And Life Will Go On

Life is the flash of a firefly in the night. 

It is the breath of the buffalo in the winter. 

It is the little shadow which runs across the grass

and loses itself in the sunset. 

-Crowfoot (Blackfoot)-

As another Monday morning rolls around, I have to wonder where has all the time been going.  Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer is right around the corner, and it seems like only yesterday we were celebrating Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, and saying good bye to last summer's dreadful heat waves.  And, somewhere in between then and now, Samhain, Yule, New Years, my birthday, Beltane, and Easter have all whizzed by, and today are nothing more than a mere blur.

Speaking of time, the promised Rapture of May 21st passed by without incident, and we are all still here  The earth is intact.  It is really kind of sad...not that we are still here...but the sadness is for those many people out there who were so desperate for something to believe in that they  quit their jobs, gave away all of their belongings, and drained their saving's accounts.   An ex-transit worker here in the city blew his savings and spent $140,000 on advertising proclaiming that the end is near.  The New York newspapers all picture him standing there amongst the crowd, looking bewildered as the bewitching hour passed.  Today, he wonders what happened.  He wanted so much to believe.  "I do not understand," he says.  Meanwhile, all he worked for his entire life is gone.

How many are out there who thought they were spending their last day on earth?  And how many others woke up on Sunday morn with nothing,  having given away all of their worldly goods?  Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed preacher is keeping out of sight; the website to his Family Radio ministry hasn't even been updated  'This office is closed.  Sorry we missed you.' was what his broadcasting network is saying.  It seems he has left his flock high and dry as he either sits back and plans his latest excuse or plots his disappearance...and not as a part of the Rapture, to be sure.  In my opinion, the man should be prosecuted for swindling all those people. 

Yes, it was their choice.  No one twisted their arms.  So why?  Sadly, people have always been easily manipulated by charismatic speakers such as Camping, a man who appears so confident in himself and knowledgeable that people are convinced that what he says is true.  He gathers his followers through personality and charm.  His self-belief is so high, they it becomes easy for others to believe that he is infallible; hence, they are able to manipulate their followers...even when they have received adequate warning from others.  Once under his spell, he then uses what I consider a form of terrorism to keep them in line...'Follow me and experience the Rapture or suffer with the masses.'  I shake my head in wonder because in 1994, his predictions failed as well, and he was still able to convince any number of people that this time it would really happen.

Too many people have been hurt by his false claims, both then and now.  They are the real victims of the false prophet, and they are people just like us.  The climate we live in, with so many destructive and violent things happening in the world, lends itself to people believing that something is going to happen.  They are truly victims--victims of false hope, victims of religious fervor, victims of a man who really has nothing to lose.  Camping is an old man with little to lose. At 89, he has lived a full life  And, you can surely believe he will either disappear altogether with his fortune, or once again blame the math or find some other reason and eventually retire.   He will survive.

And, before long, another charismatic leader will come round to take his place, and the believers will once again assure themselves that they have all the answers for that is the way of the world.  Life will go on.

Seek always for the answers within.
Be not influenced by those around you -
by their thoughts or their words.

-  Eileen Caddy -