“Every time there has been a major and significant upheaval in our industry there have been brokers who've gotten so gloomy,” he said. “I know people who sold their agencies. One sold a large portion of his to me for significantly less than a dollar for a dollar because he was certain that Bill and Hillary were going to put him out of business.”

Through the years, he's heard countless predictions about the end of the broker. “Well,” he told me with a chuckle, “when you think you're going to fail, it's one of the few times where I can guarantee you're right.”

When I asked him why he's so optimistic, he gave plenty of reasons, including technological advances, shifting sales strategies and exciting new products. But he became most adamant when talking about those who make up the industry.

“They're the most generous people I've ever met. Generous with their time; with other competitors; with their money. And you just can't have that many positive people with that much positive energy fail. It's not gonna happen. Change? Yes? Failure? No.”

Brokers are repeatedly forced to adjust to a seemingly impossible rate of change. As we're finding out, this is a recipe for disaster in the natural world. But as both Don Goldmann and Elizabeth Kolbert would probably tell you, if there's one thing that sets humans apart, it's how quickly we can adapt.