Surviving the rapture

A windy, blue-skied Friday was quickly overshadowed by thoughts of the so-called 'rapture.' I went from not knowing anything about it to not being able to escape talk of the world's end this weekend.

I can't say I bought into it, though the smallest bit of my imagination considered the possibility I could be wrong ... especially after hearing about the extremes some people took in preparation for May 21.

Some took a mild approach and simply stopped making plans for the summer, figuring it was a lost cause. But I couldn't believe those who stopped making house payments. Worse yet, the guy in California who planned to euthanize his pets beforehand. What really caught my attention was the family in Maryland who totally believed in Judgement Day, scarily so. A New York Times article detailed these parents who stopped saving for their children's college educations well in advance. They even went so far as to convince one of their daughters that she would not be joining them in heaven. What kind of psycho parenting is that, even if the world had ended yesterday?

It's one thing to support a certain creed or set of religious beliefs; I get that. But when one starts mixing faith with reality to such an extent that there is no space left for common sense or 'what if' that it starts to get dangerous. I wonder what all the people who spent every last dime are doing now, or what those kids will do come college time.

Suicide prevention hotlines were set up, bracing for the aftermath. I'm not sure how many, if any, people took their lives, but hopefully the hotlines stayed relatively silent.