"Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion."
--Georg Hegel,
German philosopher
One of my favorite Gary Larson Far Side cartoons pictures a slump-shouldered older man in a soiled wife-beater T-shirt and an equally unkempt woman sprawled in a recliner behind him as he stands at an open apartment window screaming, "Passion!"
I wonder how many among us in today's hectic and distracted society can identify with that poor fella's cry to restore his long-lost passion?
So much of consequence that gets done in our work, personal lives and recreation directly involves the level of passion we feel.
One who is passionate about fishing, writing, carpentry, golf, cooking, or even another person finds not only the primary reason to create and advance in their chosen subject, but also to enrich their days and make the experience of existence worth the inevitable downsides.
Passion carries many people through challenging periods toward remarkable success primarily because they look past the amount of effort required to achieve whatever their desire might be. The resulting achievements simply come naturally, as they did with artists like Michelangelo, Monet and Mozart, as well as so many others whose passions continue to resonate across the ages.
We each have the capacity to create the type of life we want. The fundamental key to living our dreams and accomplishing goals lies in the level of passion we put into carving them into reality. Choose not to wind up like that fella shouting at the window.
Instead, follow the advice of philosopher Joseph Campbell: "Follow your bliss," which will lead to your passion.
Beware the scams
As sadly has become the case in times of all national emergencies, an army of scammers has been on the march since the arrival of covid-19.
Today, thanks in large measure to cell phones, computers and social media, we have scams involving banking, charity, tickets, lotteries and now the coronavirus crisis.
Cheats, liars and thieves: Talk about darker forces of the human spirit.
My daughter forwarded a list of some that have been circulating among civilian employees and military personnel of late. Thought I'd share these along with the admonition to take care when some hyena on the other end of the line is trying to get money or financial information out of you under the guise of helping.
One is a caller offering you a Covid-19 grant. The calls appear to be coming from different U.S. cities but the scammer will usually hang up when questioned in detail. Frankly, I'll just hang up on them when they began their spiel.
Then there's the BS artist pushing a cell phone mapping app to track covid-19. It's supposedly a ransomware application designed for Android systems which, when downloaded, says you must send $100 in bitcoin, or they will wipe your phone's memory. The scammers are reportedly able to listen through your microphone and use your camera to actually spy on you. They can also access text messages.
Facebook has scams that direct people to a site that claims they've been awarded a government grant to help with medical bills. When victims arrive at the page in question, the jackals request their Social Security number.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued warnings that include robocall scammers claiming to have covid-19 treatments or work-at-home schemes. The related recording may say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator or remove from their call list, but could only lead to more robocalls.
Any caller or emailer who claims they can get your check from the federal government earlier than usual for a charge is a scammer. Don't fall for any callers related to receiving your check, period.
Be aware of emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or unscrupulous "experts" pretending they have information about the virus. The latest information is available on the center's website.
Ignore phony online offers for vaccinations. There are no vaccines, pills, potions, lotions, lozenges, mouthwash, prescriptions or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure covid-19. The U.S. Justice Department has filed a restraining order against a website that claims to have a vaccine.
Scam artists also are preying on older people, particularly Medicare recipients, by peddling fake tests for the virus. Some victimizers are telling concerned seniors the president has ordered they be tested. And they just happen to have a test kit for sale.
Unless you hear a claim from a legitimate organization you recognize and they can prove it, just cut them off. Scammers will use email, texts, social media, phone calls and even door-to-door visits to lure you into their web. So be smart and report your suspicions to the state attorney general's office.
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly how you'd like them to treat you.
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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 04/05/2020