World Without End

April 11, 2011 – There’s a lot of end of the world talk out there these days. I read Chris Martenson, and I listen to Mike Ruppert, and I’ll tell you what, they are two minds with but a single thought: the sky is falling! I’m not making fun of them, and if you ask me what I think, I have to admit, they could be right. When I say “end of the world,” I don’t mean the planet’s going to implode. I mean the end of the world we all know. I mean the beginning of a period entirely unlike the current one; one of great hardship and privation, probably a time of violence and barbarism. The gentlemen of whom I speak both pride themselves on having prepared for this terrible time, and seem, if I may be forgiven for saying so, almost eager for it to start. There’s not one of us who doesn’t like being right, and they are positively aglow with the conviction of their rightness. It’s the very earnest young men who call into Ruppert’s show who tug at my heartstrings the most. They have a selfless, protective desire that extends to their family members, many of whom think this is all crazy talk. It’s not . They look to Ruppert like a father, wanting him to tell them what to do, or how to go about it. He does, but I know their young, very scared minds and hearts are not set at ease by what he says. The fact that our government insists on making itself less and less relevant to our lives and to the times must make them feel so very insecure. In fact, I think more and more of our children feel this way. I go to Torah study every other Sunday, and yesterday, the rabbi told me of a 12-year-old girl in the Sunday School who had asked her (yes, there are female rabbis) if she believed in the Mayan calendar. The rabbi said no, and then asked her if she did. At this point, I looked at the rabbi quizzically, and asked, “Mayan calendar?” “Yes,” replied the rabbi, “someone has made it a point to let everyone know that the Mayan calendar ends in the year 2012, the implication being that this somehow indicates the end of the world.” Good grief, as if our children aren’t bombarded with enough disturbing news already! Why don’t we just ask Puxatawney Phil what he thinks, while we’re at it? The rabbi and I agreed that we live in perplexing, not to say demoralizing, times, and that something is terribly amiss. For the two of us, faith in a G-d who entered into partnership with humankind a very long time ago helps us to make sense of our lives. For those among us who do not look to G-d for help and comfort, the sense of aloneness could well be staggering. Our children look to us for help and comfort, and I imagine many are in need of reassurance. Ask your children what they and their friends talk about, as they observe what’s going on in the world. Tell them what you think. If they say they want to store food, or put money aside, treat them seriously. They might well derive a sense that the future is taken care of by doing these things. The future is a very long time, of course, but that’s for us to worry about, not them. As for Messrs. Ruppert and Martenson, they give of themselves at a time when the world needs everyone’s best efforts. They certainly give theirs. If reading and listening to their perspective on world events causes even one or two people to do something for themselves, so that others don’t need to care for them when things go haywire, that has to be viewed positively.
Grownups should look to the future, and plan ahead.
Grownups need to be reminded to talk to their children, to help ease their fears.
Grownups need to be grownups, so our kids can be kids.