The End of Days

After an extremely intense week, I decided to utilize my ‘day off’ to invest in some deep thought.

For years now I’ve had the apocalypse on my mind. It’s not that I’ve been obsessed with the idea, it’s that my anal retentive mind can’t let go of the need to organize and prepare. Much like my preparations for the millennium where I decided to prepare for and expect the worse, my mind is taking stock of what lies ahead in the end of days and realize that at times such as this, who can be totally prepared for what chaos awaits the human race.

This morning Kevin told me about recent burglaries that have occurred in the area where thieves are climbing on roofs and stealing air conditioning units for scrap copper. Most of these have been retail stores such as Target, but Dennis also mentioned a few days ago that his church has been struck several times. The idea of man stealing from another is upsetting enough to me, but the idea of stealing from a house of God floors me beyond all recognition. In my lifetime, I have seen a change in the way we treat each other – from the era of free love and peace to the complete lack of empathy for another human being and I begin to understand why God has forsaken us. We have gone from a society that feared and loved our creator, to one that now denies his existence. It makes me wonder how any parent could tolerate this sort of treatment from his children before he turns his back on them and considers them a lost cause.

Much like a spoiled child, we have insisted on the best of everything from our maker, but blame and condemn him when things go bad. We fail to even have the common courtesy to acknowledge and thank him for the good we have received – from the air we breathe to the ‘luck’ of narrowly avoiding life’s daily mishaps – all are accounted for by fate rather than God’s intervention. In today’s world poverty and hunger can and should be an idea of the past, technology ensures our entertainment, socialization and comfort, but yet we demand more. When will the avarice ever end?

Many of these thoughts lead me back to Megan and the problems I have with her and her never ending avarice. Each gift given is received with a request for more. Conversations are non-existent unless the topic revolves around her needs. As a parent, I grow tired of this behavior and wonder what experiences she will have to endure until she understands her small place in this huge story of life. At times I secretly pine for her day of reckoning, but as a mother, I fear and pray for her comfort and safety. I feel responsible for these issues because I am her mother, so I am in a perpetual state of hope and prayer that she will see the light before it fades from human sight. These emotions give me great empathy for our creator and I pray he continues to provide patience and unconditional love to us despite our despicable behaviors.

We are just another inhabitant in the Earth’s long life and all stories must have a beginning and an end. Just as I am saddened to end a relationship with a good book and the characters that dwell between the pages, so am I in dread at the thought of the end of man’s existence. Is it merely that we are so pompous and prideful of our mental capacities that we truly believe we are invincible? Perhaps the impending apocalypse is our creator’s way of teaching us this valuable lesson. I can only hope that God finds us worthy of a second chance.

I am afraid, but I believe love is the answer. Love is the energy resource we need to utilize now in our darkest moments. Love will find a way.

Throughout our history, it has been love that has propelled us through near extinction in the past. Love drives us to hold close to each other and ensure survival. In the past our circle of love has been small – seldom extending beyond our own genetic ties, but if we are to survive, our circle of love must extend beyond our genetics and into our backyards and communities. We must utilize our resources for the needs of many despite our basic instincts of self preservation. If we can evolve and adapt to this idea we will become collectively stronger in our endeavor to survive the devastation in our future. Our only chance is to give to others the empathy and unconditional love we expect from our creator. Perhaps if we can evolve, God will find us worthy of another tomorrow.