02Jan2000

Y2K

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Dear Paul, Melanie, Bridget, Rob, Ben and Sarah, Sara, Heather and Nate Pace, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,

cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail., Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.

Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea, belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail box at any time.

"Well we made it to the new millenium, the new century, the new year, the new month, the new week and the new day. It looks like life is continuing on, about the same as it was day before yesterday, last week, last month, last year, last century, and last millenium. So was the Y2K hysteria justified? No. Was I concerned? A little bit. Was there good coming from creating Y2K software compliance? Yes. Was the effort economically justified? No. Did people I know overreact? Yes. Do they feel foolish now? A little bit. Would they react different if the Y2K scare was repeated? No. Especially when we have the news (gossip from north east west south) to excite and titilate and exaggerate everyone's natural fears.

I did a search on Y2K in previous Thoughtlet's, and only found one reference. It was in `Earthquake' (../9942.html), where I referred to my fear for the Salt Lake area when a major earthquake happens and the airport runway's buckle, which unlike Y2K I believe to be a serious problem. I had read about a couple of serious Y2K problems, and have shared them with friends over the last year. The most serious was those who prepaid for their tombstones to have the `19' precut into it, and were going to live into the 21st century.

Larry Law sent me the following Y2K humor to me on February 8th, 1999:

`I hope I haven't misunderstood your instructions. Because to be honest, none of this Y to K problem makes any sense to me. At any rate I have finished converting all the months on all the company calendars so that the year 2000 is ready to go with the following new months: Januark Februark Mak Julk'

Gary Jones sent me something about Y2K on January 26th, 1999:

`> Message from: Rome > January 21, 1 B.C. > > Dear Cassius, > > Are you still working on the Y zero K problem? This change from > BC to AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven't much time > left. I don't know how people will cope with working the wrong > way around. Having been working happily downwards forever, now we > have to start thinking upwards. You would think that someone > would have thought of it earlier and not left it to us to sort > out at the last minute. > > I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius > hadn't done something about it when he was sorting out the > calendar. He said he could see why Brutus turned nasty. We called > in the consulting astrologers, but they simply said that > continuing downwards using minus BC won't work. As usual, the > consultants charged a fortune for doing nothing useful. > > As for myself, I just can't see the sand in an hourglass flowing > upwards. We have heard that there are 3 wise guys in the east > working on the problem, but unfortunately they won't arrive till > it's all over. Some say the world will cease to exist at the > moment of transition. Anyway we are continuing to work on this > blasted Y zero K problem and I will send you a parchment if > anything further develops. > > Hale, > > Plutonius.'

Then there was this Y2K insight in another message last year:

`>A true story: > >I went to the sporting goods store on New Years Day and said to >the clerk "I'd like a fishing license for 1999". > >The clerk said "I can't help you, all our fishing licenses are $13.50". > >Don Hinds'

On the more serious side, I remember my Y2K emotional reaction when I went to see the movie The Omega Code with Andrea (../9948.html) and then again with Rob two weeks later (../9950.html). The movie depiction of the changing of planet earth at the initiation of the millenium could be seen as a representation of scriptural accounts. Specifically:

`And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their hosts shall fall down, as a leaf falleth off from he vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.' Isaiah 34:4 (3 Nephi 26;3; Mormon 5:23; 9:2; D&C 88;95) `And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their place' Revelation 6:14

As we start out Y2K, my mind has returned to the scriptures. This is probably largely because of an outstanding High Council speaker at The Cedar City 7th Ward Sacrament Meeting last week. Garry Graf has been an institute teacher in Cedar City since I was in High School. Partly because of his job, and mostly because of his interests, he studies the scriptures regularly. He has developed lists of how many things the prophets say must happen before the Second Coming of Christ. And he uses the scriptural accounts to describe what this coming will be like. It was a wonderful talk. I do consider some of his views to be too humanity centric, like the timing in which the continents come back together into one land mass. However, as a general summary, it appears to him (and to me) like the Second Coming will be in your lifetime (i.e. between 2010 and 2095 A.D.). Like Y2K could have been without the media focus and the efforts to fix the reset of nine's to zero's, this means the topic of The Second Coming should be very relevant to each of you kids. This event is all about a significant change in life on earth during your lifetime. And as I looked across the chapel last week, many of the small number of mostly older folks in the audience seemed to be asleep.

After priesthood meeting I congratulated Gary on an outstanding talk. I mentioned I was suprised he had not referred to the parable of the fig tree, which is the only specific statement of timing I have found in the scriptures about The Second Coming. The scriptures says:

`Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.' Matthew 24:32-35

When I asked if he thought the millennium, the thousand years of peace, had already started in some places on the earth, he said `No!' He insisted the whole earth shall see the Savior instantly, and everyone will know he has come again (this is best described in D&C 88:95). Not being the scriptorian Brother Graf's mind is, and not wishing to argue, I didn't pursue the conversation. I do think it is a possibility the millennium has already started, and that it is spreading across the earth like grass turning green in the spring. Stating this possibility doesn't mean I am saying the scriptures are wrong about the ultimate Y2K issue, like the `burning of the wicked.' In fact, my conclusion is that the wicked burn themselves up. This process is described in the Book of Mormon:

`For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forests, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.' II Nephi 19:18 `Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. ... ye shall lie down in sorrow.' II Nephi 7:11

In summary, I believe we now `see through a glass darkly' and `then shall I know even as also I am known' (I Corinthians 13:12). And maybe because scientific simulations show the continents coming back together, 200 million years from now, I figure it will happen, and not in a human centric timeframe. After all:

`And thus cometh the end of the wicked, according to the prophecy of Moses, saying: They shall be cut off from among the people; but the end of the earth is not yet, but by and by.' Joseph Smith Matthew 1:55

So how does all of this millennium stuff relate to Y2K? They are simply two views of the same fears, like two sides of the same coin. I look forward to the return of my Savior. One last modern day scripture:

`I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in you bosoms, least the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.' D&C 38:30

Guess that is why I just go about my day to day stuff and do the best I can with what opportunities are laid in my path. Never was worried about the Y2K bug, even though a bunch of stuff has been moved onto my web server at the house. My bigger problem is spelling and gramatical errors (the Sun Workstation I use to write these Thoughtlets does not have a spell checker) and accuracy issues (Mom pointed out that the yellow car Ray Gardner and I drove from Salt Lake to Cedar City was an Oldsmobile and not a yellow Cadillac (../9834.html)).

So in light of the Y2K focus, what has actually happened since I last wrote about daily activities? It took a lot longer than I expected to organize and to print out the 535 pages of Thoughtlets for my Christmas present this year. I worked on it all available time day and evening on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday after Andrea left for Brian Shirts wedding. I prepared what I consider to be an important internal paper on Best Practices for Continuum, that week during the days. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were spent wrapping packages and cleaning up my mess around the house. Wednesday a few Laurels and Priests went caroling to a dozen different houses in the ward. David Kessler gave everyone some nice sweet rolls. Then when I got home Mary Lunt brought over some sweet rolls for me from my Home Teacher, Floyd. Thursday afternoon Melanie drove back from Vidar and Jared and took me to the airport from work. I flew to Cedar City and got in at 9:00 PM. Friday Audrey, Rachel and Matt went to American Fork to spend Christmas with their Dad. Before they left we each opened one present. This was our first Christmas. In the afternoon Andrea, Paul, Kate, and I met in St. George to see Mom. We went to Tony Roma's for dinner afterwards, and the waitress asked if we were from California because we all ate fish. Andrea and I got back to Cedar in time to go and listen to Bridget play her cello at the Prespertarian Church at midnight.

Christmas Day was quiet. We slept in until 9:00. Then Andrea, Grandma Shirts, and I opened presents, called kids, and then spent the afternoon and evening with Sara and Des, Bridget and Brian. We all went to see `Anna and the King' that night. I really liked it. Sunday was church, Brother Graf's talk, and at the beginning of High Priest Meeting I was called on the carpet for an accounting. The High Priest Quorum Leader, Brother Cox, said as he started Quorum Meeting, `Roice it is nice to have you visit us. Are you taking good care of Andrea?' I said `Yes (sir).' He responded, `Good, because there are a bunch of us who have watched her grow up in this ward, and we want to see her happy and well taken care of.' How wonderful it is to have people who care about us enough to ask someone for a report in front of a group of peers. It felt so good to know I have done my best, and to know Andrea and her kids are happy with the changes in their lives. The kids got back about 3:00 and we opened the rest of the presents. This was our third Christmas. Andrea and I drove down to pick up Rob, who took the shuttle from Las Vegas into St. George Sunday evening. We stopped to see Mom again, then drove to Cedar. Monday Rob, Rachel, Matt, and Russell's daughter Kim went to lunch with Mom and Andrea and I. We spent the evening at Sara and Des'. Paul and Kate stopped by and we sent three boxes of presents to Provo with them.

Tuesday morning we got up early and drove to Provo. We went to Randy's house, which is a block from the Provo Temple, and then Steve Joseph picked me up. I spent Tuesday afternoon and early evening and all day Wednesday and Wednesday evening with Roger Anderson, Albert Boulanger (who flew in from New York), Gary Crouse (who flew in from Houston), Steve Joseph, Roice Krueger, and Kyle Fowler. It was a great C.E.S. planning meeting. In the meeting with a financial advisor late Wednesday afternoon we were advised to not ask him for $5 million, but to go to some Wall Street investors with him and ask for $30 million. Tuesday evening was Brian and Brooke's reception. I was late. When Andrea and I got back to Paul's apartment there was Matt and Jay and Adam and Kathy Deford, along with Matt's wife and two babies and Jay's girlfriend and Paul's roommate John. It was a fun party, and good to see old friends and to catch up a little bit.

We flew back into Houston on Thursday. Andrea and I said the ticket was on the 30th because the price was cheaper, and there was certainly a little bit of Y2K fear in the scheduling. Both Rachel and Matt were ready to come home. When we got back we opened more presents. This was our fourth Christmas. Friday and Saturday were spent catching up, reading mail, cleaning up e-mail, playing with Christmas toys, etc. We watched the millennial celebrations on TV, Matt blew his trumpet (loud) at midnight as lots and lots of fireworks went off around us. I turned off the Sun and unplugged the network at 11:00 PM and turned them back on at noon on Saturday. There were no Y2K problems. Rob and I attempted to go to Bicentennial Man Saturday evening, and it sold out with the 12 folks in the group in front of us. Oh well! I wrote a song about Y2K on Saturday morning:

Y2K (31Dec1999) Dm C G Am C1. Y 2 K Others say Dm C Today marks the day G Am The earth won't stay F G C Am V1. Years of worry Billions of dollars F G C Am Today the jury Learns what follows F G C Am When two nines Reset to zeros F G C Am Millenial signs Potential heros F G Am Artificial focus on today C2. Y 2 K Families say Today marks the day We again start to pray V2. Life has been good Pleasant times Doing what we should Plenty of rhymes Nagging doubts Buried fears Hearing the shouts Across the years Maybe we should focus on today C3. Y 2 K We say Today marks the day To plan our way V3. Will tomorrow continue Yesterday Or will the venue Make mankind pay Elements melting Return of the king Fire pelting While saints sing We should enjoy today C4. Y 2 K I say Today, like everyday, We all should be gay Today, like everyday, We all should be happy

I find it a very sad sign of the times that the one time I sang this song for someone else, their comment, before I finished the last two lines of C4, was "You need to change that word!" I had already written down the last two lines as a repeatition, with `gay' replaced by `happy.' When I looked gay up in the dictionary, I found the peverse is listed, but not until the fifth definition. My mind went to a friend in my graduating class at high school, Gay Hunter, and my first boss, Parker Gay (../9947.html), and my heart crys out because of the sins of this generation. And yet I know I can do nothing more than set an example, pray for those I love, and issue a call to repentance when others stray from the iron rod. Free agency sucks when other's don't head the call of the prophets and apostles. It has always been so.

So our church doesn't start until 1:00 PM now. I figured I would get the Thoughtlet all done this morning. I didn't. And when we came home from church Matt took my scriptures and some papers and I wasn't going to let him in the house until he gave them back to me. He tapped on the back window, it broke, and he cut his hand up pretty bad. I took him to the emergency room about 4:30 PM, and we got home about 11:00 PM. He has his first 6 stiches. Our first serious Y2K glitch, and it had absolutely nothing to do with a computer. As you contemplate the beginning of a new day, a new week, a new year, a new century, and a new millennium, I hope you will not focus on the potential Y2K bugs. Rather, I hope you will each come to know our Savior, follow the guidelines he has set out for us to return to be with him, and find comfort and joy in being prepared for His return."

I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at rnelson@walden3d.com.

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 2000 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.