“You look like you’re on your way to face a firing squad!”

I remember the moment quite clearly. I was in handcuffs and being escorted out of  the Environmental Resources Management (ERM) office building in Washington DC by the DC Metro police. Along with 53 others, I had entered their lobby, joined in chanting “Stop the Keystone Pipeline!” and refused to move when ordered to do so. We performed this civic duty to call attention to ERM’s corruption. Here’s the explanation as written by Chesapeake Climate Action Network:

“On July 26, 2013, 54 activists blockaded the downtown DC offices of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) to protest the firm’s role in reviewing the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. ERM was hired to write the State Department’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. But ERM failed to disclose business ties to TransCanada, the firm building Keystone XL, and over a dozen companies–including Exxon, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Total and Syncrude–with operating stakes in the Alberta tar sands. ERM is also a member of the American Petroleum Institute, the largest U.S. trade association for the fossil fuel industry.”

Perhaps I did look like someone on their way to a firing squad, as one friend said when he watched the video (linked below).

In that moment, etched in my heart and mind forever, I felt the gravity of the struggle and of what’s at stake. It’s nothing less than preserving a livable planet! It’s nothing less than acting in loving concern for all of the human family and for all living beings! Not only did I feel the weight of the struggle, I also clearly felt what is required from myself and from all those who see this struggle for what it is. With obscene amounts of money from Big Oil and Gas corrupting decision making at all levels and distorting the truth about climate change, half hearted efforts are useless.

Here’s another way I could  explain my demeanor. Once while wrestling with a decision, I asked

myself “What would Jesus do?” An answer came to mind immediately and quite vividly:

“Jesus would lay down his life!”

You can see for yourself what these thoughts and feelings might look like at the 3 minute 23 second mark of this video.

BTW, what would YOU do? What ARE you doing?