The Last Scroll

Dr. Stone is a petite natural blond with intense blue eyes. She's dressed professionally in a black business suit, fitting for the status of her faculty position in Medical Anthropology at Harvard. She likes to add a touch of flare to her wardrobe with an unbuttoned white silk shirt beneath the suit and glossy white heels. In any crowd, she stands out as someone who knows what she is doing and where she is going. She smiles as she apologetically squeezes in behind Dr. Killian to interrupt his casual conversation with others in the line.
Excuse me. Dr. Killian! She gets right to the point and extends her hand to shake his, Julia Stone from Harvard. Do you remember me? I would like to meet with you after your talk today? Do you have any time?
Dr. Killian is a distinguished looking older gentleman, with full white hair, an upright posture, a crisp clear voice, and a penetrating stare. He has an unusual level of vitality, clarity, and good looks for his age of sixty-five. As Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health, the CAM Center, he has been around the block a few times in academic and administrative positions. He does not shy away from controversy, and in fact, invites it into his lectures more than most other accomplished scientists.
He was one of the forces behind the CAM Center and consistently cites the facts thirty eight percent of U.S. adults and twelve percent of children use some form of complementary care. Consumers have spent thirty five billion dollars on visits to CAM practitioners and purchasing CAM products, classes, and materials. The rising out-of-pocket costs for traditional medical and surgical care for Americans have lead to crippling financial burdens, medical debt, avoidance of care and caused consumers to shift their dollars to self-directed and complementary care. Because of this, he demands more funding for CAM research, and usually gets what he wants. Julia Stone worked with him this past year on a grant review committee involving this research.
He steps out of the crowded line for a minute to talk to her. "Dr. Stone. Nobody can forget someone as charming as you. I enjoyed working with you last year. Thanks for your efforts. There were lots of good grants reviewed, and I'll have you know that we funded several of those that you reviewed. I'm glad you're here. You'll like this meeting"
Julia is surprised that he remembered the grants she reviewed and even more surprised they were funded, considering how competitive the process is.
"Dr. Killian, please call me Julia," she says cordially. "I've been following the research involving the last Dead Sea Scroll with great interest. The ideas behind this Prophecy Scroll are compelling and the controversy can't be ignored."
"Then, you know about it,"he replies. "The knowledge from the last scroll is surprisingly universal and timeless. The research on it is compelling."
"Yes. I've actually visited the Terme at Brisighella, Italy and have seen first hand the power of this knowledge to enhance health and well-being. But, this research has stirred up a hornet's nest with the use of sacred religious documents as the basis for research into the human life force."Where are you going with it and how can I help?"
They politely step back into the breakfast line. He picks up some coffee and a whole wheat muffin while she selects some orange juice and a fresh plate of cut fruit. They take it over to a tall coffee table to continue their conversation. On their way over, a larger gentleman with short-cropped blond hair accidently bumps into him and spills Killian's coffee. The man apologizes and brings him a new cup. Dr. Killian thanks him, and returns to his conversation with Dr. Stone.
"Julia, and please call me Jack, as much as we know about treating disease, we know correspondingly little about enhancing health. It seems like we're in a losing battle. The Prophecy Scroll may wake people up to the advancing plagues in almost every domain of our lives and the slow dramatic decline of our planet. It provides tangible actions for individuals to prevent this demise and usher in a whole new era of promoting health and wellness, as well as support peace and prosperity. But, this will occur only if we prove it with science. I welcome the conversation, and the controversy."
"Dr. Killian, ah, Jack, the research you're funding is radical. You've even had threats. For what? Measuring the human spirit? I don't understand what the controversy is. The researchers are simply applying science to test the wisdom of texts from the Biblical era. Yet, some call the research blasphemy. Others, heresy. Some believe it's a threat to modern religion. Most call it a bunch of hogwash and mumbo-jumbo spirituality. Aren't you afraid of . . .
He interrupts her with an intense look, "Julia, I welcome skepticism, and the threats are empty attempts at getting publicity for their political cause. We had the same reaction with theories on evolution, stem cells, birth control, new life forms, and, even sending someone to the moon. They're missing the point. Some people fear that science may prove that some of the basic tenets that underlie their faith are different than scientific reality. They also fear the political change that may come with these new realities."
"They're fanatics," Julia complains as she sips her juice. "They have their own political and ideological agendas to push."
"Yes, perhaps. But, it's often that age-old conflict between science and religion that can stir people the most," Killian drinks his coffee after taking a bite from his muffin. "Even Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and many other scientists were all persecuted when their science conflicted with the religious ideology of the day. Religion seeks knowledge through revelation, faith, beliefs, and sacredness, whereas the scientific method relies on reason and empirical observation. They often clash, particularly as science advances and either validates or refutes long held religious beliefs.
"I understand, but death threats?
"People get their undies in a bundle for many reasons," he laughs. Then, he shifts his tone, "You've seen the results at the Terme Project. The human spirit is a powerful force and the basis underlying most religions. However, when you threaten their religion, you threaten them. People are so volatile these days. Nearly every city has violent protests. Just look outside in the park across the street. People want change and social media spreads the message so fast. Surprisingly little things can trigger widespread unrest. We live in turbulent times. So, I'm not surprised some people take offense at this project."
"But, this is about discovery," she says as she takes a bite of the cut peach in the salad. "All people want to better understanding the universe. This is the basis for improving life on earth."
"Not if it forces them to change their beliefs," he says as he drinks more coffee. "The project may be answering the greatest puzzle in all of mankind. What makes life? What makes us, as living beings, different than a collection of chemical reactions? And what exactly leaves us in death and relegates living things to a pile of dirt when they die? "He pauses with a look of excitement in his eyes. He finishes his coffee, "We all recognize the existence of the spirit, the soul, the life force, the chi, or however you refer to it. We need to know what this quintessential force of energy is that defines life, and as important, how do you measure it? Nobody has done so until now. I'm not talking about Stars Wars 'let the force be with us.' This is Nobel Prize type research. They've shown that our spiritual energy and its daily fluctuations are real and measurable..