Off The Deep End At Last

In every age and generation people rise up in protest about what is this world coming to, this young generation. It’s so true and recognized that it’s comic and isn’t necessary to prove it all over again with citations and quotations from ancient Greeks, etc.

Equally true is that every century, every generation also has its apocalyptic nuts who look at world events and say this is the eschaton, the end of time when the prophecies of The Revelation to John are at last coming true. This is even more comic because the nuts are too stupid to see that the universe and its fate don’t revolve around earth and events on earth; not only is the world not coming to an end unless we blow it up, the Big Bang is still in process, the voice of God is still reverberating with the Word, “Let there be ... ” as the universe continues to expand. This universe may even be an atom-sized particle in “the mind of God” as Emily Webb said to George Gibbs from her upstairs window that night in Grovers Corners. If we could get J. B. Phillips out of his grave for a few minutes he would say it again, “Your God is too small.”

My kids used to say, “ah-mmmm, daddy said ‘stupid’” but in fact it’s a great word, often apt. One of my favorites.

Other favorites: Genesis, Mark, Revelation. Buick. Volvo. Oysters. Mullet. Red Snapper. Any Red actually, especially flowers and shirts. Spring and Summer and Fall on St. Andrews Bay (Winter, which sometimes goes several weeks but more often consists of three pre-dawn hours of below freezing temperatures one morning in January when I have to drip the faucets, is not a favorite). Olds was a favorite too, WTH is the wrong with you, General? We had two Oldsmobile cars, both Yellow, another favorite. Astronomy. Weather. But not Television. Droll Comics (Doonesbury, Get Fuzzy, Calvin & Hobbes) Funny Fiction (William, just discovering Evelyn Waugh after all these years) but never stories that left me in tears (The Yearling. Lassie, Come Home. Gone With The Wind). Anglican Chant in four parts, and anyone who doesn’t realize that that’s what the Angels sing before the Throne is nuts; I would say “I can’t wait,” but I can wait. Tomato sandwiches. Sardines with mustard. SAS shoes (you have to show a photo ID proving you're over sixty to be allowed in). Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and everything about Narnia. Collards. Steamed Okra.

That Saint Paul, John Patmos, even Jesus of the Gospels to some extent, and others of the New Testament Age were apocalypticists (OK, you spell it then) is understandable: they lived before people could see and travel above the dome of the firmament. But 21st century apocalypticism is blind ignorant idiocy. What precipitated this line of nonsense this early morning? Finishing up Revelation: today the Tuesday Bible Seminar is having lunch at Ferrucci, 11:30 in the small side room.

It would astonish me if People were one of God’s favorites. Universally afflicted with ADD, we’ve lost interest in North Korea, Gun Control, and Jahar, moved on to the OTC morning-after pill for everyone, and this morning it’s Benghazi, FBI v. Associated Press, IRS v. Tea Party -- [only a moron could be surprised: in the previous administration it was IRS revoking tax exempt status of churches where there was preaching against conservative candidates; in fact the IRS is why we still and will always need the Second Amendment: abolish IRS, eh? abolish IRS and institute a national 25% sales tax and implement my Capital Plan of Term Limits for Congress] -- and photographs of Ariel Castro’s backyard.

Speaking of ADD, geography students at Humboldt State University have released a hate tweet map of rascists and homophobes that should surprise nobody

Wikileaks for President.

Peace. And pray those red spots are shrinking, not growing.