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by ROBERT ZIMMER, JR.
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Perhaps it’s kind of like (most) people's experience when they lose their virginity. There's monumental anticipation, mighty buildup, a climactic moment (no pun intended)... and then the letdown that says, "Umm... okay. Is that it?" We expect life, in the aftermath, to change in some spectacular, dramatic way. But as with the new millennium, life seems to just... keep going on. Why? Because we focused much more on the event itself, rather than how and why we got there, and how and why we want to proceed afterwards. We forgot, perhaps, that we make events mean something. Events don't make us mean something. People are always looking for things external to themselves to give their lives some significance. We all need outside influences to help inspire us, naturally, but some people are completely lost unless they have something to which they can transfer responsibility for their own lives. They blame their parents for screwing them up, so they don't have to be accountable for their own actions. They want to drown in a rigid religion so they don't have to grapple with life's moral complexities. And history has shown us that over and over again, the same kinds of straw people prophesize the untimely end of the world. How silly it must feel to sit in the camp of some cult, awaiting that moment that your guru says is coming -- “The end is nigh!” -- and then the moment comes, and nothing happens. What a scary thing, to have to continue on, having staked your entire existence on the belief that the earth would randomly perish. Most of us are far smarter than that, but a little bit of that hysteria was hovering over even the most rational of us on New Years’ Eve. That January 1, 2000 has come and gone without incident suggests that January 1, 3000 will likely happen too. And that forces us to face the question -- what are we supposed to do for the next thousand years? Aw, hell. We're going to have to find some ongoing meaning and purpose -- for ourselves and our civilization. I believe we create our own reality. If enough of us truly do want the world to end badly enough, we will either consciously or unconsciously fuck our own lives up, and then fuck others’ lives up, or both, until the critical mass is reached and we use our much-vaunted technology to destroy ourselves. By the same token, if we would like the next thousand years to be a time of wonder and increasing prosperity and meaning, then we can make that happen too. We must first take responsibility for this task in our own lives, and then work to facilitate the betterment of others’ lives, too. January 1, 2000 means nothing in and of itself. Sex (as referenced above) means nothing in and of itself. Religion, too. It is only our vivid and active participation that brings anything to life. We cannot wait around for the world to end, or for some meaning to come crashing down on our heads. Life cannot happen to us. We must make it happen, or it is not life at all. Perhaps Jesus Christ, or the Jewish messiah, or whatever religious icon, will make a spectacular appearance and relieve us of duty watch over this planet, this reality, this mortal coil. But until then, do we behave like medicated sheep? No. We are stuck here, for now, for better or for worse. Does it mean God doesn’t exist? No. What we can ascertain for sure, though, is that we have another millennium to conquer. In fact, I'll be bold and venture to say that God has given us a choice, individually and collectively. It is up to us, and nobody else, to set the tone for the rest of our existence. Let's make the best of it. ROBERT ZIMMER, Jr., IS A FILM AND TELEVISION WRITER LIVING IN LOS ANGELES. AT HIS NEW YEARS' EVE PARTY, HE HAD A FRIEND SNEAK TO THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BOX IN HIS HOUSE AND CUT THE POWER AT 12:01 ON JANUARY 1. OH, HOW THE GUESTS SCREAMED. |
Send your comments to Coffee Shop Times pop culture critic Robert Zimmer, Jr.
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Copyright © 2001 The Coffee Shop Times
Apocalypse, Not!
