“We won't be in a position to make permanent progressive changes until the bad governments are changed permanently into good governments. And all governments are bad governments now and will remain bad governments until we have a global humanity.”

The words are those of Mark Haywood, in an email to me last week about my column, “Embracing Ecological Realism.” I think the words nail it. And I would add that “global humanity” includes a connection to Planet Earth, to life itself. And my intention is to put these words in a political context that is free — so I pray — of cynicism.

The irony is that this is ancient wisdom. We used to know this, once upon a time. Then we got civilized and became conquerors. We are now at the end, or nearly so, of this dark, bloody path. And while global humanity’s next step is uncertain — we must plunge into a new way of being — the wisdom of our fathers and mothers can guide us:

“For instance, an Ojibway friend of mine gave me a sheet of paper entitled ‘Twelve Principles of Indian Philosophy.’ The very first principle on that sheet read as follows: WHOLENESS . . .”

Wednesday, December 16, 7-8pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom

Our agenda items for this one-hour meeting will be the following.

• Introduce yourself, and tell of one encounter you had with someone about Medicare for All (one minute each).

• Review of “Which Country has the World’s Best Health Care?,” by Ezekial Emanuel, followed by a brief discussion.

• Planning SPAN Ohio’s mission this coming year.

• Local fundraiser for SPAN Ohio in 2020; please rejoin as an annual paying member if you have not already done so.

• Yard sign discussion.

• Toast to Christmas / Hanukkah / New Year; break out your favorite beverage.

Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) is a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals in Ohio seeking fundamental health care reform in our state and country so that every resident is guaranteed full and comprehensive coverage. We advocate for the establishment of a public fund that would pay all health care bills without co-payments or deductibles. The plan that we call for is known as a single-payer health care system.

Let’s talk about  Mindfulness. Mindfulness is one of the main components of yoga and one of it’s biggest benefits. Mindfulness is PRESENCE. It is what Ram Dass talked about in his 1974 book Be Here Now. Eckhart Tolle expounds about presence in The Power of Now. Really, when you think about it, there is ONLY NOW, the present moment.

You’ve heard the saying “The past is history, the future a mystery and the present is a gift.” You cannot breathe in the past or future moment, only this one and the next and the next until your body dies. The breath is a constant that only exists in the now.

Here’s a great practice:

4 times a day, say at 10, 2, 6, and 10, stop what you are doing and notice your breath. You have to set an alarm on your phone or you’ll forget. Trust me on this.

 So 4 x/day, stop and notice 3 the breathes. Don’t change it, just notice it. Just 3 breathes. You can build to 5.

1.     One company benefits from HB 104.  The original version of HB 104and its predecessor HB 771tell a more complete story of the actors behind this bill. A single small private entity, eGeneration of Cleveland, had a heavy hand in writing the bill and is its major beneficiary. Language on their website confirmed this.