Richard Bach famously said that "there is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands"
I'm not saying that this end-of-the-world on May 21 thing is a problem for anyone except the poor people who actually believe it. Come tomorrow night, Sunday morning at the latest, they are going to have some reality to check and some rationalizing to do. It would be mildly interesting to be a fly on the wall to see how they 'splain things when everybody is still here. How they can justify the money they've spent on billboards and the like....especially when there are so many other, kinder, more compassionate, more christ-like ways to spend that money. So yeah, it might be a bit of a problem for the people who were advertising, promoting and proselytizing the event, although I suspect they will have some rapid, shallow not-reality-based, god-and-bible excuse for why they were wrong. I kind of feel sorry for them...nobody likes being wrong. Nobody likes to see well-intentioned people being taken in by shysters. And the whole rapture thing, as whole, specific date or no, is taken seriously by a lot of well meaning people. I wonder if this will prompt any of them to think about religion, evaluate what they believe, make some conscious choices. If that happens, then the pseudo-end-of-the-world will have done some good. It doesn't matter what religion they choose, or don't choose: it is the thought and choosing that really matters. It's making a choice, not the final decision.
On the up side, though, it has given the rest of us a much-needed chuckle. Don't worry about mowing the grass, forget the diet, it the end of the world as we know and we feel fine. BYE after-rapture "parties"...(bring your own everything, including venue) are springing up at least in social media form. That alone is a good thing for the smile it brings.
If nothing else, the rapture people, deluded, mislead, manipulated and taken advantage of as they may be...the whole thing has reminded us to enjoy life a little. It shows us a little appreciation for value of a little hedonism...a little appreciation for the simple pleasures. I mean, what would you do if today was your last day on earth?
If anything this rapture nonsense is a reminder to live and love here and now...you know like the taoists and buddhists say all along...but that is just me. That is the lens through which I view life. It's a custom prescription lens...as is everyone's life lens.
Let's take a peek through their life lens for a minute. If the end was neigh...what would you do...what beauty would you behold. No time for travel...what from your life right there, right now would you miss if it were gone? What would you savor and remember and want to take with you to the pearly gates?
Apparently I'm more Pink than pearly...so I'll be raising a glass and celebrating my freedom from christian dogma...and being a little more patient with the kids, and giving my husband an extra kiss and plenty of "I love you"s all around. Bring it on...see you at the after-rapture party!
Like U2 famously said..."It's a beautiful day"
Baihu
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