Y2K & The Great Disappointment

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Hi folks...please let me assure you I am not a troll.

I've been reading and posting occassionally since I found this great site about a year ago.

Anyway, while I personally believe y2k will be more than a BITR ... I got to thinking about what will happen to this great Y2K GI community if nothing happens?

I'm reminded of the Millerite movement of the mid-1800s. Joseph Miller was a preacher who foretold the return of Christ to earth in 1843. When that didn't happen, he went back and did the math from the Bible code of the day (Daniel, Isaiah, Revelation) and came up with October 22, 1844.

Well, thousands of people sold the farm in the US ... and waited and prayed for Christ to come back to earth.

He did not.

It was devastating for the bands of followers who had given up everything and prepped for that day.

However, from the Great Disappointment was born the 7th Day Adventist church. That church has 10-million members world wide and is a formidable organization in the fight for religious freedom.

Mind you, they can be pretty whacked out fundamentalists too (I was raised an SDA) but that's another story.

Anyway, I wonder what, if anything, will happen to the Y2K GI community, no matter what happens.

And do we have any one thing in common that is worth uniting for in order to make the world a better place?

Sorry to go on so long....

I just feel that somehow we were chosen to be part of something important by GI on Y2k.

I wonder what we're going to do with it?

-- Lara (nprbuff@hotmail.com), December 27, 1999

Answers

Tell it to the code that never got remediated.

-- Earl (eshuholm@tstar.net), December 27, 1999.

One of the best things to emerge from all of this will be the people who will never again be unprepared...for anything. The preparedness and personal security/responsibility movement will assume an identity all its ow. I predict it will continue, as long as thinking citizens anywhere recognize the threat to the comfort and safety of their everyday existence. Think floods, ice storms, blizzards and hurricanes, as well as Y2K.

Great post. Thank you for your contribution to this forum.

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), December 27, 1999.


lara,

There's really no "we" among the "GI." Just a bunch of folks in different places with differing "takes" on what they think will happen and different approaches to attempt to mitigate problems they see as, if not likely, at least possible.

If there's any commonality (and I apologize in advance for speaking for other folks...) it's maybe that those who "Get It" are -- or have become -- a bit more sane, centered, self-reliant and "sensible" in the fullest meaning: knowing what makes "sense" in life and what doesn't.

I'm a better person, and a different one, because of y2k, whatever the outcome. But I'm not a member of any "GI community,"...very few are, I'd guess. Just GI me. The difference we make in the world will be singular, by small individual efforts and attitudes and actions in the days and years to come. Not a bad thing...

-- joe (joe@adeveloper.net), December 27, 1999.


I'll be "prepared" for the next "big" California earthquake, and I've learned to not get caught with the pantry down, ever again. (Also learning to change old JIT food purchasing habits).

Lots of valuable Y2K... and beyond... lessons learned!

In addition my camping supplies are more substantive now. (Ya 'outta see the great new tent I got for Christmas).

;-D

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 27, 1999.


For every GI on this forum there are millions of people living in denial and bad faith.

Y2K is a unifying event that has brought together people who have had a feeling that "something just isn't right" with our society.

The unfolding of events has served to strengthen most of us in the belief that self reliance and belief in our own ability to make the "right" choice seems more sensible than what the herd mentality.

And you know what...Most of us have done alright..we'll get through this whether its big or little and know that we were ready.

Unfortunately, with no unifying event we will probably resume our lives, with our heads held a little higher, but without the ability to stop the continuing decline of our democracy.

-- FRODO (FRODO@MIDDLEEARTH.com), December 27, 1999.



If nothing else, I'll be happy I've learned how to "read between the lines", what a valuable piece of knowledge to come across. I'm somewhat amazed at the "sheepels" acceptance as "fact" because it was in the "newspaper" or "on TV".

Somehow, you are ALL to thank for this, the sources of info, the timely "stories" offered is uncanny. Thanks to ALL.

-- Michael (michaelteever@buffalo.com), December 27, 1999.


The smart ones will learn from this and carry the lesson with them for the rest of their lives.

There is more than one risk out there, and life is not fair. I myself have already adjusted my lifestyle and will keep this (I like it!) as I busy myself loving my sweetie and raising our boys.

I take great solace in the great love and mercy of my Heavenly Father and in the promises He has made to us all.

For the next while though, keep a low profile and learn to forgive!

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 27, 1999.


The Pollies have often accused us of being a "doomer" religion, but I think not.

If Y2K is a survivable inconvenience, then I think most of us will simply give a big sigh of relief, and go on about our lives. Some of us will change our life styles permanently (some already have), and some will never think twice about it again.

But BITR or TEOTW, it has been a learning experience for most of us, and I believe, one which will have an affect on us the rest of our lives and on the lives of our children.

For my part, as I said on a recent thread, I have re-evaluated my lifestyle, and my outlook on life, and intend to make some major changes whatever Y2K portends. I just hope I have the opportunity.

And FWIW, I feel as much a member of this community as any in my life.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 27, 1999.


So...lets see, you think I'm going to go around sulking if it ain't the end of the world....sheeesh. I've been crunching code for the last 3 years so I could see it fail....???? If we escape I'M happy as a lark, if we crash I'm prepared to the hilt....almost a win/win.

-- Polly-Morphic Doomer (greenem31@aol.com), December 27, 1999.

A better question might be, what will all the pollies who've been praying to John Koskinen for so long do when their messiah fails them?

From the book of Y2K Psalms:

And it came to pass that the one called Kosky was nigh upon the night of judgement. And he said unto the huddled sheeple of his herd:

"Prepare thee for a three day storm. For I am great and have conferred with our Father Billy, he of the town of Bumf*ck Arkansas, the great philanderer, the wise cigar afficiando, who has said unto me 'this problem will be my legacy'. He hath assured me that my faith will be rewarded as most government mission critical systems are fixed, kinda mostly.....

...and I have conferred with the Holy Federal Reserve Chairman, the one who prints money like there's no tommorrow, the giver of wallstreet bonuses, the creater of all that is dot.com, the destroyer of all modern economic theory, the creator of the "New Economy", the one who is called Greedspin and he has said unto me..."99.9% IS actually good enough... nevermind what I said before. Everything is 99% ready. It is a bubble of the spirit and it is good...

And so I say unto you my sheeple,, prepare but buy thee not to much gasoline (half a tank is plenty),

get ready, but take thee not to much cash (a hundy should suffice nicely)

the only thing thou shalt feare is the one called Usama Bin Laden. the unholy one, the one who blows up embassies, he of the desert video with the huge antenna walkie talkie, the one who sends Algerians to Vermont?, the one who hides in asprin factories in Sudan during Father Bill's trials.

Fear ye this devil for he art evil. The UBL is everywhere, so beware. Report ye anything suspicous to the authorities. Ignore ye the welded manhole covers, the helicopters, the NG troops on the corners, the SWAT teams on rooftops, for they art my servants and they shall protect ye in times of terror.

it is so written!

Did anyone notice that not one freaking long bond traded last night in Tokyo? No bid, no offer. Volume was non existent today. The BOJ added 2.5 trillion yen in reserves overnight on Fri and another 4.7 trillion yen last night. In case you're wondering, that's five times the normal rate of reserves added. There is a bad crisis occuring now. The liquidity crunch is real and it's pretty scary that it's this large.

Just finished smoking a fine Habana and I have to say, I don't give a shit what happens, me and mine will make it. Somehow, someway. But it ain't gonna be easy by a long stretch.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), December 27, 1999.



Lara,

Thank you for a thoughtful post. To answer your question, I think one unifying element I have observed from visiting this forum is that despite the varying range of opinion and speculation about Y2k, people here by and large respect one another and the contributions of each person to the debate. It makes me feel rather saddened when the motivations of others are continuously challenged, especially when intelligent people are badgered for their intelligence. But even in spite of that attempt to lower the conversational standard or treat civil discourse suspiciously, the debate still flourishes. The final effect one gains is that people can get along in spite of their great differences.

It may not be what you meant when you asked if we were "chosen" to be part of something important, but I'm suggesting that perhaps this board itself is that larger thing you seek. I hope this board will survive the rollover and metamorphasize into the next year, perhaps as a board where politics and economics and current affairs can be continuously discussed. Of course, the ramifications of Y2k will continue to be discussed well into the next year... and it will be prove very interesting to read the various interpretations.

-- Celia Thaxter (celiathaxter@yahoo.com), December 27, 1999.


Verily, I say unto thee, if TBITR is all there is,,, behold, there shall be a great release of natural gas liken as no man hath seen. For behold, I have saved it for a year and then a half.

Kooketh

-- Y2Kook (y2kook@usa.net), December 27, 1999.


If, by some wonderous miracle, y2k is a BITR, we have a cadre of people who have learned some new traditional skills; found new shared interests in cooking, gardening and husbandry; and explored alternative forms of energy. I can't see that this is a bad thing.

Regardless of y2k, gardens anywhere are a wonderful way to feed the poor, remove stress, get to know ones neighbors.

We already experience power shortages in summer. A shift to alternative forms of energy is inevitable. Y2k fomented a surge of interest that might not have otherwise ocurred.

Faced with a potential crisis, some of us re-thought the priorities of our lives and took inventory of where we were and whether we really wanted to be there. The quality of our lives has changed, for many to the better.

Why do you think this is a bad thing?

-- anon (anon@anon.calm), December 27, 1999.


Perhaps...continue to be self sufficient. Teach the children and the children's children...teach the neighbors. And perhaps...we can take back our nation thru votes when the time comes. There are so many of our rights that are dissapearing daily-time to put a stop and reverse that. They change the constitution-we change it back. No Fate.

-- Satanta (EventHoriz@n.com), December 28, 1999.

Well, I must say to all of you - I only found you tonight and wish I had known long ago - that you were all here. Funny, Lara, while reading a couple of other topics before this I was wondering at the "bonding" that's been going on over the months with "all y'all". And how will it continue and how many live down the street from someone and don't know it - in the same town - whatever. Will these people form any type of "network" - in person - or otherwise - in the future? Have some already? If it's not too late, I'm definitely (always have been) for making the world a better place - but even I am wondering if we haven't put it on the back burner a little too long. Governing systems - beaurocracies, etc. have been in control for too long and we've sat back in denial and watched (or not even watched.)

I'm not familiar with terms and abbreviations - I guess I can pretty well figure out "troll" - but what about BITR, etc. I'm in the midwest Bible Belt and I'd say 98% of people here that I've talked to think NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I mostly keep my mouth shut. No gas lines - no unstocked shelves - plenty of stuff at Wal-Mart, etc. etc. Of course we'll see what Fri. brings. Again, I'm glad to know this site is here - and thanks to the many of you who have obviously put in a lot of work and research. I'm sure we're all hoping for the best - but it's gettin' kinda scary out there.

-- judea rains (islandgirle@hotmail.com), December 28, 1999.



I too live in and environment of disbelief. Most of my immediate family members live in a shell, with no real contact with the real world. Most of them do not watch any news on tv, or even subscribe to the local ragsheet. Theirs is a world of makebelief. When I approach any concerning this danger that we all face, even them. Their approach to the situation is, "this has not ever happened before, what makes you such an authority on it?" And since I am not a famous movie star or statesman,just an ordinary guy, then I am not an authority in any sense of the word. However, I am like a cornered dog or wolf, if my cubs or family is threatened in any way I will strike out. I will not endanger them, therefore I personally think I see somethin on the horizon that may endanger those I love so dearly, therefore regardless of the critisizim regardless of pointed words, regardless of what any have to say, I will do all in my power to protect them. In this case Y2K poses a danger, so I am doing all I possibly can to protect me and mine. I may have to eat crow so to speak. If that is the case, so be it, I have done what I think is right, and I feel right toward God because of it. It will be sad to see relatives, unbelieving relative suffer, but they had the same chance I did. Remember the scriptures where the rich man was sent to hell, and wanted only a drop of water to sooth his tongue? Also he wanted to go back and warn those still behind of this place. Remember what God told them? They have the word the same as you had it, and his request was denied. All the world has been warned, they may have refused to accept it, but that will be their problem when the time comes, not mine.

-- Notforlong (Fsur439@aol.com), December 28, 1999.

Lara, Lara, Lara. I can still see Zhivago staggering to catch that bus, and Julie Christie, not seeing him, as he clutches his heart and dies in the snow.

"And do we have any one thing in common that is worth uniting for in order to make the world a better place? " Sorry, Lara, but I've got to warn you, King of Spain has an answer (or question) for you and you'll be getting it soon enough (if you haven't already.)

My hopes are also for something to come out of this, either way. We have been forced together over y2k because the public (our families, neighbors) were not receptive to our warnings of the possibilities of a computer breakdown that seemed so absurdly incomprehensible to them. We found accepting community on the Net.

I was raised in another "oddball" religion, and went off to my own millenarian communal experience in my 20s. I'm wise to the rich experience that can be had with others, and also the level of self- delusion that is possible. This one has its hooks in reality -- but an overwhelming emotional component that is hard to separate.

What do we have in common? The thing that keeps bubbling up here is a shared appreciation for VALUES. You couldn't make a list that all share exactly, but here we have united evangelical Christians and agnostic leftists (well sorta?) who have put aside their sectarian prejudices to share company with others who also hold strong VALUES.

We don't all know just whether or not we want everyone else to hold our exact VALUES, but we damn well sure want everyone in society to start moving toward SOME values, or bringing to the forefront of their minds the ones they have been shyly hiding (my optimistic belief).

I think that has been the big story of 1999, and it would be hard to write about specifically, because it's still forming subterranean- like, but it's what's going on. VALUES.

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), December 28, 1999.


Ahhh Gordon...Your scriptures are a masterpiece!I'm still LOL. Great stuff, bud...

-- albeebach (ak47@nospam.com), December 28, 1999.

Wonderful posts! Thank you, all. I nod and hum and feel a well of deeply affectionate appreciation rising as I read this thread. A special Welcome! to islandgirle. A special Amen to Kurt. And yes, jor-el, I think you nailed it.

I gotta vent, though. Lara, you piqued one of my Pet Peeves. Here's a story. My kids, DGIs who just moved into a condo on the outskirts of, sigh, Detroit, and who intend to pay for it with salaries dependent on the (Paul Milne laugh in background) auto industry, sent me two identical packages for Christmas. One was labeled "Open at 12:01 on 1/1/2000 if everything is okay [smiley face]." The other was to be opened at the same time if the power was out [frowny face]. Inside were t-shirts. Pockets say "y2k". The back of the first says, "Just another Paranoid Schizophrenic!" The other one proclaims, "I hate to say it, but I TOLD you so!"

I laughed, of course, at their making fun of my fanatic fascination with this amazing moment. But the "I told you so" shirt cut my heart. You lose all ego-investment pretty fast when you contemplate worse case scenarios. People are going to suffer enormously; for all we know modern civilization itself is in peril. I am affronted on behalf of all GIs, mixed lot that we are, by the suggestion that we will be DISAPPOINTED if we miraculously escape a devastating, global catastrophe! I, for one, and I'm sure I speak for many, will gladly endure an examination of my analytical abilities if we manage with only a BITR. I know that I have read on this forum many versions of this shared GI sentiment: Never have so many wanted so very much to be so very wrong. (There. I feel much better now.)

Part of what I wrote to my kids in my rambling year-end letter addresses how I feel here, as we make our final approach to the New Year:

I have been watching the y2k phenomenon for 18 months now; it's been an extraordinary education on so many facets of so many subjects on so many levels. It's given me an opportunity to exchange ideas with some truly greathearted, keenly thoughtful folks. [That's you, my TB2000 family.] I have been able to broaden the scope of my information base, to acquire new research skills, and to reexamine my fundamental belief systems. It has expanded my understanding of politics and economics. I have new inklings about what paths humanity could take to create a friendlier and saner world for all. I have rediscovered the sublime refuge that natural beauty provides to us in this life. I have learned to appreciate anew the exquisite descriptive power of mathematics as it carries our intelligence into explorations of multidimensional worlds, and into things like complexity and chaos. And I have marveled again at the arts, at the power a piece of music, for instance, has to express human emotion, or the power of dance, or of well-crafted words, or finely done visual arts. I have felt awe at realizing how intricately interconnected all our lives have become, and at our tremendous potential and power, for both good and ill. My spiritual life has expanded; my sense of living in a meaningful, purposeful and, yes, loving, universe has grown. I wouldn't trade the past year and a half for anything. I do wish the story line had taken a different turn, that there could have been a more comforting transition to the future. But life is as it is, and I am grateful simply to be, and to witness life at this breathtaking moment in time, regardless of the circumstances.

One of the things for which I am most profoundly grateful is the discovery of this board. I, too, hope we will continue together on the other side. I cherish each and all here. Thanks for the company on this often dark and lonely path. Thanks for the light and the cheer. God bless, and smooth sailing.

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), December 28, 1999.


EVEN if Y2K is nothing (which I hope and pray), the hubby and I will never give up our dream of living in a rural area, using the new/old skills we have learned in the past two years. Oh, to have a LARGE garden, warmed by the Texas sun in the spring, and to not hear the police sirens at night and the neighbor's teenager's stereo all night!

We will never go back to a JIT pantry. I love it!

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), December 28, 1999.


Lara -

Just a minor nit. It was William Miller (not "Joseph") who came up with the date of the "Second Advent" and thus founded the Millerite (or "Adventist") movement.

You may have confused him with Joseph Smith, who was establishing the Mormon Church about the same time (ca. 1835). It's also interesting to note that Charles Russell (founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses) picked up on some of Mr. Miller's work around 1870 and took it from there. The SDAs, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses all have their organizational origins in the "millennial fever" of the mid-1800's.

"People keep predicting the end of the world, and frankly Armageddon sick of hearing about it."

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), December 28, 1999.


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