Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified the 5 Stages of Death/Dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression & acceptance. I think a 6th one should be added. RESOLVE. It has two meanings: either be determinant or disintegrate. Acceptance is great, but it's passive and can lead to disintegration. It doesn't address, now what? Acceptance doesn't make you fine. Acceptance means there's nothing else you can do. Acceptance is taking it on the chin. Acceptance just leaves you hanging. Where's the determination to DO something about the end?  We've all been taught for decades to stop at acceptance. I say, NO!

Sitting on the couch and knowing/accepting that you lost something great can NOT be an ending stage. It's not just about YOU, it's also got to be about helping someone else. Being passive, by stopping at acceptance, could mean the difference between life and death for someone else or their quality of life.

235 years ago, a heroic, visionary and courageous group got together and created something unique. They believed that Divine Intervention led them. For roughly 190 years their utopia thrived, the tree of Liberty grew strong and wide. It was a shining beacon to the world. It stood for justice and freedom. It opened its arms to the huddled masses. It gave lost souls an umbrella--a chance at finding their own happiness. It was a phenomenon that changed the world. It was the goal that many dreamed about, worked and died for.

Alas, in 1962 a fatal decision was made. Kennedy's Vietnam action put the first acidic drop in the well. It led to revolt--a revolt that still reverberates today in the halls of academia and Washington. A revolt that has spent the last 40 plus years intent on destroying that shining beacon. It poisoned the tree from within. Withered, hallowed out with its roots sparsely covered, it has resolved into something else.

We can accept that what once was, will never be again. What we shouldn't do is sit idly by and wait for the termites to finish it off. We should RESOLVE (be determined) to either turn that tree into a communal haven for squirrels and become one, or plant a new tree. We should be DETERMINED that although that beautiful tree died on our watch through our neglect, the next one, won't. We should RESOLVE to get up off the couch, grab a shovel and start digging a new hole for our sappling because, I, for one, do not want to be a squirrel.

Which definition of RESOLVE do you choose?