I'm feeling so much better -

Yay - I am feeling so much better. This morning, I made Rhonda listen as I went down this checklist of things I had done:

Meditate ✅
Spiritual reading ✅
Journal ✅
Visualize health ✅
Pulled tarot card for the day ✅
Listen to Solfeggio Frequencies ✅
Add flower essences to water bottle ✅
Apply aromatherapy oil (Frankincense) ✅
Took prescribed allopathic medications ✅
Ate my daily banana for potassium ✅
Took and recorded blood pressure and heart rate (both fine) ✅
Used tuning forks for energy ✅
Applied holographic discs sent by a dear reader ✅
Put elestial quartz and danburite in pockets ✅
Put on healerite and golden azeztulite pendants ✅

Gee, I said, which one(s) do you think are the ones giving me the best support?
Neither of us knew. I will just keep doing all of them for now.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

You're no spring chicken!

For reasons unknown, these words from my mother were floating in my mind yesterday. When I reached my late twenties and remained unmarried, my mother starting saying to me, "You have to remember: you're no spring chicken!" What she meant was the older I got the less appeal I would have as marriage material. At the time, I would just shrug it off and go about my business. Now, I think it's funny.

She meant well. She wanted me to be happy. She feared I would remain unmarried, a fate worse than death. Now when I think about it, I wonder where that expression came from. Didn't spring chickens end up in the frying pan? Is being a spring chicken a good thing? Is it better to be an old stew hen?

I don't know the answers to any of these questions. I just know I'm still not a spring chicken and it is okay with me.

What to do when you hit a snag

The channeled group of entities known as Abraham talks about living our lives downstream. "He" says too many people try to swim upstream and that puts them at odds with the way the energy is flowing. This is when we struggle and life is difficult. He says that when we let ourselves stay in the flow of the river, everything is easier, we're happier, and life becomes joyfully manageable.

I'm not one to argue with a wise group of entities; however, I have noticed that we can be doing a great job of letting ourselves follow the stream of life, having a jolly time, when all of a sudden we're snagged by a hidden branch. There we sit in the middle of the river of life while everyone else floats past.

We could be snagged by a relationship turning sour, a job or business loss, sudden financial crisis or - as has happened to me - totally unexpected health issues. What to do?

The most important thing to do when we hit a snag is to let go of struggling because the more we struggle against the snag the more it digs in. Then take measured actions that could release you from the snag. This means taking a good look at how you're snagged and what movement could release you. It could also mean hailing down a fellow traveler and asking them to help un-snag you!

Once you're on your way again, try to stay in that place of not struggling, even if you hit another snag! Truthfully, we all hit snags once in awhile. It is inevitable. It is part of life. Hopefully each time we hit one, we learn something about how to better avoid them as well as how to disentangle ourselves!

I got hit hard

If the Universe is trying to teach me compassion, it is doing a good job. However, the lessons can stop now because I think I am already pretty compassionate. Over the weekend, I got hit hard with food poisoning. We've all faced this at one time or another and it is a very uncomfortable experience, especially when I am dealing with other issues. And I find it interesting that while I am dealing with my physical challenges, our country is dealing with the issue of health care.

As I am sure is true for you, it is incomprehensible to me that a plan was submitted that would mean millions of people would lose their health insurance. I think we all wonder who these people are who put the plan forward. Don't they have hearts? Are they so cut off from their feelings that they can't see  how harmful their plan is? Do they even care? In addition to fixing the entire health care system in our country, even more important right now is to help these people learn how to feel again. They will never come up with something compassionate as long as they are cut off from their feelings.

I saw one video where a mother showed her representative a picture of her adult daughter who has cancer and who is still working so she can pay her bills. The representative physically recoiled when she saw the picture. The mother said, "Please don't vote for this bill. If you do, my daughter will be thrown off her insurance and she will die."

More and more scenes like this are playing out and I think this is what it will take to wake up enough of the politicians so they can see they are touching the lives of everyday people, good people, people who deserve better than what they are proposing. If you have a story to tell, be sure you tell it to your elected officials. The more they have to face the reality of being a "regular" person, the sooner they might open their minds and their hearts.

And I think it is important for them to realize that they or their families could be affected negatively in one second. Suddenly they could lose everything. Just like my eating a dried apricot threw me into several days of being ill with no prior warning, something could happen to them or their loved ones that could suddenly change their lives significantly. They would be wise to consider this in their decision-making!

Life is fragile

When I was speaking with a wise woman once time, she said to me, "Most people forget how fragile life is. Everyone is an accident away from being disabled or dying." At the time I remember thinking how morose this was. What a negative way to view life. What she said, however, is true.

No matter how positive we are, no matter how healthy our lifestyle and habits are, we don't know what the future holds for us. We don't know what path our soul-self wants us to take. And we don't know this for other people, either.

What this means is we need to treasure our lives every day. No matter whether we're having a good day or a challenging one, we're still getting to have another day on this beautiful planet. Yes, I know, lately this has been a somewhat confusing place to live, but it can get better and whether it does or not, we can still honor the fragility of our own lives and live them as fully and beautifully as we possibly can.

Appeal to their self-interests to get something done.....

Several years ago when I was the executive director of the senior center in Monroe, Washington, I spoke to the city council appealing for continued approval for some funds we needed. We had set up an in-town shuttle service to help older people who needed help getting around to go to doctor's visits, shopping, and socializing. The city had given us a grant and it was running out. Without this continued funding, we would have to disconntinue the service and many seniors would suffer because of it.

The same day I was to speak to the council, an older man had been driving his car in downtown Monroe, had a medical emergency and plowed into a store. Fortunately, no one was hurt. There was, however, significant damage to the building and to the man's car. I used this incident during my presentation to show why it was a good idea for the senior center to be able to continue offering this service to the seniors in our community. We could help more of them who shouldn't be driving and this would enhance the safety of the whole community.

The city council members weren't quite as impressed as I had hoped they would be. I could tell they were not viewing helping the senior population as a top priority. So I said this.

"As I stand here and look at you all this evening, I see some grey and white hair on some of your heads. How long do you think it will be before you need a service like this? Right now you feel invincible, like you would never have to stop driving, get sick, or need some type of help. Truthfully, though, there are only two possible outcomes. All of us either grow older with all aging requires or we die.

'If you're one of the lucky ones who lives a long life, don't you want a service like this to be here for you? Won't you appreciate it if your city council had the foresight to provide the funding for the program that would help you get around and maintain your independence?"

They looked at each other. They took a vote. They approved the funding for another year.

Maybe we need to do this more with our other elected officials. Instead of them seeing poor people as "other," we need to help them see they are only one disaster away from needing Medicaid, Food Stamps, or a government-funded clinic. Maybe if we appeal to their self-interests, we can help them do the right thing and be all-inclusive.

This healthcare mess makes me sad

It is difficult for me to fathom what lawmakers are thinking these days. It feels like they have gone crazy and are so scared of losing power and control that they are out of touch with regular people. I don't understand the attack on women's health care - don't they have daughters and wives and sisters and women friends? Don't they want all of them to have decent, affordable healthcare?

As a small business person, I didn't have insurance coverage for years and this is one of the reasons I didn't seek treatment when I fell back in 2011. In retrospect, I should have gone to the local clinic or emergency room and thrown myself on their mercy. I suspect more people will be doing that soon and our hospitals will be underwater trying to meet the healthcare demands of their local communities.

And what is this hatred towards Planned Parenthood? They provide so many healthcare services for women. Don't these lawmakers want women receiving this care? As far as abortion goes, federal money isn't used for abortions so this is a nonissue that they are making an issue. Abortion is legal. It saves women's lives every day. And now I understand "they" not only want to withhold safe abortions but they also want to withhold birth control. Ah, the good old 1950's: keep those little gals barefoot and pregnant. But only those with lower incomes. The little ladies who are with the guys making the big bucks will be able to afford birth control as well as safe abortions that will be called by another name.

When Jyotish and Devi the spiritual directors of Ananda Worldwide were here last week, someone asked about what's going on in society today? What's all the craziness about? Certainly we know it has to do with the current Yuga we're in, but I love what Jyotish said: "What you're seeing right now is dinosaurs on steroids!"

And we all know how that turned out for the dinosaurs, don't we?

We can't go back

Thanks to everyone for your supportive responses to yesterday's post. I had a very good visit with the cardiologist yesterday. I had written out all my concerns and gave her a copy to look at while I went through the points I wanted to make. She felt badly that I wasn't doing so well and changed some of my medications which we both hope will help (from the allopathic point of view!). We also discovered there had been some misunderstandings between us as to the goals for my treatment. Let's see how the next week goes.

In yesterday's mail, I got a review book in that won't be published until October 10 this year. But I'm going to mention it anyway. It is called Ageless Soul by Thomas Moore. Along with Ram Dass, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra (and me), Thomas Moore is experiencing the aging process and shares some of his views about how we can live with joy and purpose at any age.

One of the things he says is if we fight aging (and he sees that as different from getting old), "...and complain about its downside, you may be miserable for the rest of your life, because aging is one thing that doesn't get better. If you can be with it now then you will be equally at peace when you're five years older. If you can just be with what is, you have a good starting point and a base. Then you can do other things to improve your situation. Don't get lost longing for a past golden age, and don't yearn for a different future.....aging is an activity. It is something you do, not something that happens."

This reminded me of something Roman Karzniak said in my Keeping It Real interview a few weeks ago (www.newspiritjournal.com). He said we need to acknowledge all the little deaths that happen in our lives. He said that when a person turns 30, their 20's have died and will never be back. Our culture doesn't support our seeing things this way.

Where all of this took me today is here. My life has changed. In some subtle ways, I have been seeing myself returning to what my life was before I had this heart condition and my back condition from a few years ago. That isn't going to happen.

This doesn't mean I won't get better. It doesn't mean my life is anywhere near over. It only means things have changed and the best way for me to incorporate those changes is to embrace all the learning from my past and take it with me as I move firmly into the present and future. And this can mean my life is going to be even better than it was before - it all depends on how I live and process what is currently on my plate. Bon appetit to me!

I think this is the hardest thing I have ever done

If you've read my memoir Anything is Possible, you know I've done some pretty difficult things and I've been in some pretty gnarly situations. I think that this healing journey I'm on is the most difficult to date - or at least it is right up there near the top three.

You would think that it is would easier to deal with something in your own body-space because it is close to you. I think it is easier to deal with financial, relationship, or career troubles. They are outside your personal space and you can stand back from them, strategize, and implement actions.

With healing of the body, everything is affected - thinking, feeling, acting, energy - everything. Some days, I get very discouraged and wonder if I will recover from this or if this is my new normal. Fortunately, I can still do most of my work and I work from a home office which makes it easier for me. But I am nowhere near 100% of my usual operating capacity!

Please comment below if you've been through this sort of thing. How did you get through it? How did you keep from losing hope? No platitudes, please, and only comment if you've been through something similar not just as a witness to someone elese's journey. This isn't just for me. There are several people who read my blog and are going through healing journeys of their own.

Thanks - I am curious to read your responses, if any!

I just caught myself what-if-ing!

At least I can laugh about it. I just caught myself in a long thought process of what-ifs. Not good what-ifs, either. I realized I had relaxed my mind and just let it go where it wanted to go and it chose Avenue What If!

Once I recognized what I was doing, I immediately reversed everything. I took every negative and scary what-if and turned it into the opposite positive one. I don't know anyone who doesn't do this from time to time. The trick is to catch ourselves quickly and turn it around. If we don't do that, we run the risk of making ourselves miserable over things that might or might not even happen.

This shows me once again how important it is to stay conscious of my thoughts. There's nothing wrong with considering all outcomes of any situation and being prepared for possible negative ones. Done consciously and deliberately, this can be helpful. However, letting the mind ruminate over possible negative outcomes like a cow chewing its cud is not helpful to anyone - least of all ourselves.

How can we embrace uncertainty?

This was my topic when I was on the Conscious Talk radio show with Brenda Michaels and Rob Spears last week. You can listen to the show in the archives at www.conscioustalk.net if you're so inclined. In the big picture, we're all facing a lot of uncertainty right now. In each of our little worlds, many of us just aren't sure how things will turn out.

Will my heart condition heal? Will I ever breathe normally again? Will I get my energy back? Will I walk easily again? Is the treatment plan layed out by my doctors the right one? I honestly don't know the answers to these questions and that is cause for feelings of uncertainty.

Here's one of the thoughts I shared:

Maybe things will change for the better and maybe they won't. No matter what happens, I will get through this.

I also find it helpful to write down all the things that ARE working in my life. When times get tough, it is easy to focus so much on what needs fixing that we forget all the things that are working just fine.

If you're facing some sort of difficulty, take a few moments today to write down what is working and focus on that if you catch yourself worrying or despairing of those things that are not quite so good. This can change your energy and the results you're getting. I'm going to go do it right now!

Humming?

Perhaps you know of Jonathan Goldman and his wife Andi. She is a psychologist and he is a well-known sound healer. Together they just released a book about how we can use humming to have greater health and happiness. Although he is a big proponent of the use of tuning forks and other healing sound devices, he has discovered the incredible power of the human voice when it is simply humming.

I have heard other people say we can use humming to calm ourselves; but, his research takes this to an entirely new level. What a great low-cost, self-directed, and approachable way to raise our energy. I tried it a bit yesterday and found it very soothing. And I remembered that my mother, who was a musician and teacher, used to hum all the time when she drove us somewhere in the car. I wonder if she knew this instinctively?

I've mentioned listening to the Solfeggio Frequencies and how I like to do that every day. I wonder about humming along with those frequencies to enhance the effect. Can't hurt so why not!

I reviewed the book for this Sunday's New Spirit Journal, but if you want to find the book sooner, it is called The Humming Effect. I'll let you know how it goes for me!

Going around in circles

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like I am going around in circles. Lately, that's had to do with my being the perfect patient, in my not-so-humble opinion, and not seeing the healing results I think should be there. A visit with the doc today will, I'm sure, bring some clarity for one of us at least.

But I am also thinking of other areas in life where we work and work on something only to see the same issue arise once again. It could be falling for the same type of person in relationships, continuing to attract the same sort of soul-destroying job or boss, or the bank account that refuses to stay full. After awhile we begin to feel like we're on the hamster wheel going around and around. But we're not.

Life does not move in circles. It moves in spirals. Each time we revisit an issue or situation, we've grown. We understand more. We get to attack our issue with renewed fervor, grace, and commitment. The next time you feel like saying, "Oh, darn it, I've done it again. When will I learn?" say this instead.

"How is this time different? What do I know now that I didn't know before? How can I apply what I have learned?  I am in a growth spiral, not a circle." Then celebrate and dig in once again.

Here's a picture of an ammonite fossil I have. It is said these creatures lived in the seas between 240-65 million years ago when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. I meditate on this piece when I want to remember that I am moving in spirals, not circles, and that growth can take time. Isn't nature amazing? Maybe I'll show it to my doc.

Trust the process?

Have you heard those words before? I have and I try to live them, but sometimes it is difficult. Trust what process? What if I don't like the process? What if I think there is a better way?

When we're healing any situation whether of body, mind, or spirit, there is a process we have to go through. The challenge is that no one can sit us down and explain point by point what that process will be. Life can be a mystery. So when we say we are trusting whatever process we're living through, the focus has to be on trusting!

Like a fish on a hook, the more we struggle against it the deeper the hook goes in. If we relax, maybe the hook will release on its on and set us free. Trusting the process means relaxing into whatever is happening knowing it is for the best and highest even when it sure doesn't look that way!

Sometimes I forget - do you?

Awhile ago, I mentioned the book Everyday Blessings by Alan Morinis. The book is about the Jewish spiritual practice of Mussar where you take a quality every week and focus on it. One doesn't have to be Jewish to practice Mussar and I decided to take it on for the next year. Last week, my quality was humility and this week it is gratitude.

If you're like me and I suspect you are, you've made gratitude lists or kept a gratitude journal more than once in your journey to date. How often, however, do you remember to be grateful during your day and to be grateful for the ordinary things? It's really easy to get busy and forget to live from the place of gratitude even though we know doing this can be life-changing.

This week, I am going to focus on even the little things - like walking across the room and being grateful to the carpeting that is there. Even if it needs to be vacuumed, why not focus on the fact that it is there supporting my walking from one end of the room to the next.

Thank you to the great coffee maker that provides the delicious cup of coffee I enjoy in the morning. And notice I am saying thank you to inanimate objects, not just for them. Even inanimate objects have consciousness of their own! Being grateful to them can change our life energy in amazing ways.

As for the troubles and challenges, it's easier to be grateful for them when we can acknowledge we don't know the outcome yet. Maybe this particular challenge will prompt us to say, "That was one of the best things that ever happened to me." Maybe having this particular challenge saved us from something much worse! And maybe by approaching them with gratitude, we can turn our troubles into joys!

Yes, they are - and in more ways than one!

 As I said yesterday, our troubles can be initiations - and in more ways than one. For me, not only are my physical challenges deeper initiations into trust, self-acceptance, and mystery ("Why the heck is this happening to me?"), I am recognizing I am being given the opportunity to let people help me. For years, I have been the helper, especially when I worked at the retirement community and the senior center. I can't begin to remember all the times I helped someone walk down a long hallway, fetched a food item during a meal so they wouldn't have to get up from their seat, and offered emotional/spiritual support when the person felt discouraged and sad.

Every time I helped someone, my heart grew. I was helping myself as much as I was helping them. Now it's my turn to accept help when I need it. Yesterday, I went to the meditation retreat/workshop at Ananda in Bothell and the help and support I received was heart-touching. (Yes, I am noticing how often the word heart is showing up here.)

The parking team made sure one of the close parking spaces was held for me by putting my name on it! When I needed a little bit of extra support walking down a sloping area, someone was there to lend me her arm. People opened heavy doors for me. And my good friend Martha was there for support when I walked to and from the Yoga Hall for lunch. And, of course, everyone was happy to see me since I hadn't been there in awhile, and they made me feel very welcome.

For those of us who have always been the helpers, this reversed role isn't easy to accept. For right now, I am recognizing I need help sometimes and allowing myself to graciously receive it. Not only am I letting myself grow in a different way, I am giving others the opportunities for service that I have enjoyed over the years. It is win-win.

Of course, I like to see this as a temporary situation and maybe it is. I am also learning how long this initiation lasts isn't up to me. One day, one hour, one moment at a time is what I focus on - another initiation, I guess, learning to let go of control and of time. Hmmm...the more I look at this, the more it's feeling like a quiz of some kind. Is someone asking me to show I know how to live the concepts I have written about and taught for the past 30 years? If so, I hope I am passing the test!

What if our troubles are initiations?

What if instead of seeing our challenges and difficulties as something to be endured and conquered as quickly as possible, we saw them as initiations? What if that financial difficulty, that health challenge, that relationship issue is your soul wanting to move you to the next level of growth and experience?

As much as people like to romanticize the idea of initiations, they are anything but romantic. Being initiated into a new level of understanding, a new level of beingness, is difficult. It requires all our past skills and life experiences to support us.

In movies, we think it is great when our hero or heroine faces great difficulty and succeeds. But when we're faced with difficulty we whine and ask, "Why me? What did I do wrong that I have to tackle these problems?" What if the problems are signs we've done everything right? What if our troubles are beckoning us to a new level of spiritual growth and experiences?

I'm going on retreat today and will sit with these questions to see what bubbles up.

"Every day in every way, I am becoming better and better."

This is one of my favorite affirmations because it covers everything and is one that my subconscious doesn't try to fight too badly! This morning I was feeling discouraged again because I don't feel I'm making the progress I "should" be making. Never mind that the cardiologist is happy with my progress and says I have to have patience. Easy for her to say - she isn't going through this: I am!

An aside: the ongoing joke in this house when I start to rail against the medical profession too badly is this. "And how was this issue addressed when you were in medical school and you got your MD?" Point taken.

Anyway, sometimes when I feel less than stellar meditation doesn't help because my mind won't focus enough to calm down. What can help me is listening to one of my affirmation mp3s. I pulled out one by Dr. Bernie Siegel - a leading healing expert. It's called Healing Images. There's about a half hour of spoken healing affirmations and another of subliminals underneath classical music. One of the ones used is "Every day in every way, I am becoming better and better."

I offer this to you to use if you find yourself in a situation that isn't quite to your liking - yet! We might not have reached the finish line - yet. Life might not be exactly the way we want it to be - yet. But as long as we don't give up, as long as we keep doing the best we can, we can truly say: Every day in every way, I am becoming better and better!

And if that doesn't work for you, try this: life could be worse - at least I don't work in the White House.

Get a little black book

We've all heard about men who have little black books with the names and phone numbers of women they date. I have a little black book and sugggest you get one, too.

Mine is a Molskine and I've had it for years. Instead of phone numbers or names, it has uplifting thoughts and affirmations. As I have read various books and come across statements I found particularly helpful, I would write them in my little black book. I put the book in my purse. At any time, I can pull out my little book and read something that uplifts and inspires me.

Truthfully, I have three little books: black, blue and purple - but it is the little black one I use the most because I have had it the longest and it is a true friend. Yes, I have tried putting such quotes and ideas in the notes section of my phone, but there's something about seeing the ideas in my own handwriting that sparks the greatest feelings of comfort and upliftment.

I opened the book at random to offer you a thought for today. "I am divinely led, I follow the right fork in the road. God makes a way where there is no way." -Florence Scovel Shinn, The Secret Door to Success

Creative healing

Recently, I posted a video in the Keeping It Real section at NewSpiritJournal.com where I visited with creativity expert Cathy Wild. It is the first in a series of interviews I'm doing about creativity. One of the points both Cathy and I made in the video is that creativity isn't restricted to the arts. Too often people think they aren't creative because they don't draw, sing, dance, or write. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Here's one of the ways I have brought creativity to my healing process. Maybe there will be an idea here you can apply to something in your life. Because my heart is beating irregularly, fluids had built up in my lungs, not a good condition to have. Before the cardiologist will do anything to help my heart beat regularly again, this fluid has to be gone (for various reasons I won't bore you with here).

I asked myself what I could do to enhance the drug she has me taking. I remembered that one time when I was manager of a retirement community one of the residents had left her faucet running for almost a day and water had seeped into the walls and into the apartment below hers. The place was a mess with wet carpets and walls. I called a company that specialized in clean-up for such situations.

After vacuuming up as much of the water as they could, they set up large fans and space heaters to help dry out the area. Aha! A clue for me. I pulled out some paper and markers and I drew a picture of the inside of my lungs. Then I drew in a big fan and a large heater and told my body this represents what needs to happen. We need to dry out my lungs! I swear it has helped!

I don't draw so I'm sure my picture doesn't look like lungs look. That doesn't matter. The message got through loud and clear to the cells in my lungs that this is what I want to have happen.

Is there an area in your life where you could use such a creative approach? Maybe you won't draw something. Maybe you'll write or sing or dance....or ???? Let me know what happens if you give this a try. And do watch the video I mention above - lots of great ideas there!

I was shocked to learn this.

Maybe you knew this but I didn't. In reading the book Cell-Level Healing by Joyce Hawkes, I learned that we share 50% of our DNA with bananas. Yes, bananas. I knew we share 98% with chimps, but 50% with bananas? That's a lot.

I'm not sure what to do with this information other than to be a little more respectful of bananas and a little more humble about my humanity. Do with this what you will. I just find it fascinating.

Please don't do this.

I know you mean well, but please don't do this. When someone shares they are having some sort of difficulty, many people's first response is to say something they think is supportive. "Oh, I had that problem and solved it easily." Or, "I had a friend who had that thus and so and it's no big deal." While we think this is supportive and reassuring, we don't know the person's entire situation and what we're saying might actually make them feel inadequate or despairing of their situation.

Here's what works better. "I'm sorry you're having thus and so difficulty. That must be hard. Please let me know if there is any way I can support or help you." This leaves it open to the person being able to ask for specific assistance from you while letting them know you feel compassion for their situation.

There's lots of people going through various difficulties right now and we can best show our support by offering a compassionate response rather than one that minimizes their suffering.

Some people are happy. For many this is a sad day.

For the moment, it's official: our country has taken the position of not being a team player with the rest of the world when it comes to climate change and our avoiding the negative consequences that seem to be coming our way. I know there are many people who think climate change is a hoax, so they are glad to get out of the Paris agreement. For others, they believe doing this will save jobs here in the United States.

But for those of us who believe climate change is real and that the United States needs to do our part to heal the planet, this is a sad day. The decision speaks to much more than only climate change and the environment. It speaks to a larger issue where as Steve Miller put it: the alpha males are back and in charge. The problem is that when they are in charge everyone else gets trampled.

I looked at the photo of the Rose Garden at the White House where the audience watching the President make his announcement was shown. I saw no people of color at all and few women. I saw few young men. Mostly, I saw older white men. As I looked at the picture I could only ask myself: What are they going to tell their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren if their position is proven wrong? What if by these recent moves against the environment irreversible harm is caused that their progeny will have to deal with? What will they say to them?

And because I believe in reincarnation, I also have to wonder how many of these older white gentlemen will have to come back and live through this mess they are creating? I have to believe in cosmic justice.