it's the end of the world as we know it...

When I was in eighth grade, I was still taking religion classes. Our teacher that year decided to focus (exclusively) on the book of Revelation–the one in which John uses his dream to tell us how the world ends. After a lot of lessons, I came home crying. I didn't feel bad about this; I wasn't embarrassed or alone in it. Sometimes, even the cool guys–the football players or the ones mocking religion–cried during class.

"I know it will happen in my lifetime," our teacher would say. He would show us newspaper clipping of events that correlated to the passages we read. He would warn us not to get microchips put under our skin–the sign of the Beast.

I have a tendency to look for signs of the Apocalypse anyway. I spend a lot of my time convinced that the world is a horrible place to bring children. I imagine what I'll do when our way of life crumbles and we're forced to survive in a scene like "The Road". I tell Joe that I want to get out of the U.S. as soon as possible; I mean this. Sincerely.

Writing this is making my heart race; I get to the verge of tears & begin to panic.

When I saw what had happened in Japan, I felt that–after Australia, after Haiti–is a continuing sign that we're on the wrong path. Is God warning us? Is this it? With each disaster, I get more afraid. With each disaster, I blame God less–because we're still not listening.

We still haven't adjusted our energy consumption, haven't started looking at seriously limiting our use of finite energy sources. We still haven't re-evaluated our use of nuclear energy, though there are 23 reactors in the U.S. that match the models melting down in Japan.

I've stopped at this point. I've started typing the other arguments I always give–the war o women; the attacks on the middle class; the U.S.'s unbelievable resistance to the idea of global warming (or science in general). But I can't go into them again...because it will bore you; because it is breaking me down. And I'll be honest, I don't know where to go from here.

In all aspects of my life, I have a tendency to feel obligated. My decisions are made less for myself and more for how I predict people will respond to them. So now I'm left wondering, can I make a difference? Can I stick with public affairs and speak to the U.S. as they give our country to corporations and remove our elected officials? (Forgive the very liberal slant to that piece; it's the shortest, most comprehensible article I could find.) Can I make them listen–can I reach those middle class folks who feel that the Democrats are not trying to help them? Can I convince them? What could I possibly say that could be any different?

How can we finally start making a difference? I'm only 23. And then I look at Wisconsin, where even after a law was passed (though the legality of the passage is being contested) 80,000 citizens continue to protest*. I look at Egypt, where people my age organized a peaceful protest that changed ended the government of their nation. I look at Tunisia, at Yemen. I look at Indiana and Ohio, where people are trying (though in smaller numbers).

So, it is the end of the world as we know it... and while I wouldn't say I feel fine, there are signs that things might, just might, start to look up. Will my generation, we radical hippies, get to the government in time? Or will states follow Michigan's lead? Will we rely even more on the banks and businesses that we bailed out when they robbed us?

It's up to us. But if Wisconsin can speak out, if Egypt can have a nonviolent revolution for their entire country, then we can begin making changes. We can change what we buy; we can change the way we speak to our government (or START speaking to our government); we can change where we shop. We can change what we're willing to tolerate from our country.

Enjoy what you're reading? I'd love to know that we're on track. Click Follow on the right side of the screen to stick with us.