Molding You w/ Robert Mckee
Robert McKee is one of the most interesting people I have ever known and is a proficient chemical and microbial injury lawyer. Bob operates the beautiful Living Sculpture Sanctuary in Davie, Florida where many amazing events and weddings are held. Here is some more information about this impactful episode.
Background and Career Change - McKee shared his story, stating he never liked lawyers and never wanted to be one. He was a nurseryman, producing ornamental plants, and worked as a landscape contractor and designer. On Christmas Eve in 1989, a severe cold snap of 19 degrees in South Florida killed everything on his 47 acres. In a moment of despair, he attempted suicide, but missed the shot. Waking up on Christmas morning, he decided to sell the place and go to law school. He determined it would take three years to regrow everything, which was also the time needed to go to law school, and he pursued law so he would "never have to hire a freaking lawyer" in his business. While in law school, his daughter's friend's father, a state senator with a plaintiff's practice, asked him to help with a case against DuPont involving chemical damage to plants, which was a good fit due to his nursery background. He spent the next two and a half years fighting DuPont, winning all the trials, and eventually settling the cases. This experience taught him to fight for those harmed, especially by chemicals and microbes, a field he was trained in. He went on to work on cases like the BP oil spill and other chemical cases. He does not call himself a lawyer so much as "someone who can simplify complex things" and ensure his clients' viewpoints are understood. His clients are always the ones who have been harmed. Later, he and his wife started their own firm focused on cases for people exposed to harmful chemicals and organisms.
Philosophy on Wellness and Change - Bob believes that a person's mindset is critical to their health. He stated that his goal is to tell his sick clients how well they are going to get and not allow them to discuss negative things once they hire him. He tells his clients their goal is to get well, even if it reduces their damages, because he prioritizes wellness over money. He teaches people how to be well without needing a doctor, calling it a "mindset". He cites a heart surgeon who taught his patients how to make pain non-existent before surgery.
Other key points on his philosophy include: The human body is only about 0.00003% matter. The rest is "energetic space". We are "99.99997% non-matter". He believes that your mind and thought process are the environments you mainly need to work in. "Justice heals," and putting someone on a path to feeling they are "in the right in society, they do better". Suicide is an "act of aggression" against a situation rather than an "act of depression". He tells his suicidal clients that they "will effectuate great change because of this state you're in if you survive it". He sees himself in a role of assistance that is like a brother, a guide, and a nonsexual lover to some clients, helping them find their way out of ill health and frustration. He noted that having seven "beloved persons" in your life gives a person about a ten times greater likelihood of being well.
Goals for the Future - Bob is currently approaching 70 and stated that after fighting people for 35 years, his goal is to help "heal people" for his remaining time. His goal is to help people learn to use the "99.99997% of their person that is pure energy". He believes that humanity is capable of incredible, dynamic, and useful change, as well as harmful change. The community role as a human being is crucial, and we need to focus on our community's health.
