Well stocked grocery-super store after Christmas holiday

 

Monday after 2021 Christmas on Saturday - so much in stock

When compared to the inventory size and variety at a convenience store or old-time "mom and pop" grocery store before the 1950s, the massive scale of the Superstore - combining general merchandise (department store) AND grocery store, along with pharmacy, automotive center, garden products - is really astounding for sheer abundance. This photo shows the extra-wide space for rapidly changing seasonal and specially priced goods at the end of the numbered aisles to the right and the non-grocery (department store) aisles left of this photo. For example, the stacks of packing boxes in yellow reaching from ankle to chest height offer bags of chocolate chips that are essential to the many variations on chocolate chip cookies. A shopper need only reach into the opening at the side of the carton to pull out as many bags as the wish. Not far away are 5# bags of all-purpose baking flour. Behind the lens is an ever shifting inventory of regionally brewed (craft) beer varieties. The numbered aisle to the right still add prominent display of featured items on the "end cap," but these massive pallet loads amplify the idea of "end cap" greatly, insisting on attention by shoppers since the cubes of product reach eye-level or higher and require care when navigating with one's giant shopping cart.

With so much space occupied, so much color, so much quantity of any given item in the grocery inventory, the general impression is one of abundance. If this is a feast for the eyes, then the visual effect can quickly lead to indigestion: Too Much Inventory. Projecting the full life-cycle of a foodstuff: it goes from source (field, ocean) to manufacture or processing and packaging and palletizing. Then truckers go from factory to depot distribution site before local delivery vehicles stock the retail level shelves. Once the consumer selects things for the shopping cart and either whiles away the time at checkout lane by browsing magazines and impulse purchases of candy and savory snacks, or else lines up for a turn at the self-checkout corral with one or two staff ready to trouble-shoot some of the scanning problems (alcohol sales requiring ID verification, mislabel/prices item, coupons not valid or not machine readable, double-counting of an item incorrectly swiped across the laser field, etc). Then, once consumed in whole or in part, the package is discarded and hauled away for solid waste (landfill) deposit, or sometimes it goes into the single-stream recycle curbside service in the city or town or countryside. In other words, looking back at this photo of such masses of products concentrated here, eventually each packet of chocolate chips will end up in a household within a 5 or 10-mile radius, then all these bags -once emptied- will end up during these next weeks and months scattered through the stream of solid waste carted away to the towering landfill ziggurat.

In summary, the scale and diversity of grocery (and department store) inventory today is astounding. Carts are scaled accordingly (the reverse of portion control: go big to encourage more buying). First-time shoppers can be intimidated as they gawk and wonder at the choices and the packaging volumes. Even long-time shoppers can sometimes express a slightly weary look, knowing how many steps their personal exercise calculator will record between arrival and checkout and exiting into the sea of cars filling the parking lot. Perhaps this kind of supply chain, display method, and business transaction is here to stay, forcing out of business almost all except the biggest regional and national stores.

Books organized and mental organization, too

 

Counseling office & church minister's study before moving day

Church ministers combine a life of the mind with a life in the community of worshipers and surrounding society, too. This photo shows some of the built-in bookcases in the minister's offices. The years of seminary and then the decades of leading a few different congregations, attending and presenting at conferences, and exchanging books with colleagues and church members has filled many shelves with books over the years. But the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to normal face to face church life, confining it to online communication at first, then in summer 2021 with a hybrid of online together with in-person for those comfortable with the idea of mingling with others once again. Stalwart congregants got online or somehow kept in touch with some of their fellow believers. But others stopped participating casually as they would once do in seasonal high points of the church year.

Meanwhile, younger generations preoccupy themselves with things other than church fellowship and studies, praising and praying, and volunteering. Lifetime church members and friends move away, grow unable to participate freely, perhaps become sick or sometimes may die. The net result of declining attendance and therefore reduced donations of self and of money means that the fixed costs of the large property cannot be carried by the continuously shrinking body of believers. The church leaders brought a plan to the rest of the church to sell the old place and carry on the teachings of Jesus and community involvements at a smaller facility during a transitional year or two before resolving the best form to fit modern times and constraints while still supporting one another to "be God's person" or agent to enact positive change through action, relationships, and other times by inaction - being present, not just doing things.

This photo shows books organized by themes and thinkers for the current minister of the church in the weeks before vacating the old building and initiating church life in a much smaller setting so that effort, time, and money can be spent on community outreach and engagement rather than on maintenance and expenses of the 19th century worship space. The cases of books present a visual architecture of knowledge that has grown year by year organically, but which soon will be disassembled and fragmented into labeled boxes. This year by year structure of printed knowledge corresponds in some ways to the compartments and connections in the mind of the reader who has gathered these many authors of diverse eras and locations in one place. So while the physical edifice will soon be scattered into many cardboard boxes, the duplicate library inside the minister's head will remain in some ways.

National flag and personal life intersect at funeral

many meanings of the USA flag on the funeral hearse's front bumper

Late Wednesday morning, December 8, 2021, a funeral was getting underway. In the parking lot behind the church and the one across the street there were about 50 cars waiting to take people home or to the cemetery, if burial ceremonies were planned after the church service. In the context of 22 months of Covid-19 there is some chance that this life (or lives - since 2 hearses are positioned at curbside) was cut short directly by the virus, or indirectly that the hospital services were strained by the burden of unvaccinated people filling the hospital rooms and taking up the services there. But without stopping to talk to those present or searching for a published obituary, the cause of death is only guesswork.

The funeral hearse nearest to the camera displays the U.S. flag on the front bumper. Thinking of funeral customs for the other 200 national states, or for the many human societies that comprise the almost 7,000 languages that are spoken, surely this use of a national symbol on a personal and family-level matter is not common unless the deceased represents political leadership, national fame, or died in armed service (or veteran of military service). Without interviewing the owner of the hearse, its driver, or the company managers, along with the people attending the funeral, it is only speculation about possible significance (or more likely, multiple meanings) coming from the use of the national flag in connection with the dignified undertaking of funeral ceremonies and the safe conduct to and from the burial ground.

-Propriety (official, above-board, dignified, customary): This thread of meaning connects the person or business displaying the national flag to the country's wealth, fame, and all the life-affirming values that come with it. The darker chapters tend to fall into the shadows when the spotlight is fixed on the good things, though. In this photo, then, prominently exhibiting the flag (but not shouted loudly in oversize or multiplicity) assures like-minded people that the funeral company values and perhaps feels pride in belonging together with the present and the history associated with this banner. And for others who feel ambivalence about the mixed record of harm and healing carried out in the name of this flag, by displaying it out front, those who feel doubt will be put on notice that this vehicle and all those trailing behind it stand on the side of a positive accounting of the symbol and people connected to it.

-Authorized (halo-effect from close-association with the power of law and force): Seeing a flag in public as well as private spaces is a signifier that the proceedings are implicitly protected by the full faith and the rule of law of the land. In this photo, the presence of a national flag picture (or one made of cloth) seems to suggest that all procedures have been followed, duties fulfilled, and debts paid. No corruption should be suspected or expected or allowed.

-Conservative, button-down, standard-issue, government-conforming: Another meaning some will feel upon encountering a (USA; other countries have a different relationship of flag to citizens, no doubt) national flag is one of status quo; a sense that things will proceed as they have in the past.  No erratic, strange, or outlandish behavior is likely.

-Vocation (former government work for local, state, or federal employer): Before the funeral owner opened the business, perhaps he or she was a federal worker and/or a member of the military. In that case the flag signals the person's (or the company's) organic roots with Old Glory. The flag is part of their past work.

-Avocational (proud of team USA, symbols, popularly imagined history): Even when a person or organization has no direct connection to federal or national services and products, perhaps they feel strongly about expressing allegiance to this "one country, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" (quoting the school child's Pledge of Allegiance recited many times). In that case, showing the national colors discretely in the panel reserved for a license plate in some states is an affirmation or aspirational statement.

-Personal history (recent immigrant or else a genealogy enthusiast with long roots in USA): The flag display on lapel, desk, office wall, or raised on a pole could also signify something particular for that person. For example, a "new" American may have come via career path and advanced studies, as an asylum seeker or refugee of disaster, or as family member of someone previously establishing American citizenship by birth or marriage, for instance. In that case, a sense of ownership and belonging and gratitude, among many other possible mixed feelings could be carried by the visual presence of the banner. In a related but different way, someone who has looked deeply into family histories may feel a multi-generational sort of loyalty or allegiance to the many people, places, and things symbolized by the flag.

-Personal identity (define and view oneself by the category of flag and anthem more than by local ties): Some people see themselves, and are regarded by others, as a patriot and outspoken supporter of the things that the flag stands for in that person's mind. Others downplay their national citizenship and the source of their passport and build their identity instead on a foundation of the wider planet, or conversely, on a foundation of the immediate surroundings of their town or county. However, for the person who wants to be known, and feels most satisfied in seeing herself or himself, in national terms, then displaying the flag is a particularly personal statement; a sort of credo for who they are.

This list of possible meanings conveyed by a public display of the United States flag is not exhaustive; there are probably other sorts of significance being purposefully or subconsciously expressed when making a decision to put a flag on view. Realistically, the uppermost meaning in the eye of the beholder, the eye of the one displaying, or in the mind of others just passing by will be a combination of factors rather than a single dominant meaning. And for complicated, context-dependent meanings, it may well be that much lies underwater, like the bulk of an iceberg: part can be seen and discussed, but the greater part is unseen and is hard to put into words. So, directly asking a person what comes to mind when they see the flag might only turn up a few meanings or hints of meanings rather than a fully formed verbal response.

In any case, though, for the funeral company staff their minds are focused on providing professional and personal care for the people in mourning. The attention of the family and friends participating in the ceremonies is occupied with the events as they unfold minute by minute, the feelings that come up in themselves and in those nearby. It is probably only in the mind and lens of a passer-by that such considerations about the meanings of the national flag are studied in reflection. And yet, even for the funeral workers and the mourners, at least a little of the flag's presence and the meanings it triggers will be present, whether or not they stop to imagine the many kinds of meanings that arise when personal life and national symbols meet each other.

Cultural landscape at bus stop - Forensic Brainstorming

mid-morning heap of possessions at bus stop (8 Dec. 2021)

At first "brainstorming" and "forensic interpretation" appear to be opposite in purpose. One is meant to open up possibilities, unrestrained by ordinary habits of perception. The other is meant to eliminate all except the (single-most) probable explanation. But upon seeing this collection of clothing, backpack, and other personal items, the pool of possible meanings began to come into mind (brainstorming). But more than idle interpretation, instead I proceed with a view to turning up something close to the true significance of this sight (forensic scrutiny). However, in the end, this is an exercise in social commentary, so no DNA samples are going to the lab; no missing persons reports will be consulted; and no enhanced magnification of the contents will be inventoried. Instead, an initial pool of meanings will be offered in order to turn up some or all of the actual interpretation for this strange sight.

Brainstorming some lines of interpretation, in no particular order. (1) Donation deposited halfheartedly (casual, careless, anonymous versus carefully calculated to fit a particular person frequently at this location). (2) Discarding unwanted items in halfhearted attempt to donate to another person. (3) Dropped in haste by a person carrying too many pieces of luggage to board the bus. (4) Discovered by a passer-by who noticed a bus rider losing the things en route to this location. The good Samaritan picked up the things and brought them to that bus stop supposing that the rider may well return at some point. (5) Demonstration of interpersonal malice or ill will: dumping the possessions of the person diminished in the eyes of the person depositing the things in a pile here. (6) Dithering by the person who received these donated things. At first they carry the things to the bus stop, then studying them more carefully, the person discards unwanted parts there and then, keeping only the items desired. (7) Distress by the person fleeing a person or vehicle: drop these things and run. (8) Dumped items stolen from nearby laundromat's washer or dryer.

Each of these initial interpretations of the heap of clothing is a self-contained story, but very often the true sequence of events is not simple or single cause, single effect. Instead there could be a set of events or sequence of circumstances that intersect at the moment of decision that produces the sight in view here. In other words, while there may be some truth in one or more of the string of imagined self-contained situations leading to the heap of clothing, above, it may well be that there is some combination of the interpretations here, along with other factors not yet imagined in the list. The habit of overthinking and projecting meanings where none were originally present is well known. Less well known, though, is "underthinking" a problem or a general lack of imagination to solve the case. And yet, it is somewhere between thinking too much and too little that the most progress can be made with "forensic brainstorming."

In summary, are these possessions "single-use" (disposable), a person's entire stock of worldly goods, or maybe somewhere in-between? Beyond the relationship of the items to the person or persons, though, what is the social condition of the person(s): unhoused and bereft of supporting social fabric, homeless but migrating from one hosting friend or family member to the next, a traveler who is in the city only long enough to get to the other side, someone is distress from alcohol/drug use disorder, or a person who is unable to secure and maintain a fixed residence where personal belongings like these can be kept? Without investigating further or actually meeting the person last touching the things when they were abandoned, it is impossible to compose a complete picture of the meaning of these belongings at the bus stop.

Popular culture to play sadly with current events

 

Falsely witty message for public view parked near Veterans Home

BLACK LIVES MATTER dates back about 7 years before 5/2020, but the brutal murder of Breonne Taylor 3/2020 from a "no-knock" police break in to a private residence, followed in May by George Floyd's strangulation by Minneapolis uniformed police in May, amplified the national (and international) call for police accountability to all citizens harmed, but disproportionately for police accountability to citizens with African-American appearance. This photo is taken about 18 months after Taylor's murder. 

On the back of this truck the smart-alecky mix of sarcasm, moral superiority, and denial of any problem is painful to read: "All lives splatter" [rhyming with Black Lives Matter]. The image of an SUV striking a group of people (two adult and two children) makes the point non-verbally. There is no human visible at the driver's wheel. Then comes the disrespect: Nobody Cares ABOUT YOUR PROTEST [in all caps]. KEEP YOUR ASS OUT OF THE ROAD [also all caps, but smaller pitch size]. 

Some readers would giggle nervously, mingling dread and disbelief. A few would find this form of degrading others (and by implication raising one's own self) as being as funny and unproblematic as physical humor. Still others might mirror the hate in the message by churning up similar feelings not in agreement with the indecent verbal offender, but feelings of hate directed at the person driving this truck, or the one who decorated it in this way. The general public, though, hopefully does hold onto some self-respect and respect for others. The general public would recognize this silent rip in the social fabric as something bad; a kind of emotional and cognitive cancer. It makes the offender an embarrassment to civilized society. Here in the parking lot for the military veterans whose service was in defense of "equal protection under the law," and "one person, one vote," among other national laws and traditions, this sort of verbal disease is particularly distressing. It is something like an auto-immune response that harms one's own body. "Free speech" abusers like this one harm the body that makes their existence possible. Thankfully, publicly visible offenses to respectful interactions like this one are rare things. On social media they may appear like bright and noisy fireworks that flame out momentarily, but then again, that arena seems to work best on outrage, transgression, and breaking boundaries or disregarding all boundaries of behavior.

Inside-out museum of city and society

Left is "Blue Bridge" over the Grand River; right museum

The bright summer day pouring through the UV-protected picture windows of the Grand Rapids Public Museum in this photo prompted this question: how might it be possible to turn the lived-in downtown environment into something like a museum, complete with label text (e.g. GPS points to link an item's physical identifier to a paragraph of text, audio, and/or embedded links or imagery). That way the walls that separate inside from outside would disappear and the same expectations that visitors bring to poking around the permanent and temporary exhibitions could also accompany them outdoors on their way to and from school, work, shopping, or other occasion that brings the person into the cultural landscape. In fact this relationship between inside (glass cases, informative text, eye-catching artifacts, and thought-provoking references) and outside (hustle and bustle, preoccupied with schedules, and using minimal imagination or energy to engage with routine objects and subjects repeatedly passed by unexamined or reflected upon) could complement each other so that something of the museum visit attitudes apply to the everyday habits and repeated places and activities; but also the reverse, something of the "regular life" could also be applied in the museum setting to make the artifacts part of another time and another place, but still viewed now as "unremarkable, functional" parts of one's day, not as glass-encased specimens worthy of special scrutiny. 

By "de-exoticizing" the exhibit elements (putting the artifacts back into the flow of normal life) and simultaneously "de-familiarizing" the world of consumer calculations, popular culture topics trending, and considerations about one's next meal or time commitment to honor, then the result is to make the museum more life-like to one's own time and place at the same time also making the places outside the walls of the museum a bit more interesting and museum-like; worth stopping to examine close up and learning the context of when and how the particular element in one's landscape of cultural meanings and background infrastructure came to be as it is now. In summary, with the help of prominent QR codes tagged to outdoor features big or small, curious gawkers and walkers could wander and wonder as they explore the city streets with a portable Internet device (phone or tablet or maybe a wristwatch or supercharge Internet glasses) and get to know their cultural landscape as an endless outdoor museum without walls, whether they be local residents or out-of-towners.

Traces of earlier lives and livelihoods

The cultural landscape not only mirrors the present moment in the flow of events and personalities, but it also fits into the quote attributed to science-fiction writer, William Gibson; that "the future is already here, but it is distributed unevenly." By extension the cultural landscape is also the place where the past is still here, but it is distributed unevenly.

Fulton and Jefferson Streets, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

This photo shows a variety of buildings in downtown Grand Rapids, each with a different origin story. A closer look at the physical expression of the historical moment that each one dates to will reveal some of the desirable design elements of the time, the state of the (then) art installed and contractors' standard of practice in craftsmanship, the functionality and features of the time, and the purpose it was meant to be used for when first opened. Apart from the church steeple barely visible over the treetops on the right side of the horizon in this photo, most of the other buildings have tenants or owners much different to the people who dreamt of the building and then brought it to completion. 

Just as the assemblage of buildings from different eras all jostle side by side in the present moment, the same can be said of people of different generations, social-economic status, ethnic origins, and so on who comprise today's nation and this particular municipality. Likewise of books in the lending collection on the nearby library shelves; of trees in the park of different ages and origins; or words found in conversation or present in this sentence. What is common to all these examples is the co-incidence or coexistence of subjects with origins of different years and possibly of different geographic setting. No matter what the roots are and what the path was that brings the things together in the present moment, they all share the space and time right now: the future is already here, but also the past is still here. This mix of dates and styles is what makes it so engaging and rewarding to read the cultural landscape. Even with incomplete knowledge, it is possible to see in the photo a Chinese buffet across the street in a sturdy and stylish brick building with decorative ceramic elements. Surely, the original owners did not envision the series of businesses that have filled the premises across the generations since it was built and opened for business decades ago.

Without expertise, deep memory, or local knowledge it is hard to know with confidence the meanings, uses, and chronology of personalities and events connected to a given building and surrounding location. But even approaching the cultural landscape with much ignorance, there is some satisfaction that is earned upon starting the adventure by paying attention; noticing details, patterns, and surrounding conditions that may contribute to the design, siting, and features visible in the durable structures of years ago.

In contrast to mass produced features of the cityscape like clothing, vehicles, and functional parts of the infrastructure like signage, traffic rules, and public safety services like police and fire, the creation of a building is usually one-of-a-kind. So whereas these other elements of the present moment might reflect something about the purchaser and user, in the case of buildings the massive scale and the long lifespan allow curious observers to imagine some of the considerations of the designer, builder, and owner at the original creation of the architectural form created. Later developments in technology, economy and consumer relations, and trends in people's lives play a part in the second and additional chapters in the each particular building, but traces of the original decisions baked into the structure can still be read into what we see there today. Perhaps there was a degree of pride, fashionableness, or ambition to present the latest services and products. 

Generations later those faint echoes from the original time of opening perhaps remain for those who seek them, but even without turning an eye to "the past is still here, but it is distributed unevenly," it is possible to appreciate the diverse eras all buildings present here within walking distance in the city center. Then after exercising one's imagination of the past that lives on, it is natural to continue the process and look ahead through the mists of time to suppose how these same durable structures may carry on as time travelers to the future, under the management of new owners or tenants who continue their livelihood among the lives of those future people who only now being born.

Symbolic meanings - present and significant, or merely armchair speculations?

 

About 6 months after the presidential election the road sign lingers.

Social observers are trained in various academic traditions, from (public) art criticism to social psychology to social anthropology. Ethnographers who document individuals and groups of people within their cultural landscape draw on diverse theoretical approaches to interpret the things they seize upon. One scholarly field is  Symbolic Anthropology, in which artifacts like flags or architecture or lyrics are closely examined for layers of meanings carried, sometimes easily explained by local residents, but other times only dimly recognized or felt. So the question of which meanings govern the people's uses, intentions, and reactions can be hard to answer: must a person be consciously aware of a certain facet of the multiple meanings for that sense to make an impact? Or can dormant meanings in one generation turn out to be dominant meanings in another generation. Even within the same generation will different factions of people emphasize different significance according to their own purposes? Furthermore, leaving the firm ground of conscious discussion and perception, will meanings that are only dimly perceived also bear on a person's seeing and behavior. Going further still, can certain dimensions of a ritual, a habit, or a living space that are unseen, unable to be verbalized, and are claimed to be absent or are dismissed as mischaracterizations (lies) made by others also be real?

The case of this photo illustrates some of this wondering out loud. The USA election of the nation's chief executive takes place every 4 years, in this instance early November 2020, with the newly chosen president's term of office beginning with the swearing in at noon of January 20, 2021. That is when Joe R. Biden took the place of Donald J. Trump. In many cities there is a local ordinance that requires property owners to remove political campaign signage within 3 weeks of election day. But this large display is a few miles east of the city of Lowell, Michigan, outside the city limits. It consists of a blue TRUMP flag facing west and the white edition facing east, sandwiching heavy black plastic lining material to withstand rain, snow, and wind. For months the "Thank you, President Trump [thank you for working so hard to] Keep America Great" message greeted passing motorists on state highway M-21. But then sometime early in April or possibly March 2021 the sign was shredded with the sharp slashes made to it. Without talking to the person or persons who expressed one or more meanings in this act, it is hard to know what it signifies precisely, at least within the scope of awareness in the perpetrator's intentions. 

From a symbolic point of view, the assault on the fabric of the political campaign flags could be an uncomplicated action to tell the property owner (or the person who the property own gave permission for the display) that the election is finished, the new president is in office, and the old president's traces and trappings should disappear. A more complicated statement might take into account the audience of curious drivers - those who resonate outrage to the offense, those who agree with the defacing action, and those indifferent to political matters all together. In this wider interpretation, not only does the vandal send a message to the display owner, but also communicates to the wider world of spectators: "Ex-president Trump is a blight to be removed," for instance. "I am doing that public service for you all. Since he shredded civil social life, now let his fabric representation be torn, too." An even more tenuous interpretation might be to view the violence as not only physical, but also symbolic: slashing apart the Trump name is hoped to work like a Voodoo doll to harm the one being referenced in name or in the form of figurine.

Going back to the initial question posed in the title of this article, there are seemingly unlimited layers of meaning to distinguish singly or in various combinations. In the eyes of those conducting the symbolic work of creating the display, and those destroying the display; or in the eyes of those passers-by who live in the vicinity or who happen to take this road one day and notice the sign, can anybody trained in Symbolic Anthropology ever make a convincing conclusion about the truest and most comprehensive interpretation for the whole thing? Or will any declaration have to be bracketed as "conscious meaning," "semi-aware," and "present but unacknowledged" dimensions of the significance. That is an open question: just because one interviewee says it is true, or on the contrary, denies a given point of view, that does not serve as the final word on the way that meanings are expressed, impressed, reworked, and associated from the immediate to more figurative or abstract realms of significance. This confluence and contradiction in interpretation echoes the tensions sometimes seen between "insider" (emic) and "outsider" (etic) standpoints.

In the end, symbolic interpretations have a valuable place in social analysis by widening the frame of meanings and motivations. But the most reliable assessment about one interpretation rising above others would seem to come from cross-checking the stated interpretation against observable responses: how people react, take action (or fail to act), and what they say that is consonant or that contradicts that claimed interpretation. The more that these parallel forms of meaning speak to each other, the more likely that the particular interpretation holds true. For this roadside statement near the intersection of Pinkney Road and M-21 just east of Lowell one thing is certain: the printed message associated with Trump now is rendered illegible. It shows the strike-through editing made of it.

A life put into words - histories and memoirs on the library shelf

 

library titles for history (Dewey 940s) rotated to make titles easy to read

At the branch library there is a bookcase filled with a variety of histories and memoirs to browse. Considering that each title is a self-contained work of one or more authors, almost always drawing on published work of others and interviews and other primary source material, as well, the true scope of page counts implicated in this modest collection is staggering, representing a volume of writings maybe 20 or 50 times as big as the space of this one bookcase.

The relationship of a book to its subject matter is similar to the classic illustration of an iceberg: the part that is visible (the individual book) is only a small fraction of the whole thing (cumulative mass of all the books and research sources used to create the one book that is visible on the shelf). Besides this compressed form of knowledge that the photo displays, there are other ways that the set of printed pages bound into book form are remarkable.

Asking a fish to describe the sea that it swims in leaves many important dimensions untold, since so much is taken for granted. The same is true in certain ways for a historian writing about the present day and the historical antecedents to it. Unlike the fish, though, a trained reader and writer of history can consult outside perspectives, cite documents, and study records for clues to bias and omissions. The books in this photo each represent many hours of drafting, then editing the books (not forgetting the shoulders that an author stands on and those many hours to author the earlier books on which the present-day books depend). Each title gives a representation of earlier people, places, and events. Necessarily, the process of telling about events requires "selective memory," leaving aside some parts in order to focus on other parts. That filtering effect probably owes something to the writer's personality and experiences, training and area of expertise, and current events and preoccupations around the time of composing the first draft. Having access to certain sources, but not to others, will play a part in the resulting book, too.

So much for the remarkable things going into this line-up of printed pages and the topics present (and by contrast the many other subjects that are absent). Another dimension of this library bookcase photo is the readership. It would be interesting to know what the lending patterns pre-pandemic and during the pandemic have been, either matched to demographic segments (male vs. female, retiree v. teen v. working age) or simply in the aggregate to discover which books are most and least circulated during their service life (until relegated to storage or sold). After all, the books in this photo appeal to certain sorts of people but not to others. Some readers are voracious in their appetite for the printed word (leaving aside the universe of ebooks offered to borrowers, too, as well as downloaded audio books or the audio CDs on a separate shelf), but others just read one book at a time and only a few per year. However, the usage patterns and sociological profiles may turn out, though, it is remarkable that busy residents of the city, surrounded by the "too much information" of 100s of cable TV shows, and the bottomless reserves ancient and modern discoverable online, still hunger for the people and places and events found on the books classified under the Dewey Decimal System under the history label.

Thanks to the Internet, such things as     archives of images, moving pictures, primary sources, and public domain books and music are only a few clicks away. It is getting easier than ever to travel in time or place by using these traces of earlier times and places. And yet, some readers eagerly browse the authors on this shelf to discover those worlds glimpsed through the mists of time in the words of delightful authors in well-organized chapters and paragraphs. It is hard to know exactly, according to the person or more generally for most readers of histories, what reasons attract people to the ink on these pages. Perhaps it is a desire to fill in hazy outlines of a particular time or place in the reader's mind; maybe there are personal or genealogical connections to the subject matter; or possibly the reader is hungry for escape from modern times and finds a sense of order and certainty that hindsight projects onto things. In any case, the books on these shelves - indeed on the shelves for all the other categories of publications recognized by the library system of classification - speak to certain readers and not to others, they reveal truths, and teach those searching for answers a few of the pieces to the puzzle that forms in the person's mind, one book at a time. Generations from now some of the same motivations will be there to write and to read history, although in that time maybe the idea of printing with ink on paper will be antiquated.

Pop culture - The monkeys who see and hear and speak no evil

Bumper art: See no evil... [post code 49505 on 3/2021]

Popular culture takes many forms but always seems to flow from a prominent status source like religion, celebrity, or governing authorities down to the average consumer of mass-produced, mass-distributed, and mass-consumed iterations. The national flag can turn up on T-shirts, wrapping paper, or coloring books. The crucifix from various traditions of Christianity can be expressed in precious metal and gems as jewelry or it can appear on album art for secular music. And a piece of clothing first seen on Princess Diana in the 1990s could turn up in discount clothing stores a few months later.

This photo shows the space sometimes reserved for license plates in some countries or states being used here to express a point of view with a bit of pop art that may be purchased online, on demand (send your image file for producer to fulfill), or at shops selling automotive accessories. Since Michigan only requires a legally issued and up-to-date license plate on the rear of the car, some drivers attach something referencing the university they support or identify with for sports teams and/or personal schooling experience. Others choose logos for professional sports teams, vacation destinations, ethnic heritage, religious teaching, or a bit of abstract art. This one bears the "3 Wise Monkeys," as Wikipedia in English calls the ensemble.

Screenshot of Wikipedia "3 Wise Monkeys"

Without talking to the driver whose car displays the monkeys, above, it is impossible to say what is being expressed. It could be "whatever happens in my world or the wider world, don't hold me accountable; I did nothing" (deniability). Or maybe it is less about denying involvement and instead a nod and a wink to "live and let live; just about anything is permissible since I don't value a lot of the restrictions asserted as legalities" (give me liberty; don't give me responsibility). Then again, the bumper art could be a reference to a career as art teacher, aficionado of folktales, lover of monkeys, travel souvenir from Japan, or merely a way to honor the person who gave it as a present. In fact, more than one meaning can apply at the same time, layering the significance of putting the scene into public circulation on highways and city streets, wherever the car is parked. 

For the purpose of this article, though, this example illustrates how pop culture can take something from its original setting (mausoleum of centuries-old warlord Ieyasu in Nikko, Japan; and before that, a folk wisdom story from India) and reshape, repurpose, and spread it into wider circulation and new contexts where people can give it new meanings, such as this front bumper of a Japanese car, either imported by ship or put together inside the USA as a joint-venture product for sale.

Buy Nothing online group redistributes goods locally

 

Front porch items deposited with names of recipients attached

Somehow related to the success of the "Nextdoor" email franchise that invites local residents to pool questions, answers, observations, complaints, friendly reminders, and sometimes rants, someone in this neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan created "Buy Nothing" as a way for local residents to announce things being given away at no cost. Whereas Nextdoor is national or international and includes a commercial sponsorship (paid advertising) layer, Buy Nothing seems to have no reference to gainful private enterprise. Perhaps "social capital" does accrue to the most frequent commenters and givers-away of unwanted gear and clothing, extra batches of edibles, and so on. In any case, the rapid pace of posting items requested or offered and subsequent pick-up by the person who is selected by the owner is a good way to redistribute material goods directly, mediated only by the electrons flitting onto Internet-connected devices. When several responses come in for a particular item, the owner must decide whom to choose; sometimes by first-come, first-served logic, or else by lottery (random choice). But other times it is based on the case made for why the person is the most eligible.

H.A.B.U. (Highest and Best Use) of the disused freebies is achieved by this simple and valuable activity between local residents who otherwise do not know one another, despite living on the same street or in the same district neighborhood association within the larger city boundaries. Rather than putting something with value still remaining into the solid-waste stream bound for "long term storage" in a sanitary landfill, this method of redistribution finds a new owner to make use of the thing. As a by-product of the flurry of activity with residents picking up things from strangers' porches and others bagging up things with a name tag to leave on their own porch, a little of the social fabric is strengthened. For those on a tight budget this kind of "yard sale prices on demand" (put out a call for an item that is seldom or never used anymore and see if there is one to borrow or to get at no cost) is a boon. Equally for those eager to clear their cupboards, basement or attic or garage clutter, or wanting to empty a rented storage unit, this service is handy.

Whereas some societies are accustomed to scavenging perfectly good items discarded in junkyards or roadsides, in other (materially wealthy) societies there is some degree of social pressure to buy new things and to avoid used ones. In USA around the time of the Great Depression (1929 onward) and to a lesser extent during the Great Recession (2008 onward), necessity led more and more people to "make a virtue of necessity" and swallow any pride about always buying new. Instead they began to visit thrift shops, yard sales, estate sales, and word-of-mouth asking around to borrow or take possession of unused, unwanted things from others. Now due to the forced under- and unemployment of so many in USA due to the corona Trump virus the unconsumerism and rising concern about landfill waste is leading more city residents to give and take via the online hyper-local system of Buy Nothing. For the ancient brainstem legacy of hunter-gatherer ancestors, there is a certain thrill in finding ways to dispose of unwanted things; of obtaining things, and indeed lending a helping hand to others in the area who one does not personally know.

So the next time you see someone approach a porch and come away with a parcel, it may not be a Fedex or Amazon porch pirate. Instead, it could be the person named on the package being given away via the Buy Nothing service.

Rethinking "back to normal" when Covid-19 dwindles

At all levels of governance, United Nations, USA President Biden, many governors among the 50 USA states and perhaps among the territories, as well as from the mouths of (big city) mayors there is recognition of value in and pledging to "build back better" with a minimum wage that lifts a worker with a family above the statutory annual income poverty line (definition). Examples are the policing habits and mandatory sentencing (social justice), higher education and health care as a basic right (regardless of ability to pay), unequal access to clean air and water (environmental justice), and obstacles to building generational wealth ---burdens touching all lives, but proportionally more costly for those starting with fewest financial, informational, and social resources to drawn upon. In other words, using pre-Covid standards as the benchmark for restoring a state of 'normal' is not sufficient, not desireable, and not right.

 

In the video clip the carillon that plays at noon and again at 6 p.m. on weekdays at this church evokes many things about the pre-pandemic routines of the week that formerly comprised normal, proper, and generally pleasing parts of the social landscape. For example, the church annual cycle of events was one set of calendar markers that structured many residents' year. Dining out, vacation or business travel, and the many functions of consumer society all filled people's imaginations, budgets, and schedules. Focusing on the front end of those processes --- choosing what to eat, where to go, what to buy for self or as a gift for others --- there used to be an element of hunter/gatherer thrill of the chase: spotting the thing to satisfy one's goal. To complete the circuit from idea to pursuit to purchase to consumption there used to be a set of conditions (pre-coronavirus) that were taken for granted and now (during the pandemic) have been either prohibited, ill-advised, or otherwise abandoned. There was the fuel burned in driving from retail place to place (in Covid times substituted to some extent by online browsing, wishlists, and deliveries). There was the recycle or landfill burden of transport packaging and retail boxing that is discarded. And psychologically there was the imaginary land of endless purchase, use, disposal; as if one's individual indiscretions and feelings of wanting, deserving, or feeling obligated to go out and get something was disconnected from carbon footprint, energy consumption, food waste, and all the other components adding up to the USA 5% of the world's humans using up 20 or 25% of the planet's energy.

So what might this "build back better" look like? The list of issues, above, touches on some examples that may be engaged with seriously to find local expressions for attaining the goals and addressing wrongs of present and future (maybe even compensating for past wrongs, too). But from the experiential level of individual "life chances" or dreams and realities of people in all points along the social and economic status spectrum there will be other changes to look for; things that translate from the slogan level to the lived-in level.

For the sake of this argument and skipping over all the conflicts, obstacles, excuses, and special interest lobbying, suppose that minimum wage does go up and working hours go down. That could lead to more consumer activity - in direct contradiction to the Green Economy recognition that the carbon footprint must be reversed for this generation and for the burgeoning human populations on all continents that are yet to come. Not reining in the consuming of fossil fuels only worsens the extreme weather, expands the destruction of habitat --including water and air for humans, too--, and accelerates the extinction of diverse plants and animals of air, land, and sea (and non-salty waters, too). So from the experiential, first-person point-of-view, better laws and enforcement, along with income levels improving, results in individuals having greater social, economic, and aspirational reserves to face good times and bad, normal life and the times of disaster from natural source or human cause.

Supposing, further, that big consumers of the G-20 societies where much of the global energy and resources are used up (not just to survive, but for discretionary uses) were now to cultivate a mindset of conserving water, air, species, and material wealth (make it last, right to repair, barter and down-cycling before recycling). Then the limited resources and the renewable resources will be consumed at their HABU (highest and best use), rather than to be squandered in unsystematic, careless ways. At the personal level as well as at the organizational scale this new mentality would translate into amplified mindfulness about disposition of resource and its final disposal, and before that, careful use of the things one is in charge of using. Much more of the economy's services and products, and leisure pursuits will leverage the savings of time, knowledge/expertise, and fuel by using Internet for communication and engagement in a subject virtually instead of in-person, face to face.

Finally, if it were so that health care and higher/further education were guaranteed rights obtained in one's citizenship and in one's active contribution to society (paid or unpaid work, building rather than breaking the social fabric), then people from all walks of life could imagine bigger and better futures for self and others. The possibility of pursuing one's dreams would be actually within reach, unhindered by matters of net worth or generational wealth/poverty and social capital in the names and interpersonal debts and credits among the constellation of one's own contacts.

Taken all together, "building back better" instead of "back to normal" is exciting to think about. Some parts may actually take initial or even final form, but other elements will remain talking points to aspire to in the next generation of people participating in "the art of the possible," as the political arena has been characterized over the years.

Extreme weather in a big world with bad energy habits

 

about 8 a.m. on February 17, 2021: cold dashboard temperature

Reversing from the garage the car's thermometer on the dashboard showed 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3.8 Celsius) but within a couple of minutes driving to work the number fell little by little until stopping at negative five degrees (minus 20.5 Celsius). That is cold enough for one's breath to land on eyelashes and freeze almost instantly, producing a decidedly unpleasant sensation.

Somewhere it is written that the USA population comprises something like 5% of the planet's humans, but that those citizens (and the undocumented people, as well) consume about 20 or 25% of the annual energy budget around the world. And of those 5% of Earthlings the wealthiest 10% of the richness pyramid probably account for an outsized part of the fuel consumed and carbon footprint produced each day and cumulatively for each year: luxury services and goods tend to require more energy than items of an ordinary status, or indeed by comparison to the alternative of doing without such luxuries all together.

Therefore, so long as old habits persist for transportation, gift-giving, leisure pursuits, plug-in conveniences, and so on, the disproportionate spoiling of water, air, and habitats will go on until no more remains. Let us hope that enough people see the insanity and injustice; and that peer pressure, government carrots and sticks (incentives and disincentives) can transition the consuming public to think twice before making a purchase, flicking on an electrical switch, or jumping in the car for little or no reason other than boredom or aimlessness. Such a transformed mentality would lead to fewer single-use (disposable) products, fewer one-stop trips (instead combining errands and appointments and commuting), and less landfill discarding of uneaten food or unloved chattels.

Big car at big store - the Walmart Cadillac

Expensive cars and trucks at Walmart Super Center 2/2021
 

Mid-morning on a cold day early in February, there were maybe 60 cars scattered through the parking lot. Interpreting the demographic profiles of Tuesday morning shoppers based on the cars and trucks they drive is a very imprecise and impressionistic exercise unless there is a way to get to know the drivers themselves. But for the purposes of stretching a few analytical muscles, there is no harm that comes from guessing at some of the forces at play now 11 months into the Trump Virus (pandemic scourge of USA and world-wide).

Walmart presents itself in its origin story and present-day marketing in such a way to appeal to shoppers seeking the most product (or service) for their money. The overall vibe is "buy in bulk," "choose in-store brand," and be unpretentious, although there are selected name-brand items also sold under the same roof. So if bargain prices and budgeting are uppermost among many of the shoppers, at first glance it seems out of place to see a new-looking car, particularly one that is more expensive that a modest or basic model: the Cadillac line of GM (above), or a European car, for example.

There must be many ways to interpret this scene of a pricey car (in 2020 MSRP of $75,000 -about the same price as an older house of 1500 square feet in the town) whose driver relies on Walmart for some of the products to use at their home or business. Here is a list of a few possible explanations, in no particular order. (1) Lottery or raffle contest winner - modest or big jackpot (at least one big winner lived in this town more than a decade ago). (2) Recent inheritance of financial assets or the vehicle itself. (3) Factory employee with discount or other incentives to allow purchase on easy and advantageous terms. (4) Budget-conscious shopper has saved enough money over the decades to finally purchase a car of her/his dreams (i.e. it is thanks to big-box retail stores like this one that the owner was able to buy this car. (5) The car is borrowed, is a rental,  is used for business, or was taken with a 3 year lease agreement such that the sight of an expensive car's driver shopping for inexpensive groceries is not anomalous after all: the appearance of great wealth is not actually true. (6) The car was bought or leased pre-Covid when income was good, but now with livelihood cramped or ended by the pandemic the once proudly owned transportation seems extravagant, but still it functions for transportation all right. (7) As a strategy for conserving a little wealth for someone seeking to qualify for Medicare to pay for nursing home, assisted living, or memory care, one's house and one vehicle are not calculated in the personal wealth inventory. So pouring some savings into a car that is premium price is one way to hold onto a little more owned wealth.

Whatever the real-life context that make possible this picture of a high-priced car parking at the budget-friendly Walmart Super Center, it is clear that there are many explanations that could apply alone or maybe even in combination. By contrast, though, most vehicles are modest and much less eye-catching. A few may look in very decrepit condition on the outside, but be maintained to a high standard on the inside. A few may be in the new years of their lifecycle. But most cars and trucks are somewhere between shiny and new on the one hand and falling apart on the other hand.

Spending time in the woods on the North Country Trail

 

[near the Rogue River state game area, Kent Co., Michigan]

On this Tuesday afternoon on February 2, there were Nordic ski tracks and boot-prints from perhaps 8 or 10 people since the most recent snowfall 5 days earlier. But on the two miles of the trail north and then going back to the parking area on Red Pine Road, just north of 18 Mile Road, there was no one else here. Most of the time in daylight, and probably all of the time in nighttime, the thousands of miles of North Country Trail (NCT) are undisturbed by people. This video clip illustrates the brief passage of a hiker, followed by abiding quiet for the rest of the time.

In recent years people around the world have recorded the ordinary sounds of forests they visit, https://timberfestival.org.uk/soundsoftheforest-soundmap/ And the practice of "forest bathing" (a complementary form of recreation or therapy to sunbathing), translated from the Japanese term (ShinYoku), also has attracted people into the forests both named and large along with others unnamed and small.

People's experiences of this habitat vary not just by season and the day's weather, but also with their relative depth of knowledge and familiarity with hiking and their personal limits, preferences, and interests. Some go on a segment of a long-distance (national) trail to add a notch to their walking stick. Others go at a quick pace for exercise mainly, but incidentally for the change of setting that it offers to  treadmill exercise. A few may be naturalists keen on observing plant or animal life as a refreshing change to engaging in human society. Still others may commune with nature and place value on abiding under the leafy canopy, not in a hurry to get to some predefined destination. Potentially, there are professional "gatherers" of wild mushrooms and other materials, too. So the relationships between people and hiking trails and the surrounding meadows, fields, streams, and forests are diverse. Turning away from the analytical parsing of "types," the empirical situation may well compound more than one type of relationship or motive among those who pass along the way. And the same person may shift their dominant motivation as they grow older or suffer serious or limiting health effects, too. So a composite picture of the people and the forest along this section of the NCT shows people of various ages, experience levels, and combinations of motivation and amount of interest in engaging and knowing the habitat and its many life forms.

In summary, those who show up at the parking area for a day-hike, or ones passing through on a multi-day trek form a subset of the wider population. During the pandemic Trump virus, outdoor pursuits have given coronavirus-chary people an outlet for their energy and attention as an alternative to quarantining or staring at Internet screens. But still there are relatively few people who go beyond a city or county park to walk on the NCT or another long-distance trail. Those who do hike, especially in bad weather (cold, wet, dark) seem to be respectful in their relationship to the habitat. Even if not card-carrying members of a conservation lobby or organization, they do seem to value the land and the life that goes on there largely unconcerned with human events in the world.

_____________________________
See also this view of one of the creeks that form the river's headwaters, https://archive.org/details/rogueriver2021headwaters

 

The experience of seeing unfamiliar writing or code

Suppose this were another form of writing seen only on frosty days.

Full disclosure: the photo is morning frost on a car hood. It is not a newly discovered rune or other form of written notation.

Imagination is a powerful thing, sometimes leading down the corridors of fear and paranoia, or the opposite direction to a place of confidence and sense of connectedness to all other sentient beings large or small. Taking this photo as a writing prompt: imagine that this pattern of sometimes perpendicular, sometimes linear, and sometimes angled lines represented music or computer code or, indeed, spoken language. What, then, is the experience of seeing unfamiliar writing?

Several responses come to mind to begin with: (a) this contains secret meaning and possibly is a sign of communication powers that exceed our own system, (b) what is it about; and might it be a threat or a benefit affecting me directly or in a more indirect way, (c) maybe it describes subjects that we in our own writing and thinking so far have not touched, (d) aesthetically, is this instance typical, low-brow or high-brow in learnedness, beauteous or instead inelegant, (e) with regard to the experience of reading this message, what does it "sound" like.

Taking the experience of reading a paragraph or entire short story in English, a beginning reader moves from syllable to syllable or from word to word. An intermediate reader jumps from phrase to phrase, from predicate to predicate. The most practiced reader operates at the level of whole ideas or threads of discussion, barely noticing words or even paragraphs as the entirety plays out in the mind's eye. In the same way for this "text" in the photograph, if one were an advanced reader of this language painted in the cold dark night to be revealed briefly before the morning sun makes it invisible again, then what would the message tell the reader?

Something less than 7,000 human languages exist now, down from a much, much larger number before the time of industrialization, mass-migrations and extraction of natural resources from land and sea. Every 2 weeks another language goes extinct when the last speaker has no one to listen, according to K. David Harrison, When Languages Die. Only about 120 of the languages have a writing system; all the others use the spoken and chanted and shouted and sung word to communicate across the generations. So the imaginary experiences sketched above as "the experience of seeing unfamiliar writing or code" probably happens here and there when people accustomed to life without writing do finally encounter a piece of text that is written by hand or has been printed.

Expanding on this linkage of abstract marks that can be interpreted to entire worlds of meaning, perhaps the day will come with the aid of AI and fast PC processors that we can "read" the chorus of birdsong, the melodies of whales and the other sea mammals, or even "listen to" the trees and fungi in their yammering and soughing.

Mainline churches in USA adjust to tides of social change

Freeze-frame from 28 minute interview on January , 2021

Each generation enters into church life differently, according to social conditions of the time and stage of one's own life, things that may be changing or that may be staying the same. The contextual meaning for worship and shared experiences is supplied by sources like the popular culture, educational system, one's own network of peers who provide a reference to life, and the arc of aging across one's life course. All these shifting circumstances color the unchanging Word of God as taught, read, studied, praised, and preached. Even though the lyrics and published text do not change, these surrounding meanings of life make the same habits of heart, the annual cycle of traditional church activities and one-time events, as well as the interpretation of scripture remain "alive" - not tried once and done, not tired out, not static, but a living word to fit each life; each moment in the flow of social history; and indeed the challenges to the organization and cultural institution itself.

The video recording of this conversation with Rev. Olson in mid-Michigan touches on the sea changes from his childhood church experiences of the 1960s-70s, then his years of seminary and internship in the 1980s and the decades since full-time work up to the present at one of the churches in the traditional mainline Protestant denominations, the First Congregational Church of St. Johns, Michigan. He describes the range of functions he serves; how the generational changes are reflected in the kinds of things worshipers value and seek; and how the tides of social change -- very most recently the months of Covid-19 pandemic suppression of face-to-face church life -- are undermining the 20th century routines and expectations for church membership and the fellowship inside the church community and outside, too, in the wider town and world of social relationships. The interview wraps up with a message for seminarians today and for both the clergy and the worshipers of five, 10 or 50 years from now: the message remains the same, only the times change. Rev. Olson says not to fret or feel beholden to the fixed Order of Service or to the building for gathering to worship. Instead, cling tightly to the message and enlist whatever media and working arrangements most successfully engage others.

There is documentary significance for recording this moment when churches, workplaces, and families beset by the transmissibility of the Covid-19 coronavirus have been meeting and communicating online rather than in person. Once the waves of death and economic ruin of the pandemic stop and the rebuilding of lives and livelihoods can resume, then some of the lessons and innovations of the online basis for social relationships and doing business in the pre-pandemic way will remain. New forms of interacting will rise up where the older habits once stood unchallenged. Stepping back from the documentary purpose of this conversation with a clergyman who has seen the 20th century structures in their prime now fading and the first signs of the 21st century structures rise up, there are a few observations to make from an anthropological point of view.

One observation is about Organized Religion's location and visibility on the social landscape, and about the its importance in the USA now: school sporting events used to begin with the national anthem and a prayer (especially before football, where there is risk of injury or worse), but now those practices are not ever-present; maybe the anthem, but seldom a public prayer - although individuals may still be in the habit to do so by themselves. And public meetings, committee work, and local governance in the public eye would also sometimes include a prayer. A majority of citizens were nominally enrolled as members at one religious institution or another, if not for guidance in one's personal spiritual growth, then for company in life's passage and the aura of propriety that comes with appearing dressed up at worship events. In military organizations, too, a designated clergy person would be invited to pray at certain points in the life of the company or battalion. The expansion of church services on radio and TV allowed those unable, unwilling, or possibly unwelcome from attending in person to stay connected from a distance to the teachings and melodies of the religious organization, too. And while cable channels (narrow-, not broad-casting) and Internet compete with the radio and TV forms of communication, the numbers of people attending and going beyond nominal attendance in a place of worship to get more actively involved dwindles year by year, generation by generation. In summary, religious organizations, their leaders, and their congregations are less prominent in their visible presence in civil society and public life, and less hearkened to by fellow believers and the expanding numbers of non-believers.

Another observation is about the place of religion in the diverse lives and livelihoods, as well as the community sources of belonging nowadays versus 20 years ago and before. "Cramming for finals" is one image for the tendency of people at middle age or older to develop an appetite for matters that go beyond self, and the material world. People often begin to notice issues, seek answers, or sharpen their interest in how to respond to misfortune in self and those one cares most about; in what happens after bodily death; in one's legacy to those who survive one's own demise; and so on. In other words, aging, a serious illness or accident, or loss of a loved one seems to bring religion into the foreground of a person's life. At the opposite end of the life course are the youngest members of society; some of whom are churched and others not. Growing up in a church makes everything about it familiar and easy to take-for-granted until adulthood. At that point a young person may sever their church ties, explore new ones, or begin to compare the World Religions as one part of the natural search for one's identity. Those with no formal religion during their formative years have fewer wrong notions or old habits to face in the search for a religious community that they can feel part of.

A third observation about the subject of religious life in this time of rapid changes in authority, sources of meaning, and models for living has to do with the function of religion in the society overall. There is much more to it than the generalization about religion being the "opium of the masses" as Karl Marx is credited saying about the many citizens congregating each week. Economically, a body of believers may benefit each other materially or by information shared and wisdom offered when making one's own decisions big or small. Spiritually, a church provides a place for individual and group expression in song, worship, and prayer. In life crisis (birth, wedding, funeral) a religious community shares the moment and facilitates the rituals that are part of these times. Educationally, an organized group of practitioners is able to host study groups, discussions, and programs of learning. Socially, an organized religion can provide social services to those outside (or within) the church. Politically, a formal organization like a church can assert a position, critique social injustice, and advocate for social changes.

All together the transitions that most churches are undergoing during the pandemic and even before that, in reference to the larger society's own changes, makes for a fascinating story. This video interview with Rev. Matt Olson gives a glimpse into these matters through the lens of one church during the past several decades.