I'm prepared to the hilt, so please no flames. I really question myself and my beliefs in a purely clinical way.I f you observe the belief of cult members and the belief of those preparing for y2k you find the same dedication to hard held interpretation of reality and the attempts to verify those interpretations. I had the unusual experience of speaking with a woman who did NOT go to (was it Uganda?) with Jim Jones--she was not chosen to go and grieved---even after the horrible deaths, she was grieving not being chosen and believed in his belief system--while at the same time recognised her luck at not going. So---I am prepared to be wrong--to have attatched myself to very well-intentioned non-sence and to eating a bunch of dried food for a year---cause I certainly am not going to let this stuff go to waste!

-- Wondering (hardquestion@heartofit.com), December 08, 1999

Answers

Y2K does not care what you believe. Y2K is a computer problem.

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), December 08, 1999.

Guyana---

-- d----- (dciinc@aol.com), December 08, 1999.

Relax!

If we're wrong Reality will initiate our deprogramming in as little as 24 days. If we're right, Reality will begin to deprogram the rest.

>"<

-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), December 08, 1999.

Did you make your decisions based on the most accurate information available at the time? Did you follow your instincts? If you did, then don't question it. You did what you thought was right.

I can honestly answer both questions as yes. And if I am wrong, my penance will be eating a year of rice and beans. Thank goodness for my stash of Texas Pete. ;-)

Regards,

Stars and Stripes

-- Stars and Stripes (stars_n_stripes@my-deja.com), December 08, 1999.

Stars and Stripes said: Did you make your decisions based on the most accurate information available at the time? Did you follow your instincts? If you did, then don't question it. You did what you thought was right.

*****************************8

Exactly, I remember reading a self-defense article once (I don't remeber where) and he talked about the gut reaction. That if you sense that something in a situation is wrong then get the heck out of there! That's your intuition or gut feeling trying to tell you that all is not right. Don't like the look of the guy coming toward you...cross the street.

He went on to say that many people ignore that sense and press on, not wanting to offend someone or appear a coward. Invariably that is how they get into trouble.

I feel much the same way about Y2K. When I first read about it there was that queesy ill at ease feeling (and it wasn't the tacos I had just eaten ;^) Go with the instincts, all is not right in gov and corp world. We are in for more than a BITR.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 08, 1999.

Wondering:

I think you're describing a minority here. A very real minority, but still a minority.

If relatively little goes wrong, that minority will still be filling this forum with cites (and suitable interpretations) of every bit of it, insisting that we're suffering catastrophe after all. Once that little bit is cleaned up, they'll continue to cite those same references as proof they were correct all along.

Meanwhile, I think the large majority here will breathe a sigh of relief and get on with their lives, glad their preparations will reduce their living expenses for some period of time. Some of them might even wonder how they could have been fooled so badly.

The cult minority could never admit error.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), December 08, 1999.

I don't want to be right on this one, folks. I'll be ecstatic if I'm wrong.

-- haha (haha@haha.com), December 08, 1999.

Flint, you are in a can't lose situation. You claim to be more than moderatly prepared, yet chide doomers for their foolishness.

Every now and then, you let us know that you are prepared. I suggest that with every post, you state your degree of preparation, so as to let every newbie know. The way you operate, you intentionally obfuscate the need to prepare.

You are a pathetic clown, and I can only hope that newbies catch on to you right away.

You say that after the rollover, certain hardcore doomers will still be here. I submit that you too will be with them, and that your demeanor will change radically.

-- Mike (Flintisafraud@2faced.com), December 08, 1999.

Flint........

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Mike won't be buying you any Christmas presents this year...........

I realize it's just wild idle speculation on my part but what the heck.........

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), December 09, 1999.

Mike,

Unfortunately you have not been able to recognize what can best be described as an inhabitant of the middle ground. Flint has NEVER suggested someone not prepare, and has NEVER failed to explain that he has prepaired (or maybe that isn't such a bad typo after all) quite well when asked about actions versus words. Having been around the block here a few times, and having crossed points with him a few times, i STILL find his points interesting and challenging. He has challenged me to find the nuggets, and to identify the truth of things MANY times. Many more than the few times we have crossed swords, I might add.

I find no fraud here; just someone HONESTLY testing his information for validity; someone who is pushed either one way or the other as the information he receives has its impact. I get blown the same way, and I get pushed the same way. I truly understand where he is coming from, which might scare some people more than anything else.

Y'see, I ain't the ogre some think I am. I ALSO ain't the powder-puff push-over others think I am. Neither is Flint, on either count.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), December 09, 1999.

Re the original post: Do we have beliefs, or do we have doubts?

Re Pollys: The Pollys are a lot less annoying than the conspiracy theorists. They are the ones who really ruin this forum, IMHO. Every news item, and even some things that haven't been reported anywhere, gets interpreted as part of an evil plot. I have been here a long time and it did not used to be that way. I wonder where all these people come from anyway.

-- Amy Leone (leoneamy@aol.com), December 09, 1999.