Rose is feeling furious. “What’s the return on investment for all the trees who have to sacrifice their lives in the name of ‘progress’ every day? Or the animals who no longer have a place to live because every acre of land is covered with concrete and high-rise buildings? I don’t want you to control what I can do with my ideas. This compass is for all of humanity!”

“You’re out of line, young woman,” the mustache man grumbles. A few other heads nod in agreement.

But Rose’s inner dragon is up in full force. She looks each of them in the eye. “Did any of you even read my proposal?” No one responds. Rose continues, “Do you realize what’s at stake here? Do you? We are ‘playing’ for the very survival of the human species in the game of life. If we lose this game, we lose our planet. We lose the chance to continue to exist! We’ve wasted so much time being too arrogant to admit that...