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My mantra about the power of choice was put to the test today. I got fired by my health insurance carrier for late payment. In my total immersion in my latest book project I completely lost touch with the end of month deadline until today, when I realized it was now the 2nd. Well aware of the sticklers they are about requiring check payments to be postmarked no later than the final day of the month, I grabbed the phone to call the COBRA manager. I explained to her how I had forgotten and was prepared to pay over the phone with my credit card. “I’m sorry. Your coverage has been canceled,” she said.

“What!? Canceled!?” I knew I had pushed the envelope yet I didn’t expect the door would be slammed in my face so quickly.

“Yes,” she replied in a tone that told me I was not the first person she’d had this conversation with. She had been trained to not say much.

“Is there anything I can do?” I asked.

“No. I’m sorry.”

My instincts told me there was no fighting this and I graciously hung up the phone. I whipped out my choice to believe that this event was happening for my higher good. My rates had gone up substantially for this coverage that I rarely used and I had been dragging my feet to get another plan in place. Now I’m being forced to do that bit of homework. My next call was to the insurance broker I’ve engaged to asked him to send me the application we’d been discussing. As we explored my other options, he reminded me of a benefit I could take advantage of if I had plans to partner with someone in my business. How interesting that this would come up as I have recently begun talking with a friend about partnering on a couple of projects.

I received the online insurance application and immediately got busy with it. The quick quotes provided showed that I could expect to save a good $100 a month from what I had been paying. My friend and potential business partner happened to call me in the middle of all of this and it expedited our conversations about our projects in a big way.

So here I am now, fully aware that I am running around without health insurance. (Mom, I hope you are not reading this.) Irresponsible? Maybe. But am I at peace? You bet I am. You might wonder how I can possibly be at peace knowing that I’ll be up the creek if something happens to my body. My peace is a result of my choice to believe that something good is going to come from this little incident. I choose to believe that everything will be okay until I get set up on the next program. And hey, it just hit me that I’m saving $351 in the interim.

Am I advocating a choice for no insurance? Absolutely not. What I am promoting is the control that you have in how you experience life through your choices. I know that it is possible for something to happen that will require me to have medical attention in the coming days. I choose to believe it won’t. This choice enables me to sleep at night and be at peace. Yet who knows? I may require emergency attention tomorrow which will have proven me wrong. But that doesn’t take away the night of peace I gave myself.

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“May God bless our troops.” — George W. Bush

I read the transcript for Bush’s speech explaining his veto of the Iraq Spending Bill with cynicism and his closing statement in quotes here hit me as a most interesting diversion of energy. Then as I invited my mind to analyze why he would bring the love of God into a dialog about the best way to fund more killing, I realized that I did agree with Mr. Bush on one thing. God flows through everything—the good, the bad and the ugly.

This revelation also brought me to recognize the part I play in spreading judgment and anger in my own response to the war. How humbled I was to realize how frequently I speak out of both sides of my mouth. While I’ve answered my calling to teach about love, hope, purpose and change, I’m just now learning another lesson in forgiveness. I may not agree with Mr. Bush’s policies or decisions, yet that doesn’t mean I have to hate him. Like you and me, isn’t he just a fragile human being doing the very best that he can?

Have you ever looked back on your behavior at various points in your life shuddering as you asked yourself the question, “What the hell was I thinking?” If we can learn to forgive ourselves, we give ourselves the gift of inner peace. If we can learn to forgive others, we give ourselves the chance for global peace, even if the actions we’re forgiving aren’t in alignment with it.

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 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” — Jesus

“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man.” — Hillel

“Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.” — Muhammad

“What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.” — Confucius

The Golden Rule is a basic moral principle which has been taught throughout history in nearly all the world’s major religions and cultures.  If we all agree that a fundamental ethic in human life is to treat others as we would like to be treated, why do we continue to be at war?  How do we rationalize doing harm in a way that invites the same treatment back to ourselves and those we love?  What could possibly be more important than life and love that enables us to excuse ourselves for imposing acts of violence and murder upon our fellow human beings?

I know that I am in good company with those who abhor the war.  Yet it can be very frustrating because it often seems like it is a matter that is out of our control.  We can continue on subscribing to that mindset and feed our sense of helplessness that nothing will ever change until we get the right person in office.  Or we can take matters into our own hands and make that Golden Rule so strongly prevalent in our society that war becomes an unthinkable act for all colors of states.

We have with us now the challenge to push the power of our human spirit as far as we have seen possible with technology.  Anything is possible if we believe it can be and if we direct our energies towards it.  What can you do today, tomorrow and the days that will follow to promote the Golden Rule?