My Way of Thinking

1044 words



         If you haven’t heard of the Y2K computer bug that’s going to drive the world’s computers crashing down at 12:01A.M. on January 1, 2000 that will affect every facet of our way of life, brace yourself. It is coming and that is a sure thing. Well, that’s what the alarmists’ prediction is, at least.

         Do you buy it? I mean, this insanity that is coming from, mind you, religious zealots and bigots? The messengers of peace and calmness are spreading the gospel of doomsday. Who are they trying to kid or scare? Let me guess. Is it the gullible public, who in their simple, unsophisticated mind will swallow every word from the messengers of truth and light?

         I have heard about the Y2K bug. In fact, when I decided to upgrade my computer in October 1998, I made sure that my computer was Year 2000 compliant. With all the hullabaloos about Y2000, a sane mind would think that those computer wizards have anticipated a calamity of enormous proportions and they must have worked tirelessly in making a smooth transition from the present century to the next. Now the market is swarming with books, videos, and tapes, CD-ROMs and just about anything that business sleuths have in mind to capture the moment of vulnerability. My cynicism tells me that the motive is to make a financial killing out of this so-called “bug.” Just over the week-end, I saw two full-page ads in the Christian Times maximizing the importance of Y2K and how to store goods to prepare for the millennium.          

         This frenzy has taken a hold of my eldest daughter, April. On the second day of January last month, she called me and talked to me about Y2K at length. She tried to convince me to store up canned goods, water, all kinds of emergency tools and supplies in anticipation of the great crash. I tried to calm her down by telling her that preparing for a disaster before it hits is a good thing. In fact, it is a commendable thing.

         “Gee, Mom, I’m going out this week-end to buy me canned goods and you should too because when the day comes and you are not prepared, I will be obligated to share what I have with my family because I’m a Christian and that’s what’s expected of me.”

         “That’s a legitimate concern but you realize that I still have 363 days ahead of me so I should not hurry this week-end to go out and stock up my cupboards,” I quipped.

         She did not like that flippant comment and we changed the subject.

         A few days later, my middle daughter, Kara, called and told me that she had a Y2K conversation with her sister, April. She was told the same thing I was told. In fact Kara said that April pointed out to her, “Mom doesn’t believe in Y2K.”

         “Well, Kara, it’s because she did not think that I took her alarm seriously.”

         At the office, my long time friend, Debbie, (bless her heart) is gung-ho over this frenzy also. She shares with me whatever information she gets about Y2K. She gets all kinds of e-mail about the subject, which, she in turn, forwards to me. I love her dearly but I am not buying this insanity. I get a big chuckle out of the jokes that surfaced from this malady and she just does not appreciate my handling of this too lightly.

         Sadly, I cannot talk her out of this hype because her source comes from the so-called Christian data bank and they use the Scriptures to back this alarming gospel.

         “Deb, my daughter, April, and you are on the same wave length on this issue. You’ll really get along because you speak the same language when it comes to Y2K.”

         She gives me a hug for that observation.

         So, what’s the big deal? I say, it is no big deal. Really. Our computer wizards are working night and day to solve the glitch. Our cars will run after the clock strikes 12:00 A.M. on January 1, 2000. Our faucets will have running water; we can turn our TV on; we can cook our scrambled eggs and brew our coffee; we can go on with living much to our alarmist’s dismay.

         The problem lies with the alarmists who have created the hysteria. This hype was created in order to score a big profit out of the millennium phenomena. So, beware folks. Wolves in sheepskins will come around selling the unsupported, untested, unreliable prophetic news wrapped in beautiful packages (with sale discounts to boot) to get to your purse strings. Nothing more, nothing less.

         Post Script, 2014: When the Y2K hysteria did not pan out, in comes the global warming scare. Thanks to Al Gore with his 2005 movie, Inconvenient Truth, which was the foundation of the global warming theory. I understand he raked in millions out of that.

         There are differing opinions when global warming began. Some say, it began around 1850 with the end of the Ice Age. Others say, it began in 1975 and ended between 1996 and 2004, which would not resolve the question of when the “Global Warming” that’s being caused by anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide emissions began;

         In June, 1988, it was Dr. Hansen, director of NSA’s Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, who testified before the Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee that global warming has began.

         I’m no scientist. I don’t pretend to know anything about CO2 emissions and its’ effect on the Earth’s temperature, but let me say this:

         What I know is that every year, towards the end of the winter months, temperature changes from extreme cold to comfortable coldness. Then, thirty days or so, in southern California, where I live, it even gets better. When I go outside, I can almost smell the grass grow as they sprout their tiny stems out of the soil. Life comes back as temperature rises. Then for the next six months, the whole creation is alive: flowers bloom, fruits ripen, children crowding playgrounds, surfers dancing with the waves! It’s summertime. Global warming has arrived!

         That's the global warming my simple mind can relate to; and, Y2K? It fizzled out into oblivion.



(Originally written: Winter, 1999/Revised Summer,2014.)