By Charlotte K. Jarmy
After a day of a falling Dow, a painful return of back problems and a failed attempt to parallel park, I needed a fresh message of hope. Some might say, “Look at the weather! Isn’t it gorgeous?” Yes - but weather-people are throwing around the dreaded “D” word, as in drought. Today’s Chronicle says Nancy Pelosi troubled the Jews because she characterized the war in Iraq as a failure. Not this woman. How high does the list of American dead have to go before the president says, “We have won the war?”
Despite my cynicism, I am squarely on the side of hope. Gosh, we made it through the first days of our early daylight-saving time without any more trouble for our farmers - now that the frost is over. I haven’t noticed any gigantic rise in the price of oranges. Little children walking to school on darker mornings haven’t brought any more predators out than usual. Of course, I sleep until it’s pretty light outside.
My wonderful hair-person friend, Diane, has taken off to help her daughter, her wounded vet son-in-law and their beautiful family of four little ones move to the welcoming state of Washington. In Washington, a wounded vet can get a great house for half the price of one in California, so I have to do without my hairdresser friend for two weeks. I’m not complaining; I have at least two dozen hats to choose from.
Before she left, Diane told me of a wonderful book that tells how you can get anything you want just by hoping for it. Yeah, well, I hoped I could do something with my hair. Forget it! Yet hope is the one thing we human beings have to make life sweeter, happier, richer. Right? So what do I gain when I write my yearly long-term insurance check? I don’t think I want to hope that I get sick so the insurance company will have to pay me. Nor do I hope they will reduce their rates next year.
Well here’s a reason to hope. I am a long-lost TM-er, as in Transcendental Meditation, but someone still has me on his list. Today I received an e-mail from a gentleman in touch with a large assembly of believers who have gathered to develop “coherent national consciousness,” as named by the Majarishi, to effect a change in our nation’s problems. There is scientific research published to document the reduced negative trends that have already occurred when as few as “the square root of 1 percent of a population practices Yogic Flying as a group.”
It came as a shock to me to see the list of benefits already accomplished. One: The United States forged a ceasefire on the Israeli-Lebanon border. Two: The November elections brought us new leadership working for peace. Three: We are now meeting with Iran and Syria to broker an end to the fighting in Iraq. Four: The United States is finally in serious negotiations with North Korea to put an end to the nuclear crisis.
Here’s the best prediction: When the number of Yogic Flyers reaches the square root of 1 percent of the U.S. population, more dramatic improvements will occur! Does that mean the Dow will fully recover, that the surge will not be needed, that the traffic on San Antonio Road will miraculously slow down, that a superb theater will be built on Main Street and that I will finally learn to parallel park?
Maybe, but don’t ask me to learn Yogic Flying or flying of any kind.
