quantities, a well-devised master plan for implementation of testing/tracking/ isolation/treatment and vaccine development, contingency plans to provide compensation for workers who are incapacitated or laid off, resources for underserved populations, and mental health services for a society coping with anxiety driven by fear and uncertainty.

Jeff Key's work can be seen at: 
https://www.sculpturesite.com/Exhibit_Detail.cfm?ShowsID=155

Hubris—The Impetuous Sibling of Humility

Hubris (n)—Overbearing pride; arrogance.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of 

themselves and wiser people so full of doubts”    —Bertrand Russell

“No one knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.”

                               —Donald Trump (nomination acceptance speech, 2016)                                          

"Because the “Ratings” of my News Conferences etc. are so high, “Bachelor Finale, Monday Night Football type numbers” the Lamestream Media is going CRAZY. "  (@realDonaldTrump tweet, March 29, 2020)

Spring winds have blown humility over the fence and hit our neighbors squarely in the face. Whether it’s a global health crisis, people who are fleeing repressive countries, or respect for those with opposing political views—humility, decorum, and common courtesy are values being abandoned.

Reliance on science and the advice of experts are taking a back seat to self-serving arrogance instead of what is substantiated fact and what best serves the needs of the world’s population.

Knowing no boundaries or class distinction, COVID-19 has been a great equalizer.  It has wrapped its insidious arms around world leaders, athletes, young, old, wealthy, disadvantaged, and front line healthcare workers.

The virus has stared down hubris and through its sheer destructive power has demanded humility. The self-righteous have had to consider that maybe they don’t have all the answers.                                                     

As Paul Anka wrote in his 1969 song, My Way— “Yes there were times… when I bit off more than I could chew, but through it all when there was doubt…….I stood tall and did it My Way.                    

   —(My Way, sung by Frank Sinatra) —First song played at Donald Trump’s Inaugural Ball, January 2017)

Jeff Key's work can be seen at:

"Vessel #27—Fusion, 25" x 25" x 25", Wood & Flax

Jeff Key's work from “The Vessel Series,” is featured in an 
Exclusive On-line Exhibition “Life Vessels” 

from January 31-April 30,2020 

on Sculpturesite Gallery’s website:  

https://www.sculpturesite.com/Exhibit_Detail.cfm?ShowsID=155