Shifting Sands
By Larry Seidl —
We got some interesting news the other day: Shambhala — apparently along with many other churches and spiritual organizations — has been judged a bad insurance risk. Shambhala Global Services (SGS) has been working for some months to find coverage for all of our centers’ property and liability insurance, as we had not been authorized to renew our coverage with Church Mutual. It seems the insurance climate has tightened of late. Of course, some of Shambhala’s recent history makes it quite difficult to insure with various protective policies, but also fires, floods and other property claims have made us vulnerable to the new regime. The Denver Center faces about a 500% increase in our insurance costs. This means our cost to SGS to reimburse them for our portion of insurance will be pretty steep, upwards of $3700. This makes our typical year end fundraising efforts a bit more critical this year. We are getting the word out early. PLEASE donate to this impossible-to-foresee ONE-TIME expense.
SGS advises us to remain calm, but those who attended the urgent announcement meeting found their equanimity sharply challenged by the news. We are advised to seek local sources of insurance coverage, now that we have some time to breathe and search for it as we simultaneously figure out how to pay the bill. It is particularly bad news for centers which own their buildings (Denver doesn’t). The feelings of security that building ownership has engendered over time is sharply challenged. The Boulder Center, for example, faces a daunting prospect, since the building on Spruce St. is so valuable.
Groundlessness is a word often used in Shambhala to express the unpredictable quality of existence. Very little is precisely as it seems. It is always wise to be adaptable and to trust in our personal and communal ability to remain pliable and creative. Society is reliant on relative security. Insurance has therefore become a megalithic industry, but it has always been something of a shell game. Natural disasters have made areas of certain states like Florida and California uninsurable. The relative “security” insurance provides is butting heads with Nature. How valuable is Florida? A breathable atmosphere? Fresh water? Social harmony?
In meditation, the mind rediscovers a world that is inherently subject to change, which makes it such a valuable tool. The ability to keep our balance is tested by the ever-changing flow of thoughts and emotions. Experiencing this over and over trains us in the kind of flexibility which life requires. It’s not usually as relatively bad as you think. It’s absolutely much worse. Relax.
Thanks Larry!
It is easily understandable that it is getting more expensive to live in the United States and to support our chosen organizations. This is particularly true for those in retirement living on a set income. I am one of those people. My property taxes tripled this year which mirrors what is happening to our Center. My insurance fees have doubled. There is also unnecessary food inflation. The truth is, large corporations no longer wish to spend money on those outside the executive suite. The way I was raised is, you handle these issues on your own. But now, I wonder if it is more important to talk and figure out solutions as a community. One thing we can do as a community is support our community but also acknowledge and support the UAW community. If the UAW wins, maybe the common man and woman will be able to raise their incomes while CEOs will be confronted around their enormous incomes, I.e. CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra received $29,000,000 in salary last year. Look up right now what current CEOs of insurance companies receive. These salaries are an outrage as many have been saying for years. Begin by meditating but then we must act. If there is no justice, there will be no freedom.