In physics, you have the concept of the "event horizon". That's the point where matter falling towards a Black Hole can no longer escape. I'm borrowing the term to describe the point where people's opinions can no longer escape the pull of the coming event or non-event, depending on which army you are a part of. That point where your opinion has become fixed and immutable, quite possibly even long passed the time that evidence has been amply provided, that you are wrong.

Last night, I sat and read the entire thread about Paul Milne's comments on Harlan Smith's death. Yes, I read the whole thing. Why? I don't know. Maybe some latent masochism. Maybe I've already grown tired of posting here, and I was looking for evidence that it was all just a big waste of time. Maybe it was like that awful wreck on the highway - you want to look away, but you just can't.

It was pathetic, in the extreme. I've never seen a thread where a greater number of people made such a poor showing of themselves. The holy warriors of Smith and the holy warriors of Milne viciously went for each other's jugular. No quarter given! And even the great "Maud Dib" Milne himself showed up, to add to the carnage.

Oh, the high cost of idolatry and delusions of godhood.

All of the loud-mouths here, myself included, are massiah wannabes, but lets not take the game too seriously. We're all just throwing out our 2 cents worth for the great lurking masses to consider. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Somebody's got to spread the news, but anyone of us may be wrong.

There, I said it. Boom! Poof! There goes Bokonon's chance at godhood. He admitted to a possibility of misinterpreting the data. Burn him at the stake as a false prophet!

I know someone will want to post something that reads like "You're full of shit Bokonon. That may be your pathetic little trip, but it's not mine!" Don't post that, unless you have investment in giving me my daily chuckle. We all love the warm gooey feeling we get when we know that people are praising our words, and you know it. We're here as much to get our daily fix of "Neener! Neener! Neener!", as we are to communicate anything useful.

Here's a message to the "sheeple", on both sides of the issue: Now is not the time for out of control passions and blind faith and obedience. It's your life that hangs in the balance. It's your life that will be made or broken, by the decisions you make, in the next few months. Anyone who posts might have some wisdom to impart, whether it's us loud mouthed "dailies" or the lurker who just bops in for an occasional comment. Milne, Smith, Heller, Hoffmeister etc, etc, are just these guys who enjoy/enjoyed the adrenaline buzz that comes from committing their words to paper or bits of computer code. That heady rush that comes from knowing you just stepped over a cliff from which you can't pull back. From knowing that you've just crossed your own event horizon. There are, as hard as it may be to believe, lots of people out there who have just as much info, if not more, than any of us who post. Surprise! The entire world of opinion is not represented on this board. Sometimes in an online community, just like any other type of community, we form our own little bubble and begin to think that "we are the world".

Let your brain learn from your digestive system. When presented with information; eat it, swallow it, digest it and excrete the waste. Even the most nourishing food, has some parts that we can't utilize and is passed on.

Unlike the event horizon of a Black Hole, the event horizon of opinion is a human made event. We can push it back.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 17, 1999

Answers

That was good.

-- helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), August 17, 1999.

Have a cigarette.

-- Spidey (in@jam.commie), August 17, 1999.

Very good, Bokonon!

One confusion source may be that this is the first experience of deep involvement in an Internet discussion forum for most of us. We easily confuse the "TB2000 forum" experience for our "growing alert to and preparing for y2k" experience.

Seeing one's own words post on the "Refresh" command is a nasty little addiction.

My own discipline for today will be to NOT return here to see what is posted below this. But then, I didn't step over much of a cliff...

Denial hides deeply in every mind.

It is August, 1999, and I feel as if I am just waking up from a y2k Rip Van Winkle sleep of 5 months (this from a 2-year GN subscriber!)

(Does Joe Public need to go through the same stages as I, or does he just proceed directly to Panic?)

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), August 17, 1999.

As I return here to eagerly see what was posted in follow-up, I feel embarrasment.

Yes, Jor-el, a nasty little addiction.

Wise words. I have lots to do today (I have run out of room for food storage, so I have to re-arrange things to make way for next weekends additions). I need to make that same commitment to stay away.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 17, 1999.

Bokonon, and jor-el -

I kinda disagree with you here. Certainly not about the bombastic bufoonerey of several threads recently, but about returning to a thread that one has started.

I have only started three of four threads in the 18 months I've been here, but when I do, I stick with them. I desire, not only a bulletin board posting of opinion, but rather a dialog. An on-going conversation between interested individuals. As you both know from our recent discussions, the exchange of ideas can often lead to new ideas (for those so inclined). Several times I have been corrected, encouraged, and inspired in my thinking by the thoughtful responses of others and of myself.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), August 17, 1999.

GPS Rollover = Event Horizon.

I sincerely hope that the GPS is a gigantic f**k-up... we NEED some "Event Horizon" to wake people up...

If the GPS rollover is serious, we can expect [possibly] some military initiatives to take advantage of it... Russia, China, OTOH who knows?

At the moment gobmint are quite happy to pooh-pooh y2k, all the way up to rollover...

Remember, they don't want bank runs, it's the election run up, the Dow may hit 12,000 soon - everything is peachy...

9/9/99 then the Biggie itself.

At this rate there will be no panic as I've said many times over the last six months, this is the worst possible scenario as it will make the Biggie that much worse - there will have been no softening up...

Oh well.

On a selfish note for the GI's more time to prepare and position.

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 17, 1999.

Yes, I think we have reached it. One of the regular pollie's brought this point up not to long ago. I agree with them to the point that we should concentrate our efforts here to information and last min. help to those that wish for it. This constant back and forth between the two camps is intresting but, at this late date serves no purpose. History will be the judge of this debate.

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), August 17, 1999.