Senator James Brooks prided himself on his truthfulness and unwavering principles. He is a handsom man of 42 years with salt and pepper hair. His face a bit withered from his two deployments in Afganistan. He carries himself with kindness and humor, but it is the intelligence that shines in his eyes and the warmth in his smile that has made him appealing to his voters.

A champion of green energy, he built his career opposing industrial polluters, especially those defiling the water and filling the sky with noxious smoke. He loves to go to schools and talk to students about climate change and the need for green energy. Last Arbor Day, he made a special effort to go to his children’s school. At an assembly, he spoke about the importance of keeping the air and water clean for the future of America. He made an arrangement with the Plant a Tree Foundation, to provide each child with seeds for a maple, oak or a honey locus tree. To top the occasion, he and the principal planted a sapling in the school garden.

Back in Washington, to his fellow senators, he is known as Paul Bunion because of impassioned climate related speeches on the Senate floor. One evening, James sat in his den and stared at a long awaited document, but a gnawing feelings began crisscrossing in his gut.

He was reading a proposal from New Era Technology, a major energy company known to donate to both political parties. The deal was simple: New Era Tech would fund a massive solar energy project in James’s state, enough to power a substantial portion of the electric grid. It sounded wonderful until he reached a single line at the bottom of the proposal that made his blood run cold. New Era Tech wanted the project to be built on Navajo ancestral land.

James was an earnest supporter of Native American land rights. He wrote or signed onto bills to return stolen land and fought to stop pipelines that threatened sacred grounds. This proposal, however, was different: it would not be stealing. New Era Tech promised generous compensation packages, including new schools and improved healthcare facilities for the tribe.

A battle raged in Jim’s heart. Tension banged about in his brain as muscles tightened in his neck and shoulders. He cursed the dilemma caused by that last line in the proposal. Openly rejecting the deal, he thought, would make him seem like a hypocrite. After all, he had worked for years to help create a cleaner, healthier environment. However, accepting New Era Tech’s proposal would be betraying his firm belief that the Native Americans had a legal right to control their own lands and to honor their religious traditions.

The senator had nightmares of angry protestors outside his office, the crowd a mix of environmental activists and Navajo leaders. He often woke drenched in sweat, conflict, his constant companion. What once had been a desireable dream was now an difficult choice.

When Jim hesitated signing off and sponsoring the proposal, New Era Tech lobbyists invaded his Washinton office. They were polished and persuasive, and again smoothly laid out the project’s benefits, not only for the state but for the Navajo as well. They use a formidable PowerPoint presentation replete with computer-generated images of green solar panels nestled amongst lush grasslands on tribal land. This project, they argued, could be a turning point, a boon not only for the state and the Navajo people but for James' political future as well. Even so, as serene as the portrait looked, James knew the project would be unpalpable for the Native Americans because they would view the panels as a desecration of their sacred land.

The promise of green energy deeply affected James, and he told the lobbiests he would meet with representatives of the tribe. Their leader was a woman named Mary Flying Crow. She spoke with conviction. She admitted she could see potential benefits, but she also believed such defilement of holy land would anger ancestral spirits and have long-term religious consequences for the Navajo people. Therefore, in good conscience, she could not accept the project.

James felt trapped. He wanted the project to happen. He had worked hard for years to attract green energy to the state. He felt torn because he empathized with the Navajo who were needing to cling to their age-old traditions and beliefs. He knew accepting New Era Tech’s offer would be a significant environmental accomplishment. Yet, Mary Flying Crow’s words about the spirits anger echoed in his head.

James sat in his senate office, staring out the window at the traffic on Constitution Avenue. Stirring from his meditative stare, he shrugged, straightened up and reached for the telephone. He called John Schaffer, his oldest friend and political advisor. John picked up on the second ring.

“John, I’m stuck. I don’t know what the heck to do,” James said, his voice cracking. He poured out the details of the deal, and his dilemma, and as a result, the internal turmoil flooding his soul.

John attentively listened as James explained the advantages of the installation, the benefits and then the problem of the Navajo's religious concerns. There was a long silence. Jim's fingers were turning white from squeezing the receiver.

Then John spoke, his voice calm and steady. “Jim, I’m going to tell you this as a friend, and not as a political advisor. Remember the meetings and the rallies, the kids planting trees, the good feeling you get when you are on the right side of an issue?"

"Yes," Jim whispered.

John continued, "Then if you wish to live with yourself, don’t betray your self-respect or your Indian friends just for a flashy project. Be true to yourself and follow your heart.”

John’s words struck James like a warming summer breeze after a chilly rainstorm. The next day, he called New Era Tech. His voice held a bolstered resolve. “Thank you for the offer,” he said, “but I cannot sponsor your proposal because the location you desire is on sacred Navajo land. I cannot betray my promise I made to the tribe. I told them that as long as I'm in office, I will work to prevent the taking Navajo land ever again.

As James hung up, he felt as if a giant weight lifted from his chest. However, the backlash was swift and brutal. New Era Tech launched a TV ad campaign, painting James as an obstructionist who prioritized Native American traditions over climate benefits for his state. Environmental groups, who were always supportive, expressed disappointment and threatened to withdraw funding during the next election.

But despite the smear campaign, something unexpected happened. James received letters and emails from everyday citizens expressing their admiration for his courage. Mary Flying Crow publicly expressed her gratitude to him, and the tribe granted him honorary membership.

However, he suffered censure by the party. Yet, James found something more valuable, a renewed sense of integrity. Standing up for what was right, even when it hurt. He handled his bout with cognitive dissonance, and emerged stronger; his principles reaffirmed.

Senator James Brooks, managed to survive the next election. Fortunately, a year later, another clean energy company submitted a plan for a new project that would not threaten Navajo land.