"You know," said President Monroe, "if all people of the United States could see us now, to see that we are all still alive, and how very concerned we are about our beloved country and the rest of the world, I wonder if many of them would change their thinking. Especially if they knew that they, too, would not really die." "I think they will change," said President Adams. "When they see that the short life given to them on earth is not given to see how much property and money they can amass, but is given to allow them the opportunity for spiritual growth, and in order that they might leave that earthly world a better place for those that come after them. Of course, if a fortune happens to be made while making the earth a better place and making life better for their fellow men, all well and good." "But so many put the making of a fortune their first and foremost objective. It is such an obsession for many that they don't care who is hurt or that the world will be worse off for them having lived there. These people often are miserable and lonely, Their vast fortunes of little comfort to them. They come into this realm with no money physically, of course -- and paupers spiritually. They are a sorry sight to behold, indeed. As you know, after we arrive here, we reflect upon our life in great detail. So, when these people contemplate all they have done with their lives and compare that with all that they could have done, they practically cry out for the chance to do it over, for the chance to make amends. But it is too late. They must live with their memories. As we all know, they will eventually be given the chance to make amends. However, all of what they did could have been avoided if they could have known in advance what the results would be." "Oh, they knew all right," said President Lincoln. "We all knew prior to our birth on earth, but our desire for mortal expression is so strong that our higher self is delegated to a place deep in our unconscious so that it won't interfere with what we wish to do mortally. We cannot blame our actions on a lack of knowledge. No, any action we take on earth is of our own volition. We must accept total responsibility. And, as we all know, Universal or Karmic Law will eventually balance the scale.... How soon we choose to learn our lessons, or how long we wish to prolong the agony is entirely up to us." "When Dorothy returns to Kansas and tells her story; and when her book is published, many people will be reminded," said President Anderson. "But they have been reminded before," said President Adams. "How many great teachers have come and gone? Yet the world goes on with its foolishness and its wickedness."