An NHNE Y2K Special Report:
NHNE Y2K VisionQuest: Part One
Without Vision, The People Perish
Tuesday, March 30, 1999
"News,
Inspiration,
& Consumer Protection
for Spiritual Seekers"
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NHNE Y2K VisionQuest: Part One
Without Vision, The People Perish
By David Sunfellow
Tuesday, March 30, 1999
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CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE Y2K MERRY-GO-ROUND
Is It the End of the World, or Isn't It?
Exceedingly Dubious Advice
Better Safe, Than Sorry
3. WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: PART TWO
"Don't Worry, Be Happy"
"You Must Chose Good, If You Would Find Happiness"
Laying Low in Sedona
4. Y2K PROPHETS: KNOW THYSELF
Latter-Day Noahs
Three-Day Snow Storm Prophets
The Middle Ground
5. KEEP THOSE EARS & EYES OPEN
The Blind Man At the Gate
6. YOUR TURN
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1. INTRODUCTION
In my March 20th update, I announced that I would be sending out a report
that described my personal experiences with Y2K: the journey I have
gone through since NHNE first picked up this hot potato; my experiences
as the Director of the Sedona Y2K Task Force; and my current perceptions,
concerns, and quandries concerning Y2K. And then it would be your turn
to share whatever thoughts you might have.
My sharings, and yours, are intended to set the stage for an NHNE Y2K
visionquest. The visionquest, as it is presently invisioned, will take
place a couple weekends from now, probably over the course of two days.
I'll provide specific suggestions about how to organize a visionquest
in your part of the world and hope that many of you will feel called
to participate, either alone or in small groups. Once the quest is over,
we'll publish the inspirations, dreams, and other experiences that emerge
for everyone on our mailing list to benefit from.
In the meantime, we've got a lot of things to think about. What follows
is my offering and I very much look forward to reading and sharing yours.
With Love & Best Wishes,
David Sunfellow
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"A learned scholar set forth on a long and difficult sea journey. Desiring
to impress the crew with the depth of his learning he would stop and
question the simple sailors as they went about their duties. 'Tell me
my good man,' he would ask a sailor, 'have you studied philosophy?'
The sailor would answer, 'Oh no, I'm just a simple sailor. I only know
how to sail this ship from one shore to the other.' The scholar would
reply, 'You poor man, you have wasted half your life.' The following
day he would again question the sailor. 'Have you studied geometry,
my good man?' The sailor would reply again, 'No, I'm sorry, Sir. I just
rig the sails and steer the ship.' The scholar again would shake his
head in despair and say only, 'You poor fellow, dwelling in ignorance,
you are wasting much of your life.' Day after day the questions would
go on, 'Have you studied anthropology, zoology, psychology?' The sailor
could only shake his head in denial.
"One night the ship foundered in a storm. The scholar anxiously watched
the crashing waves and held tightly to the mast. The sailor approached
the scholar and asked him, 'Have you, my good man, by any chance studied
swimology?' In puzzlement the scholar could only shake his head. 'That
really is too bad,' said the sailor. 'You have wasted your whole life,
for the ship is sinking.'"
--- "A Buddhist Story," from the book "Stories of the Spirit, Stories
of the Heart," Edited by Christina Feldman & Jack Kornfield
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2. THE Y2K MERRY-GO-ROUND
IS IT THE END OF THE WORLD, OR ISN'T IT?
Y2K showed up on NHNE's radar screen in June of 1997, which is when
we ran our first story about Y2K (NHNE News Brief 64). Since then, it
has grown from fluffy, harmless-looking clouds in the distance, to ominous,
highly-charged storm clouds overhead. Ignored by virtually everyone
in the beginning, now there are great numbers of politicians, lawyers,
economists, bankers, military commanders, programmers, consultants,
journalists and other Y2K "experts" rushing around trying to figure
out how serious Y2K is and what, exactly, they/we need do to about it.
Some days, the news and predictions are encouraging -- Y2K won't cause
as much trouble as originally feared: there will be a few minor glitches
here and there but life will go on, pretty much unaffected. Other days,
the news and predictions are grim -- Y2K may be far worse than expected:
governments may collapse, nuclear reactors may meltdown, chemical plants
may explode, power grids may crash, community water systems may fail,
banks may close, companies of all sizes may go out of business, food
and fuel supply chains may be severed, civilization as we presently
know it may come to an end.
At the end of the day, after being whiplashed by all kinds of conflicting
news reports, the only thing that is certain is no one knows how serious
Y2K will be. No one.
Normally, when a person, community, or nation is faced with a situation
like this, they prepare for worst-case scenarios because they don't
want to take the chance of being unprepared if things go badly. This
is especially true if there is a possibility of significant numbers
of complicated, unforeseen, potentially life-threatening failures.
EXCEEDINGLY DUBIOUS ADVICE
But something very peculiar is happening with Y2K: Instead of encouraging
the public to prepare for worst or even moderate-case scenarios, a growing
number of public officials are saying that they don't expect there to
be any serious problems. According to these officials, people should
prepare as they would for a mild winter storm -- set aside three days
worth of food and water. Never mind that the FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCY (FEMA) used to recommend that citizens stockpile 14 days of food
and water in case of unexpected emergencies such as blizzards, hurricanes,
or earthquakes. In this case -- in the face of a volatile global storm
of undetermined strength that has "the potential" to disrupt virtually
every aspect of modern society -- three days ought to do the trick.
What conclusions can be drawn from such seemingly uninformed, ill-advised
recommendations? Ed Yourdon, best-selling author of "Time Bomb 2000,"
has this to say:
"There are only a few possible explanations for the government's determined
efforts to popularize the three-day winter snow storm metaphor:
"- The government is privy to some amazing secrets about a positive
outcome to the Y2K situation that veteran software engineers (like me)
have never heard about, and could not figure out on their own.
"- The government doesn't really know what will happen, but hopes that
a combination of edicts, mandates, orders, and the power of positive
thinking will somehow accomplish Y2K miracles that have never happened
in the software industry for the past 30 years.
"- The government actually does understand that things are likely to
be far worse than publicly admitted, but has decided that it's not a
good idea to say so."
Personally, I vote for Yourdon's third explanation: having been caught
dangerously unprepared for Y2K, I think public officials realize there
is no longer enough time to mobilize an effective, calm, worst-or even
moderate-case response to Y2K. They may also believe Y2K presents such
a formidable, multi-faceted challenge that it is impossible to respond
to Y2K as we've responded to other threats in the past. Instead, our
best hope is to prepare for minor disruptions and do everything possible
to prevent panic, which could bring our system down prematurely and
also force droves of people who are now working around the clock to
fix Y2K problems to retreat to their homes and families.
If this is, indeed, what is happening (and I am only speculating that
it might be), and if our society ends up experiencing serious Y2K problems
that people are not prepared to deal with, I would not want to be in
the shoes of the officials who said three days of food and water was
all that was needed. Given the thankless job these officials have, I
am, however, not sure that there is any other course of action they
can take at this late stage of the game. I might even make the same
recommendations if I were in their shoes.
On the other hand, I'm not in their shoes. Moreover, I have not been
hired to ensure our current systems and ways of doing things survive
the Y2K storm.
BETTER SAFE, THAN SORRY
If you've been regularly reading the Y2K reports we've been sending
out, you know, beyond any doubt, that our world "could" experience serious,
widespread, difficult-to-fix, potentially life-threatening breakdowns.
Personally, I'm not betting my life, and the lives of my children, friends,
and community on the advice of public officials who can't possibly know
how serious Y2K is going to be and who may also be making their recommendations
based on hidden agendas that you and I are not privy to. Instead, I'm
preparing for the worst: six months or longer of potential disruptions.
In my case, that means strengthening my relationship with God; nourishing
my relationship with family and friends; helping mobilize those in my
local community who are interested; planting gardens; storing food and
water; buying whatever manufactured things I need now that might be
difficult to acquire in the future; and encouraging as many other like-minded
people around the world to do the same as I possibly can.
I hope you will, too -- today, now, a little at a time, while there
is still time left.
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"It is better to get rid of the problem and keep the person, than to
get rid of the person and keep the problem."
---Author Unknown
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3. WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: PART TWO
"DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY"
Lest we think that the kind of "Don't worry, everything is going to
be OK" comments coming out of Washington D.C. and other power centers
have no impact on our daily lives and decisions, let me update you on
my experience as the Director of the Sedona Y2K Task Force. (The first
part of "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" can be found at: <http://www.wild2k.com/sedona/lessons1.html>)
During the nine months that I have been actively involved as a Y2K organizer,
I've helped build grassroots organizations in Sedona (and our surrounding
communities), spoken at numerous public gatherings, participated in
panel discussions, attended endless organizational meetings, talked
to city councils, been interviewed on television, radio and in newspapers,
helped organize the nation's first state-wide gathering of Y2K grassroots
preparedness groups, even become a low-grade celebrity that is appreciated
by some and villianized by others in my local community.
And now I am at a crossroads. And so are many others who have done what
they can to mobilize their communities.
The prime directive in most Y2K community-preparedness efforts is to
help everyone in the community get prepared. It has, of course, been
a given that not everyone is going to get prepared, but that's OK --
those of us who realize the seriousness of the situation will have to
do what we can to compensate for the lack of interest/awareness of those
in our community who are not taking Y2K seriously. The job of getting
our local news organizations to accurately report on Y2K; of motivating
local governments to prepare for potential disturbances; of asking infrastructure
representatives for proof that their systems are as compliant as they
say they are; of convincing as many people as possible that Y2K needs
to be taken seriously, falls to us. And if we fail to inform and mobilize
our community? Well, our the collective ship sinks, taking ALL of us
down with it.
There has, in other words, been a strong focus on saving the current
system for fear that not doing so could lead to a complete collapse
of society. Most of the grassroots organizers that I have been in touch
with have also emphasized the idea that Y2K is an opportunity to introduce
alternative ways of living, thinking, and acting into the mainstream
-- organic gardening, permaculture, eco-villages, alternative energy,
holistic healing, roundtable forms of governance, more spiritually-based
organizations and relationships, various forms of self-sufficiency and
community, etc. The idea has been to shore up the current system long
enough for new systems to take root and, eventually, take over.
While I like the idea of there being a smooth transition from old ways
of doing things to new ways, on most of the fronts I am aware of, this
is not what is happening. The powers, institutions, mindsets that dominate
the world today are, for the most part, not viewing Y2K as a major failing
of our current system, nor are they seeing it as an opportunity to explore
new ways of doing things. Rather, Y2K is a minor "bump-in-the-road"
they intend to fix and then continue on their merry, often destructive
and dysfunctional ways.
And while a growing number of people around the world are questioning
the viability of today's social, political, economic models -- and looking
for and experimenting with new ones -- most of the world isn't. Like
our public leaders, most people are expecting Y2K to be fixed and the
world to continue pretty much as is.
In Sedona, most of the people don't believe Y2K is a serious threat
and don't plan to do much about it. Their marching orders are coming
from our local newspaper, which says Y2K is mostly hype; our local infrastructure
representatives, who all say they are on top of their particular problems;
our local city government, which doesn't want to be associated with
our grassroots efforts and organization; and the Federal government,
led by John Koskenin, who apparently has decided to spin-doctor everything
to prevent panic. Awareness has increased, and there is a general consensus
that there will probably be minor problems here and there. But the thought
that we could be facing a major meltdown is not a serious consideration
in the minds of most of the people in my community.
In Sedona and elsewhere, many of us who have been trying to inform and
mobilize our local communities are being called fearmongers, radicals,
and troublemakers. This "shoot the messenger" mentality is particularly
unfortunate because those of us who are most informed about Y2K (and
who often got the Y2K awareness ball rolling in our local communities),
have important knowledge, experience, and resources that could be used
to help our communities make a graceful passage through Y2K.
But the bottom line is that most people do not want to hear that the
system we have built our lives upon may be in serious trouble and that
new systems may need to be explored if we expect to make a successful
leap from one millennium to the next.
Because of this, many grassroot organizers are now faced with two pressing
questions:
1. Can we change the minds of people, institutions, corporations, newspapers,
city governments, friends and neighbors who have chosen to believe Y2K
is not a serious problem?
2. Should we, even if we can?
"YOU MUST CHOSE GOOD, IF YOU WOULD FIND HAPPINESS"
Many years ago, while wrestling with another issue like this one, I
had a dream:
In my dream, the Earth is being invaded by aliens. The aliens are slowly
infiltrating the entire world, taking over people's bodies and consciousness
and turning them into zombies. I see this happening and desperately
try to warn others. But no one listens until it is too late. Finally,
I am the last human being left untouched. I begin flying through the
sky, trying to escape, and am violently attacked by an alien. Fighting
for my life, a ferocious battle ensues. The next thing I know, I am
transported to a large open meadow where a crowd of human zombies are
gathered. They are all standing there, frozen in a coma of sorts. A
voice asks me what I want to do? I reply, without thinking, that I want
everyone to turn back into the people they were before the aliens came
and took them over. The voice questions me more deeply, "Are you SURE
this is what you want to happen?" I realize now that I have the power
to make anything happen and I have to think my decision through very
carefully. As I do, I realize that it is not my place to interfere with
the lives and choices of others. At this point, a presence seems to
take over my consciousness and it fills the meadow with a loud penetrating
message: "Every single being has the potential for good or evil. You
must choose good if you would find happiness."
This dream shook me to my core. And it left me with what has become
one of the guiding principles of my life: I am here to help others discern
"good" choices (choices that led to peace and happiness) from "bad"
ones (choices that led to pain and suffering), but not interfere, or
try to "save" anyone from anything.
The idea of "saving" our local community was an important topic in some
of our local Task Force meetings. We all agreed we couldn't save everyone
in our community from potential Y2K problems, and shouldn't try to.
We would do what we could to get the information out to those who were
interested, and then help as much as we could get prepared. And that
was it. The rest would be left to God and whatever destiny people chose
for themselves.
LAYING LOW IN SEDONA
On February 15th of this year, our local Task Force organized a state-wide
gathering of all the preparedness groups in Arizona. In all, about 70
people attended. Just before the event began, we received word that
the office space we had been using, which had been graciously donated
to us by a local realtor, was about to be rented. We had 14 days to
decide whether we would rent the building ourselves, or move. Since
we didn't have enough income to rent the space, we decided to leave.
Prior to losing our office space, we had also been losing people and
energy. Some of our steering committee members had resigned, other steering
committee members experienced painful, unexpected deaths in their families,
office volunteers were having difficulty covering their office shifts
for various reasons, our local teams were floundering because we didn't
have enough people to provide constant leadership, and the calls to
our office had begun to taper off.
When news arrived that our office was about to be rented to someone
else, it seemed obvious that the time had come to take a break. Perhaps
this was the calm before the storm: a time to rest, regroup, and focus
on preparing ourselves and our families, which had been largely neglected
because of our efforts to inform and organize the community.
Or perhaps there was a larger, more fundamental message being delivered:
choices were being made, on all our parts, as to whether we were going
to view Y2K as a potentially serious storm (as an increasing number
of credible sources were indicating), or downplay it (as our political
leaders and mainstream news sources were doing).
Significantly, most of the people who attended our local meetings, fell
in one of two groups:
1. People who were already pursuing alternative lifestyles of one kind
or another;
2. People who had personally experienced major upheavals in their lives
(the Great Depression and World War II, for instance).
Many of the people who attended our meetings also had either direct
or indirect access to the Internet (which is where the best, most current
and accurate information about Y2K is located). People who were content
with their lives and/or who depended upon mainstream news sources and
authorities for their information did not appear to attend our meetings
in significant numbers.
All told, our Task Force reached a significant portion of our local
population -- several thousand people at least -- in an area that has
a population of about 12,000. And while we did not light up the entire
city of Sedona like we hoped we would, we did take comfort in the fact
that many people now knew how serious Y2K was, and were responding.
At the last public meeting we held, which had been called to let those
who were interested know where we were at as a Task Force, many people
told us that the work we had done had planted many seeds which were
now taking root: quietly, behind the scenes, many people were now actively
working with their neighbors, stocking up on food and water, and preparing,
on all levels, for whatever disruptions Y2K may bring our way.
What's next? None of us are sure. Our next general meeting is planned
for mid-April and we'll decide then what our next step will be.
Perhaps the Sedona Task Force will reemerge, working hand-in-hand with
local public officials, news sources, and a larger, more receptive public
at large. Perhaps we won't; perhaps we'll be less visible publicly and,
instead, focus on the network of alternative-minded people we've hooked
up with behind the scenes.
In the meantime, I'm keeping a low public profile, recuperating from
the last nine months of intense outer work in Sedona, concentrating
on preparing myself and my family for potential disruptions, doing what
I can to pump new life and energy into NHNE, and preparing for the Y2K
visionquest we are about to embark on...
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"Looks are so deceptive that people should be done up like food packages
with the ingredients clearly labeled."
--- Helen Hudson
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4. Y2K PROPHETS: KNOW THYSELF
LATTER-DAY NOAHS
Judging by what I have written above, it should be clear that I believe
Y2K is a very serious threat. What may be less clear is how often, and
how deeply, I question my own perceptions and motivations -- and the
perceptions and motivations of others -- concerning Y2K.
All my adult life, I have expected the current world order to be swept
away and a new one to emerge in its place. I have also identified trigger
mechanisms (like earth changes and messianic re-appearances) that I
thought would topple the status quo. So far, none of the dramatic earth-shaking
events I expected have taken place, nor, in my opinion, are they likely
to. I have, in fact, spent a good deal of time systematically investigating
and debunking my own misguided beliefs.
While many of my beliefs have not withstood the test of serious inquiry,
one core belief has: our world is passing through a time of profound
change. Moreover, many of the things I have hoped would eventually become
an everyday part of human existence are slowly, but surely, taking root.
There have been no dramatic pole shifts, no worldwide appearances of
Mother Mary or Jesus, no massive failure of the existing world order.
But things have been changing.
Some part of me does, however, continue to expect dramatic, worldwide
changes to swoop in and turn our comfy everyday world upside down. And
Y2K, while not the kind of trigger mechanism I originally expected,
fits the bill -- which makes me profoundly suspicious: Is Y2K as serious
as it seems to be, or are my apocalyptic inclinations blowing it up
into something it isn't?
To be perfectly clear, the kind of collapse I'm on the lookout for IS
NOT an asteroid-style strike. A catastrophic collapse of the current
world order could put humanity back into bear skins and caves, rather
than move us ahead into peace-loving, self-sufficient, Earth-friendly
eco-villages and spiritual communities.
Significantly, many of the Y2K analysts, programmers, and community
organizers who are predicting major Y2K problems have personal agendas
and biases similar to mine: although often coming from different perspectives,
they, too, want to see our current system replaced and believe Y2K will
be the mechanism to do the job.
In order to get an objective reading on Y2K, I think we all need to
take these things into consideration. Human history is, after all, littered
with apocalyptic movements that captured the imaginations and emotions
of vast numbers of people, only to fail, sometimes tragically.
It is also important to note that times of great change and uncertainty
tend to produce apocalyptic visions and prophetic figures who promise
deliverance from the pain and chaos of the day. And the fact that we
are transitioning from one millennium to another intensifies everything.
That's one side of the coin: those of us who want to see the current
world order come to an end could be gathering information that supports
this view and filtering out information that doesn't. Or, alternately,
perhaps the evidence we are gathering is solid, but Y2K, for whatever
reason, won't cause as many disruptions as the evidence indicates it
will.
THREE-DAY SNOW STORM PROPHETS
The other side of the coin is that existing world orders do fail, sometimes
spectacularly, and apocalyptic visions, however far fetched, do sometimes
come true.
Historically, entire cities, islands, countries, even civilizations
have been reduced to rubble and/or erased from the surface of the Earth
in very short periods of time. Wars, pestilence, plagues, earthquakes,
floods, ecological disasters, political, religious and social upheavals
have all delivered knock-out blows.
Are we so arrogant as to think that our cities, nations, and global
culture is somehow exempt from the forces of change that demolished
past civilizations?
Of course we are. Many of us are no different than the builders of the
Titanic. We are certain nothing could sink us. Our ship is so well designed,
and has so many redundant systems built into it, that it simply can't
be sunk. Yes, there can be engine failures. Things can break. People
can fall asleep at the helm. Computer bugs can show up and cause mischief
here and there. But the entire ship sink? Impossible!
This kind of arrogance is probably one of our culture's greatest failings.
Using the Titanic again as an example: the Titanic didn't sink because
it was poorly designed. It sank because those who were in charge dismissed
repeated warnings. And once the ship started sinking, over 1,400 of
people died unnecessarily because life boats, on an unsinkable ship,
were viewed as unnecessary.
If the parallels between the Titanic and our culture aren't enough to
get our attention, then let's forget about looking to the past for lessons.
Let's look to modern-day Russia.
Just a few short years ago, Russia and the United States were largely
viewed as global equals. But today, leveled by a series of debilitating
economic and political forces, Russia is one of the bleakest, most troubled
nations on Earth.
What has happened in Russia, can happen to the United States and any
other country in the world -- especially if we arrogantly ignore warnings
and proceed as if nothing, including a tiny little computer bug, can
sink our mighty ship.
THE MIDDLE GROUND
In between believing all hell is going to break loose, and nothing much
is going to happen, is a mixture of the two: Y2K will cause significant
problems, but the problems that occur won't level our world and current
way of life. If I had to bet on the most likely Y2K scenario, I would
bet on the scenario Ed Yourdon outlines in his article, "A Year of Disruptions,
a Decade of Depression":
http://www.yourdon.com/articles/y2koutlook.html
But I would only bet on Yourdon's scenario if nothing else goes wrong;
if Y2K is the only major crisis we have to deal with. If any of the
multitude of other crisises facing our planet (stock market crashes,
increased terrorist activity, the spread of conventional wars, nuclear
power plant accidents, nuclear war, solar flare disruptions, asteroid
strikes, etc.) piggybacks on the Y2K crisis (which I believe some of
them are likely to), things could get significantly worse.
So at this point in time, I'm not ruling anything out and, as much as
I am able to, I plan to be prepared for whatever might happen. I'm also
planning to keep a close eye on all the forces running around in me
(and others) that are coloring my perceptions and determining my actions.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Will you be prepared for seven days or thirty? Is your money in the
bank or in your pillow? Did you invest in that generator, a wood stove
or decide that your power will surely be on? When it comes down to it,
these often-debated questions are not important. You will decide what
you decide and I will decide what I decide. We will not all follow the
same advice or prepare in the same way. What is important, is that we
are aware. That we are willing to look at our world and question its
fundamental structure from top to bottom in ways that we never have
before. That we now see our interdependencies and our vulnerabilities.
That we talk to our neighbors. That we engage the world and try to take
back a little more control of our lives.
"I don't care anymore how others prepare for Y2K. I will be happy to
make on more person aware that Y2K is a part of reality. To make them
see the bigger picture as they live through it, instead of living through
it so confused that they are not able to comprehend the significance
of it all."
--- Seth D. Carmichael, Y2KWEEKX, Week 41, Issue 28, March 29, 1999
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5. KEEP THOSE EARS & EYES OPEN
When I look upon the world, I assume deep meaning lies beneath everything:
in the movement of stars, the passing of seasons, the events, both mundane
and grand, that come and go in our daily lives.
I also assume there is great meaning behind our world being confronted
with Y2K and many other extraordinary challenges as one millennium gives
birth to another one.
I can imagine, 2,000 years ago, people feeling the same way: something
BIG was up. But what was it? Where would it touch down? Would we be
a part of it? Would we recognize it when it happened? How would it change
our lives and the world we live in?
I think we should all be asking ourselves the same questions now. Our
eyes and ears should be wide open. We should be taking nothing for granted.
Looking under every stone. Questioning every preconceived idea. Expecting
the unexpected. Paying very close attention to everything that crosses
our path, including controversial little computer bugs.
And that sets the stage for a story I want to end with...
THE BLIND MAN AT THE GATE
"Long ago, I remember a blind beggar sat each day beside the gate on
the east side of the wall of the city of Jerusalem. For years he made
that place his daily residence.
"So clever were his ears that he had learned the sounds of those who
walked along the way. He could detect the man of wealth by his step,
by the sound of his voice, even by the sound made by the texture of
his clothes and shoes. By cleverness of the ear he could discern the
Roman from the Jew; in fact, he could identify, with little difficulty,
a man of almost any nation.
"By sound alone did he discern what he considered to be the worth of
men. Those who dragged their feet or who let their sandals flap too
much as they walked; those whose clothes were of insufficient crispness
or weight (indicative of lack of wealth), he ignored, and did not even
bother to raise his cup and ask for alms.
"One day footsteps were heard along the hillside and upward to the gate
-- familiar footsteps, but of little importance to the beggar. By the
sound of their feet and the timbre of their voices he recognized the
walk of two fishermen from Galilee.
"Beside the fishermen as they passed by was the voice of a man he recognized
as being from Nazareth. If I might know the beggar's thoughts at the
time, they were, 'Ah, a man from Nazareth. Perhaps he has a family of
the class of workers or carpenters, perhaps a maker of roofs. These
fisherman, this laborer, would have no coins for me. Better to save
my voice than to waste on them a forlorn hope of alms.' These were the
words within his mind and heart.
"The fishermen were Simon and Andrew. The Nazarene was a man called
Jesus.
"The beggar remained blind throughout his years; the slyness of his
ear had stolen away the very opportunity that his eyes might see. Had
his heart been prepared in love, he should at least have spoken. Or
had he even asked, unknowing, sight might have been received. Yet, so
it is that often men allow the greatest opportunity to walk by them.
In blindness they hear its footsteps, but they judge its cadence by
the ear of wisdom and fascination in things of the world.
"Who was the blind man at the gate? I am. It has taken me nigh two millennia
to begin to hear anew. And still, my eyes do not see..."
--- From a psychic reading given by Ray Stanford entitled "The Blind
Man At The Gate"
Here's hoping none of us make the mistake the poor fellow in this story
made.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The Big Questions:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is my fate?
Where are the cookies?
-- From a tee-shirt advertised in WIRELESS, the Minnesota Public Radio
Catalog
------------
6. YOUR TURN
Now that I have shared my thoughts with you about Y2K and the remarkable
times in which we live, it's your turn. I invite those of you who feel
like you have something say, to send your comments to "nhne@nhne.com."
I WILL ASSUME I HAVE YOUR PERMISSION TO SHARE WHATEVER YOU SEND UNLESS
YOU SPECIALLY ASK ME NOT TO. Please be as clear and concise as possible.
Whatever letters we receive will be published next week in the second
part of this three-part special report. Please include your name and
location (you don't have to be specific about where you live, I would
just like to know what part of the world you're from).
After Part Two of this special report has been published, those of us
who are interested will share a visionquest and see what kind of inspirations
come to us from the inner world.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Copyright 1999 by NewHeavenNewEarth
Please feel free to share this report with as many people as you like.
If you do share this report with others, we ask that you reproduce it
in its entirety (including all credits, copyright notices and addresses),
not alter its contents in any way, and pass it on to others free of
charge.
------------
Founder & Publisher: David Sunfellow (DS)
Editor-in-Chief: James Gregory (JG)
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NewHeavenNewEarth (NHNE)
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human existence and many of the mysteries that face our planet. Instead
of relying on ancient or contemporary wisdom, or the knowledge of isolated
experts, we are building a global network of seekers from all walks
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that can pool talents, experience, and resources to answer humankind's
fundamental questions. We also believe that our planet is passing through
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NHNE Y2K VisionQuest: Part Two
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