| Einstein wrote, "imagination is more important than | | | | lessen the pressure on societies that spurs |
| knowledge," and those words were never more | | | | instability and violence. If we saved trillions |
| true than they are today. Ancient mind/body | | | | worldwide each year on saved health care costs, |
| health technologies may offer much more than | | | | $20 billion would be hardly missed. We'd still easily |
| health. They may offer possibilities to recreate a | | | | be able to afford clean water programs and global |
| new world with more abundance and hope for all | | | | education programs that could also help stabilize |
| of humanity. According to modern medical | | | | the world, making us all safer and healthier. Global |
| research between 70 and 85% of all illness leading | | | | health is affected by poverty, as nations in |
| people to doctors is caused by stress (Kaiser | | | | extreme poverty pay little attention to |
| Permenente twenty year study). The United | | | | environmental laws, and may hunt extinct animals |
| States annual health care costs exceed one-trillion | | | | or decimate rain forests in order to earn money |
| dollars each year. This means that effective | | | | to eat and live on. |
| stress management techniques, if provided to | | | | A few billion dollars could pay for the one hundred |
| people en masse through education, business, | | | | square miles of solar cells in the Mohave desert |
| healthcare, etc. in an aggressive national campaign | | | | that experts say could supply "ALL" of the |
| to train our citizens in such techniques, could save | | | | electrical needs of the United States, and perhaps |
| our nation alone hundreds of billions in health care | | | | create technology that could be exported |
| costs year after year. | | | | worldwide. Also, by supplying all the electrical |
| Tai Chi & Qigong have been proven over | | | | needs with cheap renewable solar, we could |
| many centuries, including in emerging modern | | | | explore more efficient and effective electric cars |
| medical research to be powerful stress reduction | | | | that could be fueled by electricity supplied from |
| technologies. The results of this are found in | | | | solar collection, creating an absolutely non-polluting |
| studies like the one at UCLA indicating that Tai Chi | | | | economy eventually. In a world where oil |
| practitioners doubled their immune resistance to | | | | production has peaked and will only dwindle and |
| viral infection. Many studies also show Tai Chi can | | | | become more and more expensive, this is an |
| provide cardiovascular benefit, lowering high blood | | | | exciting possibility for all of us to have cheaply |
| pressure, and providing an effective gentle | | | | fueled personal transportation that will never run |
| rehabilitation therapy for those with heart disease. | | | | out. |
| So bottom line, we know stress costs us | | | | Global health & personal health are more |
| hundreds of billions annually in health care costs. | | | | closely related than one might think at first glance. |
| We know that Tai Chi & Qigong can help | | | | Holistic solutions are simple and make a great deal |
| millions lower stress levels and the deleterious | | | | of sense, once we look into the heart of |
| health effects of that stress. Yet, there is to date | | | | possibility, unclouded by cynicism that tells us we |
| no aggressive national effort to spread the | | | | are victims of "what is." We are not victims. By |
| knowledge of these health tools to the mass | | | | allowing our minds to explore possibility we |
| population through public education etc. | | | | imagine, "image-in" a new more expansive reality |
| This is a tragedy, not only because of the | | | | that could make our lives not only healthier, but |
| unnecessary health problems people suffer, but | | | | more exciting and profound. Einstein wrote, |
| for other important reasons as well. If the world | | | | "imagination is more important than knowledge," |
| employed these tools on a massive scale and | | | | and those words were never more true than |
| began to save the trillions of dollars they could be | | | | they are today. Dare to imagine what is possible, |
| saving, major global social and environmental | | | | and the veil separating reality from that vision |
| problems could be addressed with that money. | | | | becomes thinner with every new person willing to |
| It is estimated that for a mere $20 billion annually, | | | | step beyond the walls of limitation. |
| we could end starvation on the planet, which could | | | | |