We're still here, even after the end of life as we know it never came to pass as predicted by the senile prophet who thought he and his followers were to be taken up to heaven last weekend and leave the rest of us evildoers behind. All of us in some way will experience death, and I'm sure not willing to give up time and treasure to that doddering old fool. End of life did come, though, to those who died in the recent tornado in Joplin, MO. Physical tragedies from storms, financial turmoil, engagement in wars, shortages, high prices, etc. all contribute to people's thinking we keep sinking deeper into a hole. As a kid I'd often see cartoons that pictured a person carrying a sign saying, "The end is near" with a tag line stating the joke. Now many years have passed since I first noticed dire prophecies told me the end is near, I'm still here, and I took away a good lesson.
The latest issue of the Smithsonian magazine came in my mailbox yesterday, and as usual I flipped through it rather hurriedly until one of the articles stopped me cold, "Don't Sniff the Antlers." I scanned it and several key words teased me to go back to read and re-read and underline and make notes until I fully grasped the author's gist. Lance Morrow wrote of the 13th century Buddhist monk named Kenko whose philosophy was to accept change and impermanence as part of living. He felt at the time Japan was degenerate and in decline. Morrow lifted this interesting view of Kinko, "It is perversely comforting to reflect that people have been anticipating the end of the world for so many centuries. Such pessimism almost gives one hope." Further, Morrow saw this in the 700 year old teachings of this Buddhist monk, "It is a form of vanity to imagine you are living in the worst of times - there have always been worse. In bad times and heavy seas, the natural fear is that things will get worse, and never better."
Occasionally some sensible thinking and writing comes along, and I always find it refreshing when it does. I'm just going to keep plodding along, and like everyone else I will experience the end of the world some day. You are all invited to attend my funeral.
