Greetings All:

Id like to share an idea that Ive been mulling over for some time now. It concerns denial and the apparent inability of some people to even entertain the idea that Y2K disruptions could be serious, or even life threatening. Let me shift into story-telling mode

I remember, about 20 years ago, our family was having a large addition built onto our home. The builder came by one evening with the prints for the addition, and gave my father a quick run-through to make sure there were no obvious deviations from what we had requested. Later, when my mother asked to see the drawings, my father (and I!) tried to explain what she was looking at. My mother was, and is, a very intelligent woman. However, try as she might, she just couldnt see what we were talking about. She couldnt get a picture in her mind as to what the rooms would look like, where the windows would be, etc.

Some months passed, and finally the shell of the addition was roughed-in and interior walls were being erected. Even looking at the stud walls, with my father explaining that here is the door to the master bath, thats where the shower stall is going to be, on the other side of the bathroom is the door to the master bedroom, my mother was now just barely able to visualize what the final product would look like.

From that point, she developed a reasonable grasp of the project. Although, even after the drywall was hung, she mentioned that some of the rooms didnt look exactly the way she had imagined.

My point is this. Some people, regardless of intelligence or imagination may not be able to integrate a large problem that is multidimensional. Im not saying that this is a deficiency or a negative trait, or whether the cause is psychological or neurological. It simply seems that certain individuals become trapped in the details of a situation, and are unable to mentally back away and wrap their heads around the essential nature of the thing in question. This may be a root cause of denial as it pertains to Y2K.

Perhaps those in denial CANT grasp the scope of the problem, rather than WONT.

Just thinking out loud!

-- Paul Bednarek (paul_bednarek@quantumdata.com), August 25, 1998

Answers

Keep thinking out loud, Paul. This is good to keep in mind, as marriages and other family relationships have been disrupted over Y2k arguments. My entire family is resistant, ranging from total denial of there even being a problem, to "bump in the road" mentality. They are yielding gradually to gentle but firm persistence and regular updates on the changing Y2k situation. Don't rush them, but don't give up on them, is my two cents. Eventually we'll ALL be "Y2k doomsayers," and they'll make a better transition if they have your information as a reference point.

E.

-- E. Coli (nunayo@beeswax.com), August 25, 1998.

Everybody! Go to Jim Lord's current Tip of the Week (Aug. 24). www.y2ktimebomb.com You'll find "Tip of the Week" on the right column, click there, then scroll down to the middle column and click again on "Tip of the Week." He gives excellent ideas on how to explain this, in a simple way. I especially like the one about polishing marbles! It's going to be my main example, from now on! (Don't forget, "dress rehearsals" are coming April 1 when New York State, Canada, and Japan begin their fiscal year 2000 calendars! Will the food shortages and bank runs begin then????)

-- Holly Allen (Holly3325@juno.com), August 25, 1998.

Perception and interpretation are everything in life...in the world we live in we are surrounded with a din of noise from many loudspeakers...not all of them visible or in loudspeaker form, that tell us to perceive in the way acceptable in the present system. When explorers from Europe landed in "the new world" in their longboats, it is assumed that the indiginous inhabitants could not comprehend that there were BIG BIG ships in the distance...nor that there was a land in the distance....

Children in the factory system that is our schools both public and private are not taught to exercise their perception...they are rather taught to see as everyone sees....herein with Madison Avenue, Washington, DC and denial lies the heart of denial...factor in the other 80 percent, which is fear...and you know all there is to know.

More than a river in Egypt...

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), August 26, 1998.