To All of You,

I'm reposting this (one sentence added) just in case it wasn't seen by many (as I posted it during the 12/31 avalanche) and because it contains things that are very important to me.

Just keep in mind that this represented my state of mind on 12/31 -- much more unsure of the outcome than now. We all remember the context in which it was written; of course, my fears were mine alone. All I'll add is that I wept as I was writing it.

In the Name of the Best Within Us

As we head out into the unknown, I feel I have to share some of my thoughts now, especially since at any time we could be cut off from each other.

In short, this group of people (with very, very few exceptions) is simply the finest group of human beings I have ever known. And I include in this group several people with whom I have often violently disagreed. I include them because I believe they tried their level best to understand this mess as much as the rest of us. And I can't thank you enough, Ed Yourdon and the rest of you, to allow me to learn from you, share with you, laugh with you, and cry with you, if just for these few short months of my active participation.

You know, to me, this really was never a doomer versus polly thing. What this was, was an issue of who used his or her mind, was honest, and tried to refrain from personal attacks. And kindness and compassion would be the icing on the cake. Well, from what I've seen at this forum, these things were simply legion. And since these traits set humans apart from the other creatures, you could say we simply showed our humanity. And we did it relentlessly.

In this sense, absolutely no matter how it turns out, we are the victors. Victors over what? Victors over our greatest enemies in this issue: sloth and indifference. I talk not just of others' here, but of our own tendencies in this regard.

We are the victors because we worked and fought to understand this thing in every way we knew possible.

We are the victors because we worked and fought to overcome our doubts and fears.

We are the victors because we worked and fought to overcome ridicule and ostracism.

And we are the victors because we worked and fought to keep our hopes and our loved ones' hopes alive.

And don't ever, ever forget this. If nothing happens, or if it all goes down, we can walk tall. Because whether you personally believe it was with God's help or not, we were the ones who reached down as deep as a human being could possibly go, and never gave sloth or indifference even a whisper of a chance.

And we did it in the name of the best within us.

I love you all,

--eve (123@4567.com), December 31, 1999

-- eve (123@4567.com), January 09, 2000

Answers

The feel-good movement all growed up.

It doesn't matter if our fears were unfounded; we can feel good about conquering them. We owe a debt to those who created those fears so we can have something to conquer.

Let us pray for continued wisdom for our leaders in finding unfounded calamities we can rally around, as this is the best of both worlds--no actual danger, but feeling victorious battling windmills anyway.

-- ImSo (happy@prepped.com), January 09, 2000.

It has been said that: "The only ones who fail are those who fail to try." There were no failures on TB2000 for one good reason. Everyone tried their best to do and/or say what they felt compelled. And whether accepted or not, each participant here gained something from everything shared ... even the troll posts. :-)

Victory comes in the honest attempt. We do not have to come in first place, We do not have to have the correct solution ... We just have to try. More times than not, the correct solution arises out of seeking the causes of what will not work. Trial and error, learning from our mistakes, and continuing to move is the foundation of life. Constructive balance was reached, which is as it should be.

For a year, I had lurked on this forum before I made my first post. During that time, as I sat reading the forum ... I laughed ... I cried ... I did a little of both. But most of all I learned many things. I learned new ways of looking at things. I learned new ways of doing things. I learned a few new ways of looking at life, thru the eyes of the many dedicated people who gathered here. There was, and remains, a rapport that can usually only be found in a family.

Part of me felt that, if I were to post, I would be intruding into a private place where I had no 'right' to be. Yet, I felt like I belonged, I understood, I fit in ... like I was part of the family, like a long lost cousin. With that awareness, I joined in. A little information I had acquired passed on here, a joke there, a comment over there, and my two cents whenever the whim arose. And found that I WAS amongst family ... I fit in, I made a contribution.

Together we got through the preps and the roll-over. Together we shall, Creator willing, get through what else may come, or not come, as the case might be. :-)

Family disagrees; family has personality clashes; but, family also shares a bond that can not be severed. Though there may be times that members of a family push others away, a family is eternal - the separation is, but an illusion. Time heals many wounds, if it is but allowed. Pray that the time soon comes when the wounds here are healed and our TB2000 family is whole and united again.

A recent thread exists to answer the question ... Why are we still here? The answer is simple, this is where this family exists ... HERE, together, where we belong - a family!

Peace, Love, and Creator's many blessings upon all of you: GI's and DGI's, Pollies and Doomers, moderates, and extremists - our wacky, wild, and wonderful family.

Dr. Rev. Michael ThunderLight

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge of.nowhere), January 09, 2000.

ImSo......

were our fears unfounded?

was there irrefutable proof beforehand that no major problems would occur at rollover?

were Y2K problems windmills?

do you think that "tilting" at them did NO good.....that every bit of remediation could have been done without?

were the fears of Y2K problems windmills?

when even those with the most reliable information built bunkers and had contingency plans at the ready

eve.......you are a victor!

"and never gave sloth or indifference even a whisper of a chance"

thank you, eve.....

i LOVE that line : )

-- mebs (andrea@mebs.lurking), January 09, 2000.