I have continued to correspond with the chair of the almond board. His most recent email was sad, in a way. He said he didn't really want anything happening to the almonds, either (he's an almond grower, himself), but that they don't have any choice about this--they are "between a rock and a hard spot." He also said that I was right, since he and I have been writing they are receiving many letters of opposition.

My response was about knowing that we always have a choice in this world, and that our beliefs that we must create rules and follow them is what is keeping everyone from being truly happy and free. I ended by saying that raw foodists will never consume the treated almonds and that we have already been finding alternative sources for when the ruling goes through.

So, maybe he's not such an ass. He's stuck in the system and doesn't know how to break free from it. Often I wish I could go from person to person, breaking down the barriers that we've created as a society to contain and mold us into perfect little robots. I've been working on my own barriers (not just the ones society has put into place) and there are gaps so large that I actually emerge from the box quite a bit. Someday the barriers will be gone and I'll be completely free. Maybe the more we break free, the more others will begin to see their own barriers and start to break them down, as well? This is my vision for the future--one of true freedom and happiness. Yes, this includes the freedom for the almonds to stay alive, without being scalded to death. ;-)