Looking for reasons to hope, I realized that most of my countys concentrated populations hug one of two major rivers. People would be able to get water, I thought. Nasty, unfiltered water to be sure, but maybe enough to keep a lot of folks alive long enough for the dust to settle. I pictured bucket brigades. It was a bleak dream, but it was something. Then I discovered that our county has 70 plants that handle hazardous chemicals. And they, too, hug the riverbanks. *Pop!* There went THAT dream. Were typical, I guess. 85 million of us live within five miles of such a plant according to this weeks news.

The potential for catastrophe is everywhere. The surreality of public disconnect intensifies with every passing day. A week or so ago, I wrote that my Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder was getting worse: the Flash-Forwards are almost constant now. The more information I get, the deeper my sorrow grows.

I gave a two-hour How to Prep for Y2K and Why You Should talk at a church 25 miles down the valley Thursday night. Trying to get the little group to understand why they had to act, I asked, What if the power goes out, on January 1st or 3rd or 4thand stays out for 2-3 days? (pause) For a week? (softly now, after another pause) Longer? I was sweeping the 20 or so faces with my eyes as I spoke. I saw fear suddenly leap into the eyes of a man in his late fifties when I suggested an outage lasting a week. But I know that Getting It, as he just had, is one thing; holding onto it, in the midst of Oblivia, is another.

If only the power stays up for the most part, in most places. Even if it means rationing. Maybe theres a chance we can adapt swiftly enough to prevent total collapse

If the phones hold, if railroad logistics and switches work, if the mines keep producing coal, if air and sea transport are sufficiently uninterrupted, if reserve oil can get us through, if the nuke plants dont go haywire, if the chemical plants and refineries dont explode, if the banks dont fail, if the world economy doesnt instantly unravel, if we can somehow manage massive unemployment, if entitlement checks can be distributed and cashed, if the food supply lines dont collapse, if water and wastewater systems stay up in the major cities, if hospitals arent so overwhelmed that they close, if emergency plans have been well coordinated, if people are adequately informed and prepared, if the pipelines escape disruption, if nuclear weapons arent accidentally triggered, if terrorists and fools take the month off, if cyber and biological viruses are sufficiently contained, if fix-on-failure works swiftly and well, if non-critical systems really dont matter, if were not really too dependent on international materials and supplies, if the collapse of a handful of major countries doesnt have much impact, if local interruptions just means the ATM on MY corner doesnt work, if traffic can still move in metropolitan areas, if cool heads prevail

SomebodyHyatt?recently pointed out that only two possibilities stand between us and disaster: Either enough has been properly repaired, or the technology never mattered in the first place.

But YOU matter. Decide to survive. Do what you can to stack the odds in your favor, however little it may seem you can do. Recognize yourself as a highly adaptable, inventive, creative human being. Remember to trust your intelligence, your intuition, and your heart. Tell the people you love that you love them. Attach your anchor firmly to whatever Higher Power brings you inner peace. And just keep filling those water jugs, friends, and storing away those bags of chocolate and beans. Plan to be there, on the other side, telling your stories, carving out new ways of living.

69 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes . . . God help us all.

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), October 23, 1999

Answers

Faith: Do you like to mudwrestle?

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), October 23, 1999.

This stupid troll never gives up. Please go away.

-- Jim Jim (JJ@droiic.com), October 23, 1999.

Jim Jim, Jim Jim:

After you've been here awhile, you'll learn (fingers are crossed here) who's a troll and who isn't.

KOS is not a troll. He's been here for months, now, unlike you. If you're gonna' spend some time here, you need to do two things: think before you type and see if you can locate a sense of humor.

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), October 23, 1999.

Faith,

I could hear the violins playing in the background as I read your post.

-- (A real troll@trolling.com), October 23, 1999.

I find KOS's response entirely appropriate.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), October 23, 1999.

Faith,

You've got a reasonable perspective on the situation, but on this forum you're preaching to the choir for the most part. Wish you could get your thoughts out to larger groups or in the newspapers.

-- @ (@@@.@), October 23, 1999.

That was an iffy piece, Faith. Thanks

dave

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), October 23, 1999.

I confess that a quick roll in the damp and earthy if the lights go out will NOT depress me further, quite the opposite.!! Therefore as "Trolls" go, Kingy here is not very good.!!

-- liz (thehalletts@bigfoot.com), October 23, 1999.

Damn. Here I am in agreement with Flint again. Alas and alack!

-- Vic (Roadrunner@compliant.com), October 23, 1999.

Hey KOS- how come you've never asked ME to mudwrestle??

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), October 23, 1999.

Hey! KOS! Do you like dwarf-throwing contests?

-- Dwarf (with@big.one), October 23, 1999.

farmer, KoS has never asked me either. I figured I must intimidate him; could be he's afeard of you, too.

-- silver ion (ag3@interlog.com), October 23, 1999.

I was posting as PH for awhile, till Pete set me straight. (Gawd, I feel like I'm hiking up my skirt over one knee and sticking out my thumb).

-- silver ion (ag3@interlog.com), October 23, 1999.

Silver ion--

Nice lusting..er luster.

-- Pete (phytorx@lanset.com), October 23, 1999.

Faith, I know exactly what you mean. If only....oh, if only....

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), October 23, 1999.

Fellow mud-wrestling fans, I will not rub it in that KoS has asked me to mud-wrestle. Be sure to stash freeze-dried mud, just in case.

Faith, you see how we prove so easily that a frisson of fear fuels the humor engine? I can't get beyond the first few ifs. Rephrase: WON'T get beyond. It works for me. It's not denial, because I've thought about all these factors and more. All I can do is concentrate on those factors I can do something about. The rest? [Shrug.]

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), October 23, 1999.

i agree with flint and faith... God Help Us

-- jeremiah (braponspdetroit@hotmail.com), October 23, 1999.

Great post Faith!

Don't let the dedicated disrupters get ya down. You must be making too much sense.

-- Dolma Lhamo (I'm@nonymous.now), October 23, 1999.

Faith, what an excellent post! You elucidate the "contingencies" with luminous lucidity, per usual poetic heart-centered writing. Thank you. This one's a keeper. *Favorited*

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 24, 1999.

Wow, Faith, it sure doesn't seem as if it's been well over a year since we "bumped into each other" on these forums. So much has happened.......so little has happened. In those days this forum was quite productive, now it's filled with junk, and the occasional nugget, such as this post of yours. Makes my day to read something so strongly motivated by the heart. Thank you.

You said, "The more information I get, the deeper my sorrow grows." That rang a bell, since it's the way I've felt for some time. We live in sad times.

Yes, keep stashing away the beans and chocolate. When you have enough for yourself, think about the family down the street, and add some for them. I just put in a 30 day food supply for the perpetual welfare family that lives on the dirt road down my mountain. [They already get their water from my spring.] No steaks -- but enough beans and rice and canned food and dairy for them to survive.

And yes, "God help us all", for He is our only source of help in these troubled times.

Don't be a stranger.

-- de (delewis@XOUT.inetone.net), October 24, 1999.

One of my premises is that when the House of Cards collapses by some miracle the *exact* right cards will remain standing. You know, because nothing is totally "impossible."

Faith: You captured in words what was only a fuzzy thought in my head. If, if, if... Great post!

-- mar (derigueur2@aol.com), October 24, 1999.