Bell's Superstorm and
The
Death of Millenniumitis
YOWUSA.COM, 20-February-01
Marshall Masters
…Continued
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
When it comes to being honest with its people, the American government is between a rock and a hard place.
Conspiracy theorists would have you believe they are withholding information for some clandestine purpose. While we can all debate these claims until the cows come home, a more reasonable explanation can be
found in the way the general public views catastrophe.
The general public abhors fear, and if they must face it they demand absolutes (even though they'll admit the only absolutes are death and taxes.)
When they have to prepare for possible catastrophe because a well-intentioned governmental agency takes upon its shoulders the mantle of being a harbinger, the catastrophe is expected and the government is
expected to do something about it.
Announcing predications of a possible catastrophe can be a terribly punitive process for our government officials, because our media is quick to kill the messenger when the catastrophe fails to materialize.
We have become a country of people who have abdicated the control over our own lives and when we are reminded of that by an unfilled predication
of catastrophe we want heads to roll. Consequently, if the harbinger is wrong, it means his or her career if not part or all of the funding for his organization.
If your career was on the line and you were not dealing with an absolute possibility would there be any real difference 3 days of panic and 3 weeks of panic?
The odd thing is that Americans used to be more self-reliant. Many of us used to have root cellars and victory gardens. We canned our food and
made sure that we always had enough on hand to make it through a disaster. Why? Because we recognized that the unexpected is the supreme absolute in life and that to survive required planning, diligence,
and above all else, self-reliance.
Are We Doing This To Ourselves?
Capitalism is historically the best way to manage scarce resources, but it also has a narcotic effect that increases on par with our wealth, and it dulls our ability to anticipate and manage crisis.
But as the saying goes, "history repeats itself" and as archeologist dig up the remains of one ancient culture after another they often see the same recurring commonalities:
- The society progressed to a relatively high state of technology.
- Knowledge and technology became the private domains of a pampered few.
- In its quest for greater wealth, comfort and prestige, the society sacrificed its harmony with the surrounding environment.
- The collapse of the society was often sudden if not catastrophic and that in many instances wholly predictable.
So if we follow the same path into oblivion as our ancient forefathers, whom will we have to blame for it? Ourselves! Ah, but that doesn't ring
well in our hyphenated, socially challenged, permissive and excusive society.
Nonetheless, if we look to blame our government, then we will assure ourselves of a bright future as archeological oddities for future archeologists, who most likely will have little if anything in common with
us.
When will mankind be able to break the cycle of repetitious history?
When mankind learns that the key to survival is the harmonious and peaceful coexistence between our environment and each of us. When that happens, we will have the peace of mind to be mindful of processes, as
opposed to waiting for events. Beauty queens have been telling us this for years (all I want is world peace), so at least we know the material is
popular with audiences. You never know, there could be something there!
Real Change Begins With the Individual
The most significant difference between our modern society and those who have come before us, is our personal access to knowledge and the unparalleled ease with which we can access and share knowledge via the
World Wide Web.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with all or part of this article, the fact that you the reader and I the author are freely conducting this
digital dialogue is the real difference between our forefathers and us.
In this new instant digital world, the richly lavished high priests of ancient times no longer control the knowledge we now commonly share. Rather,
much of the knowledge mankind now possesses is freely available to us, and in sufficient quantities for us to become self-informed and self-reliant enough to ensure our own survival.
ure, the effort of such a personal quest is unpleasant at first, but over time that changes. The biggest reason for this change is that as you become a
self-informed individual your view of catastrophe evolves. You move from an erratic event-driven viewpoint where information is controlled by a
sacred few, to a process-driven viewpoint that give you a more realistic idea of what is coming, and how to best prepare for it.
Once you've adopted a process-driven viewpoint, you will come to the inescapable conclusion that everything happens for a reason and that the universe is unfolding as it should.
Armed with this new self-informed reliance, you will find comfort in ability to cope with the future and you will gain a new sense of appreciation for the true value and beauty of life and world around us.
The Future
The road ahead for mankind is paved with fear and death for the foreseeable future. Our planet is changing, and wars and the rumors of wars abound as rogue states arm themselves with weapons of mass
destruction. It is a frightening prospect, but we've been there before and survived.
During the WWII blitz, Londoners were targeted by buzz bombs and missiles, which rained death with unpredictable results. In the midst of this
uncertain suffering and death, public interest in classic literature, plays, opera and musical performances reached its highest level for century.
No matter what comes, we must believe that there will be enough of us who will find a new purpose in life, as well as a deeper appreciation for mankind's noble virtues.
If this time, we finally break the repetitious cycle of history that takes our societies through birth, existence and destruction. But, it will only happen
after we finally manage to build an unswerving worldwide commitment to harmony between our peoples, our environment and ourselves.
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