i've seen several bible quotations used to justify Y2K preparations, and the ant vs. grasshopper fable from aesop, but am i the only one who has noticed the similarity between the noah's ark story and y2k?

also, i propose that a old term be re-coined: preppie: sort of a middle-of-road between polly and doomer. i consider myself a preppie. i have secured alternate means of cooking and light sources, tools for self-protection, water purification methods, a supply of non-perishable food, and basic hiking gear. that is, i has accumulated the basic means to subsist for a fairly long while. i am more or less agnostic with respect to the eventual outcome, even though i suspect the worst. i consider myself a part of neither of the existing party, but i do Get It. if i'm wrong, i have a bunch of camping supplies for next season. if pollys and non-preppies are wrong, they're in a world of want and hurt. personally, i think this country needs a swift kick in the pants, and that y2k is just what the doctor ordered, but do i want to perish in widespread mayhem and chaos, famine and pestilence? not exactly.

from i ching, ch. 38: When people live in opposition and estrangement they can't carry out a great undertaking in common; their points of view diverge too widely. In such circumstances one should above all not proceed brusquely, for that would only increase the existing opposition; instead, one should limit oneself to producing gradual effects in small matters. Here success can still be expected, because the situation is such that the opposition doesn't preclude all agreement.

good luck

-- RZN (robinsun@netscape.net), November 15, 1999

Answers

Nope, I've mentioned Noah's ark at least once today.

When the flood starts (TSHTF), my doors will be closed. Just as it was in Noah's day, we didn't see him opening the ark up when it started to rain. Neither shall I open my ark up when it rains.

-- Larry (cobol.programmer@usa.net), November 15, 1999.

Noah took a lot of flack! But he persevered, and survived in the end.

Got unicorns?

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), November 15, 1999.

thanks for your reply.

i was referring more to the warning from god, the ridicule that noah endured while heeding the warning, thus saving his family and (as the story goes) the human race. preppies and doomers endure the same sort of ridicule.

also, is there any relevance to the story about jubilee, when all debts were forgiven?

-- RZN (robinsun@netscape.net), November 15, 1999.

RZN - re: Jubilee... see:

Jubillee 2000/World Bank-IMF debt forgiveness plans

Is that what you were referring to? [do you suppose it will be enough to buy kissie points with God and avoid deep doo-doo with Y2K?]

And about Noah.... an often seen phrase is:

"It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark."

[and I'm SURE his neighbors thought he was as nuts as our family and friends think we are. Though hearing voices on high is only slightly less/more? loony than getting info from the internet - in SOME people's minds that is.]

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), November 15, 1999.

The Noah's ark metaphor makes sense from the preparation before a big storm point of view. In terms of the event itself perhaps the Tower of Babel is more descriptive.

A huge edifice, reaching to the heavens (displacing heavenly values?) the construction of which is interrupted by a sudden inability to communicate.

Best of luck to you and yours

-- TLS (indagatr@istar.ca), November 15, 1999.

To be sure, Y2K has all the elements of Noah's Ark, The Tower of Babel, The Joseph story (where Joseph on warnings from God via dreams) advised the storing of food during the 7 fat years to be consumed during the following 7 lean years. Also, the parable of the 10 virgins (5 wise, 5 foolish).

I am completely amazed at people who won't prepare. I just don't understand.

sdb

-- S. David Bays (SDBAYS@prodigy.net), November 16, 1999.

Got this idea from another post: I am going to phrase my stuff more like the companies do!

I am NOT hoarding! I am staging supplemental food storage.

I am NOT panicking! I am developing, testing, and may enact my personal contingency plans.

Any others, folks?

-- preparing (preparing@home.com), November 16, 1999.

preparing...

how about:

i am Y2K compliant.......i am just "staging supplemental food storage" because, not only don't i have any written assurance of complinace from my vendors......most of 'em won't even give me a hint!

HA!

-- mebs (not@this.time), November 16, 1999.

-- (0@0.h), November 16, 1999.

RIGHT ON S DAVID BAYS. i think it is amazing these stories are right on. and what is so incredible about noah is that it was 120 years from the time god warned him until the flood came. he had to build the ark but he also had to supply it for all those creatures. his whole life was for that one thing. yet he continued to be faithful till the end in spite of all the taunting. gosh, i looked over the mess in my basement one day as i was sorting and putting away and i thought if moses can do it i can too. joseph's life was similar--he had sixteen pretty bad years before he was put in this position. yet god used his hardship and had him in the right place at the right time to save two nations.

y2k is a total pain. but did you ever think that god may be positioning you to save a few people. all this may amount to something.

-- tt (cuddluppy@yahoo.com), November 16, 1999.

Noah had it made -- around his stockade he had a moat that wouldn't quit. Nobody on dry ground can say that.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 16, 1999.