File Under "M"

I give no power to my nighttime dreams but sometimes my dreams are funny or interesting enough to record. Today is such a day...

"Welcome to i on the news. I'm Anna Fillipo. We're here with Mr. Ballych Turnstone, known to many as the 'trillionaire you've never heard of.'"

"Good morning, Anna."

"Good morning to you, Mr. Turnstone."

"You can call me B."

"All right, B. Tell us what we're all interested in hearing. Just how did you make your money?"

"Well, Anna, if I told you that, I might be giving away all my secrets. haha."

"Indeed. But that IS why you're here, isn't it?" Anna smiled and waited for a cue from the show's director in her earbud.

"Anna, I have a question for you. How healthy do you think you are?"

"B, I'd say I'm pretty healthy. Wouldn't you?" Anna winked at her guest.

"Anna, if you don't mind, I'll tell you what I see."

Anna nodded.

"You have a precancerous growth on the side of your nose. There's some plaque buildup in your arteries, which indicates to me a high level of cholesterol, quite possibly tied to heredity since I'm sure you carefully control your diet. You have cocaine in your bloodstream and..."

"Excuse me? I have what in my bloodstream?"

"Cocaine. Also a diet supplement that is banned called 'fen-phen.'"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Turnstone, but those are accusations or conjectures, are they not? You can't expect me to sit here and let you make these unsubstantiated comments, can you?"

"Anna, I'm quite right in this diagnosis. You see, my business is to know what's the matter with people. You asked how I made my fortune and this is how I did it."

"Uh-huh. Pardon me a moment. I want to assure my viewers, listeners and readers around the world that I am not a drug user. Mr. Turnstone's comments are his and he's free to make them. Now, back to you, B. What are trying to say here?"

"Anna, I care about you. I'm concerned about your health as I am about the health of all people. That's why I started the Holistic Healing Center, with satellite centers all around the globe. You see, when I figured out that the corporations and governments around the world were interested in the flow of money, I looked at the flow of money and figured we're all entitled to share in the monetary system. Now, 'entitled' and 'entitlement' are two different things here. I'm not saying that an entitlement is part of the system, simply that every person can participate if he or she wants to."

"Uh-huh. And this is tied to my live diagnosis how?"

"Anna, let me explain."

"Gladly."

"As a child of medical doctors, I have seen the power of healing firsthand. Some people gave credit to my parents for saving their lives but most gave credit to prayers and religious figures for miraculous cures. No matter what their symptoms were, real or imagined, people came to my parents' medical office with preconceived ideas about how they would recover."

"I can understand that."

"Yes, we're all convinced our world views are accurate, are we not? In any case, while growing up, I spent time observing some of my parents' patients. The number one thing that made a difference in healing rates was the patients' level of personal support and attention from others."

"Makes sense to me."

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Well, after compulsory schooling, I left my parents' house and took a three-year trip around the world. Everywhere I traveled, I discovered the same thing - local medical experts depended on their insight into their patients' lives for healing their bodies, oftentimes administering a placebo or set of rituals familiar to the patients and their families, but in all cases, involving close friends or family in the process of recovery."

"Interesting. And where all did you travel?"

"I traveled to every continent but Antarctica. However, I did correspond with scientists living in an Antarctic outpost and reached the same conclusions. The colleagues who felt closest to one another were least likely to develop illnesses."

"Almost common sense, isn't it?"

"Precisely. However, in developed nations we have pushed aside such information in the interest of scientific research and development."

"But so much has been discovered in the last 10 years. You aren't saying that modern science is hiding something, are you?"

"Not at all. I depend on such results myself. In fact, the Holistic Healing Center funds a research foundation. What I'm saying is that treating the body as a person, rather than pieces and parts, provides the most benefit to the patient."

"So how did the Holistic Healing Center get started?"

"Anna, I'm glad you asked. Have you ever visited a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple and looked around you?"

"Of course."

"What did you see?"

"Oh, the cathedrals of Europe are fantastic. I've seen temples in Asia that made me feel small and inconsequential but at peace with myself, too."

"As you should. The purpose of religion is to reach out to the whole person and that person's connection with other people in relation to the rest of the world. After I returned from my travels, I borrowed a small sum of money from my parents and set up the first Holistic Healing Center. I figured out that people who congregate with those who have the same interest tend to live longer and happier lives. At the same time, many people still get ill and need medical attention. By putting people in one place for both their common activities and health recovery, their sense of community grows."

"Sounds very positive."

"It is. Well, one issue I ran into in the early days of the center was government regulation. Local politicians wanted to know my purpose and what tax category to put me in. I had first thought about opening a medical clinic much like my parents but felt the financial burden, the overhead of malpractice and health insurance administration, was more than I needed to worry about. Instead, I formed a religious center."

"You did?"

"Yes, and I based purposes of the religious center on all the holy books of the world, going back to ancient times."

"So if your company has reaped you billions and billions, why can't we find a Holistic Healing Center in any town of this area?"

"That's the thing, Anna. 'Holistic Healing Center' is a name for a holding company. Because people are hard put to change their beliefs, I brought their beliefs to them in order to build their local sense of community."

"I don't understand."

"Well, many of the local centers around here are based on the majority religion."

"You mean..."

"Exactly. I have bypassed the whole problem of creating a new market. I have bypassed the problem of new government regulations. In other words, I took what people wanted and gave it to them. When some people think they're attending religious services, they're visiting my center. When some people think they're going to the health clinic for a checkup, they're visiting my center. When some people think they're going to a sports event, they're visiting my center. When some people think they're going to their job at the office, they're visiting my center. Your job, this studio, is one of my centers. Your network broadcasts my center's messages 24 hours a day."

"Are you kidding?" Anna heard her director say B was not kidding. "I mean, what are you saying?"

"Anna, I have stepped out of the shadows because I think it's time I worked the health side of my center a little stronger."

"How's that?"

"Well, by showing the people that they all work, play and pray for the same organization. Because of that, they have no enemies, no people against them, no hidden agendas. In other words, they are now one people."

"I see. Sort of a New World Order?"

"Not at all. People are still the same, aren't they, with their same beliefs? It's still the same world. Instead, I am showing the people that it's time to move past their beliefs that set them apart from one another. It's time to start seeing each other as supporting the world of people, not split apart. Only through making this transition can we reach the level of full health I know we're capable of."

"Wowee. That's a lot to take in, B. Seems like you're setting yourself up for a lot of criticism here. I mean, you're taking all these people's money. Wouldn't you think they'd want some of it back so they can figure out how to heal themselves or go off on their own three-year trek? I know I sure would."

"Ah, Anna. That's the misconception I want to clear up. Although the Holistic Healing Center was founded in my name, I hold no actual monetary value. All the money belongs to the Center. I planned to wait to say this but now's as good a time as any. Last year, the Center funded a private launch of a special probe to Mars. On board the probe is a declaration of independence with a claim that the Holistic Healing Center owns the planet. Later this evening, your network will broadcast a remote feed from Mars with more details of the declaration so I won't waste your time about it now. However, in answer to your question, all the Center's money has been converted to Martian currency. I have saved the planet Mars for the people, giving our species a future that any one or combination of Earth-based governments cannot promise in the next few years."

Anna whispered loud enough for her director to hear. "Is this guy serious?" Her director gave her the affirmative. "Well, B, this is more of an exclusive than I thought. I appreciate you picking my show to make this announcement."

"No problem, Anna. I felt like you'd be the most amenable to my plans."

"Amenable?"

"Yes, I'd like you to join me on my trip to Mars to establish the first co-executives of the planet. As leader of the new world, I want an equally-ambitious person by my side. To meet the general understanding of a monogamous relationship in our species, I think we should also be married."

"Married?"

B dropped to his knees. "Yes, Anna. Will you marry me?"

The director told her the answer she already knew. "Umm, B, seems I have no choice. You've really put me on the spot here. Yes, I will marry you."

B stood up and reached for Anna's hand. "Anna, you've truly made me the happiest man in this solar system. Now, let's get your person healed so we can prepare for our trip."

"Folks, you heard it here first. Not only does Ballych Turnstone ...B, that is... run Earth, he has just declared his executiveship of our neighboring planet, Mars, and I am to be his bride. With this new adventure in mind, I look forward to bringing you broadcasts of my preparation for space travel and my life on the red planet. Until next time, this is Anna, your friend and confidante, saying farewell."