Featuring a brand new grandson, Lucas Jason Hicks (8-26-15)

August and September have become what I call “birthday season” for the Hicks family and, for me, it triggers thoughts about how long the younger members of our family will continue to have “happy” birthdays. That all depends on the health of the planet that our generation will leave them.

Two weeks ago, while holding baby Lucas and looking at his tiny fingers, I thought of what kind of life that future 85-year old man might be living in the year 2100. It reminded me of a blog that I posted in February of 2014. It was all about my grandchildren and was entitled Solitude of the cemetery; a place for soul-searching (See first link below).

For the most part, today’s blog is a repeat of that one, with a few updates. For example,  today, September 9, 2015, my grandson Cooper James Hicks turns 12.

Lucas Jason Hicks with his proud parents, Lisa and Jason.

Happy Birthday Cooper-Star, my nickname for him. Here are the other birthdays for August and September in chronological order:

• 8-21, my oldest grandchild, Peyton Grace Hicks, just turned 15
• 8-23, my sister Sherrill
• 8-24, my sister Carol
• 8-26, my new grandson Lucas
• 9-1, my granddaughter Violet Shewchuk
• 9-4, my grandson Andrew Hicks
• 9-6, my daughter Diana Shewchuk
• Today, 9-9, my grandson Cooper Hicks
• 9-13, my brother Paul
• 9-30, my son Jason
• 10-1, I will also include my oldest grandson, Collin Hicks, who missed a September birthday by just a few hours.

Meanwhile, back to the cemetery and soul-searching blog–and its call for action to the adults of the world to get serious about the kind of place we are leaving for those who follow us. This blog is for all the children of the world. 

Much of the following information was posted in my blog on 2-5-14, see link below.

Since moving to Stamford, Connecticut in October of 2013, one of my favorite walking routes is through the nearby Woodland Cemetery in my neighborhood of Harbor Point.

I snapped this photo two months ago in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Occasionally, I stop and read the names and dates on the markers. Yesterday, I examined the markers of a couple who died in their seventies in 1995 and 2000 respectively. Each marker contained the deceased’s name along with the spouse’s name beneath. That is when I was inspired to write this blog.

My informal survey in the cemetery over the past few months indicates that the vast majority of people around here die in their seventies or younger, with only twenty percent living into their eighties or beyond. Turning 69 in a few weeks, that got me to thinking.

Life is fleeting. In another fifty years, with the exception of my grandchildren, almost everyone that I know today will be dead. That includes the rich, the famous and the powerful—all of them. None of us are getting out of here alive. But what about my seven grandchildren?

Four boys and three girls, from oldest to youngest: Peyton, Collin, Andrew, Cooper, Violet, Evelyn and Lucas

Evvy Laura Shewchuk, my second youngest grandchild.

God willing, they should all be alive fifty years from now and very well may make it to 2100 or beyond. And what kind of life will they have? Unless many deadly trends get reversed in the next five or ten years, it saddens me to think about the extreme hardships they may have to endure.

As such, I am committed to doing all that I can to ensure that they will enjoy the rich quality of life that I have enjoyed for all of my years on this planet.

A fable of lost opportunity. Once you learn the truth about global warming and many other impending global disasters—that are driven by our food choices— you will know what to do. But will you have the courage to do it? Maybe this little fable that takes place fifty years from now will help you decide. Consider this a future newspaper article that might appear in the Boston Globe.

February 5, 2064 — Holden, MA. The seven grandchildren of deceased sustainability writer and activist, J. Morris Hicks, all got together here recently for a family reunion. Most of them were not in very good shape; they all began to lack adequate clothing, shelter, food and water several years ago, but they have all managed to stay alive; the oldest now 63.

Violet Shewchuk

You see, the world began to feel the worst effects of global warming and water scarcity about ten years ago and things started to change very quickly. Entire nations were submerged, leaving their millions of people to become climate migrants and invade other countries—and that’s just a tiny glimpse of the unprecedented suffering most humans are now facing everyday. Not a single one of Hicks’s family is living a joyous and satisfying life these days.

One night, his oldest grandson, Collin (now 62), asked why this all had to happen and whether his parents and grandparents could have done anything to prevent the end of the modern civilization and quality of life that they all enjoyed themselves.

One of his granddaughters, Violet (54), chimed in and said, “GranBuddy and Uncle Jason knew exactly what was about to happen and even wrote about it in this old book that I found in my mom’s attic last year while I was looking for old photos. I also found this copy of a blog he wrote about us fifty years ago today.”

GranBuddy always said, “It’s like a blinding flash of the obvious, we’re eating the wrong food.”

“Apparently GranBuddy spent his final years writing and speaking about this topic until he died at the ripe old age of 105 in 2050. I guess not enough people listened to him.”

In closing I should point out that the Hicks grandchildren have fared no worse than most in the USA. Further, the collapse of civilizations around the world in recent years has been suffered mightily by billions of people, the super wealthy and the poor alike. As we have learned in recent years, when your civilization collapses, money doesn’t mean anything.

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The Bottom Line. Here’s a question to ponder—one that people may ask your grandchildren at the memorial service following your death.

We have heard that, long before he died, your grandfather knew all about how the world could take decisive steps to avoid the worst effects of global warming, water scarcity, soil erosion and deforestation.

We also heard that he was a man of great means, yet he chose not to do everything within his power to awaken the unsuspecting public who were never told that they could save their civilization by simply changing what they were eating.

So, here’s my question. If all that is true, why did he not tell the world the simple truth that we needed to save ourselves—while there was still enough time to make a difference?

Thirty years from now, will your grandchildren be able to say that YOU knew and that YOU did everything in your power to make things right for their future?

This just in, the very first “review” of our new book was posted yesterday, with a 5-Star rating. This compact book contains a summary of ALL of the health and environmental reasons for adopting a plant-based diet–and it shows you exactly how to do it. Here’s what one reader had to say:

All I’ve got to say is this—DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN—my three grandsons at Fenway Park

• Posted 2-5-14. Solitude of the cemetery; a place for soul-searching
• Posted August 2012. Forget “saving the planet.” Think great grandchildren.
• Source article, July 2012 in NY Times. Endless Summer by Mark Bittman
• 1-25-14. NOTHING is more important than SUSTAINABILITY! Has links to another 14 related blogs at the end.
• 1-28-14 Titanic Sets Sail Once More—A different ending A fable that some say is the best blog I have ever written.
• 2-3-14 Global Depletion. The Big Picture. The Solution. A beautiful and powerful documentary along with a powerful one-hour read.
• 2-4-14 dedicated to the memory of Dr. Robert Goodland. Food Choices. The primary cause of global warming?
• 5-14-15 My relentless drum-beat continues.

Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth

1. 4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health, powerful new book by Kerry Graff, MD and yours truly
2. Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (my first book)
3. An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
4. Primary cause of cancer is not bad luck. Stop Feeding Your Cancer, by John Kelly, MD
5. A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
6. Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy you are eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes about two minutes. eCornell is now using our survey in their plant-based nutrition course.

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf Program website, which is now being used by an ever-growing army of enlightened medical doctors who are fed up with “disease care” and want to promote true health for their patients.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmh@4leafglobal.com

—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info: