The TITANIC and Y2k. I know this has been used as an analogy many times before... but bear with me for a moment. :>)

Today, I actually *saw* the remnants of a world long gone...pieces of lives left behind by so many who died. My husband and I went to see the "Titanic" exhibit in St. Paul this afternoon, and our first look at the artifacts was sobering, to say the least.

One thing in the exhibit that truly hit home was the testimony of a young newlywed, Mrs. John Pillsbury Snyder. She and her 24 year old husband came up on deck about an hour after the ship hit the iceberg, and her descriptions of people's responses were fascinating.

No one thought it was safe to *leave* the ship. She described how first class gentlemen (like Astor) kept telling them, "Don't get into the lifeboats. This ship can't possibly sink." They heard this over and over again, despite the fact that the crew kept ordering people to abandon ship. Fortunately for both of them, they ignored this advice. Her husband was allowed into the boat with her because no one seemed interested in leaving! The boat left virtually empty. It was about 1:15 a.m.

I kept thinking as I heard her voice that some people just *could not believe* what was happening, some recognized the truth but *refused* to believe it, and others simply *chose to ignore it*. Today, it became clearer to me than ever before exactly *why* this is such an excellent analogy. To actually see the clothing people wore, their jewelry, their toys and pictures...this was a poignant reminder of choices that were made--and of those who had no choice at all. It is a tragic warning that disasters happen when we least expect them to, and that everyone--rich or poor--suffers because of it.

I sincerely hope that Y2k is the "bump in the road" that some people say it will be...I truly do. After what I saw today, I don't even want to *think* about disaster on a worldwide scale.

As we stood just a few feet from a huge piece of the rusted remains of the mighty "Titanic", we noticed how quiet the room was...deathly quiet.

That broken ship stands as a reminder to all that mankind is *vulnerable* to error...*vulnerable* to arrogance and sheer stupidity...vulnerable to disaster. It's so easy to *forget* that in our very "comfortable" everyday lives. This was a sobering reminder.

-- Scarlett (ohara@tara.net), March 22, 1999

Answers

Scarlett; Glad you enjoyed the TITANIC exhibit,I saw it when it was in ST.Petersburg, Fl. Very touching when you could feel the objects and the pain the passengers felt during their ordeal. What I remember (which is from the movie) is the family from Pakistan trying to read the directions to safety. It's like those people today who can't read the signs. Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), March 22, 1999.

Furie--

I agree. When you actually see things that were part of people's lives and you touch the "Titanic"--it's a powerful experience.

Take care.

-- Scarlett (ohara@tara.net), March 23, 1999.