wfn.org | Commentary: Y2K, call home!

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March 10, 1999 News media contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-71BP{130}

NOTE:  A photograph is available with this commentary.

A UMNS Commentary
By Bishop Dan E. Solomon*

Recently, I learned that a prominent Christian television evangelist is
advising people on survival tactics in anticipation of a massive Y2K
meltdown.

While I don't anticipate a massive meltdown as a result of Y2K problems, it
did prove a helpful exercise to consider what counsel I might share with
myself, and any who care to eavesdrop, as to my journey amid the Y2K
jitters.

The Y2K issue is not about simple preparedness amid life's daily needs.
Rather, those who magnify this issue have moved Y2K into the arena of a
major global disaster. Let's assume we need to treat it that way.

The first thing I would say to myself is: "This is my Father's world. ...
God is the ruler yet." My hope and trust are in God. The computer doth not
give nor take away that hope and trust.

I cannot endow Y2K with so much significance that it redefines my ultimate
commitments. God defines my priorities, not Y2K. Y2K is a human construct,
not a pervasive spiritual force at war with the world. Even if Y2K proves to
be a serious disaster, like all disasters, it does not have the power to rob
us of our hope, our conviction that it is God who gives our life meaning and
purpose, and our determination to move forward on the unfinished agenda of
being people who overcome!

The second thing that I would say to myself is that loving my neighbor does
not mean isolation, hoarding and militia-style survival. Can you even
imagine Jesus standing at the entrance to his Y2K survival compound,
storerooms bulging with food and seeds, shotgun aimed at any who come near,
pistol strapped to his side, and shouting menacing warnings, "Hungry people
beware. ... Frightened persons unwelcome. ... I told you so."? 

For Jesus, loving the neighbor meant feeding the hungry, clothing the naked,
and caring for the displaced without condemning them for how they got that
way. If Y2K really proves to be a global disaster, I had rather be one of
the beggars than one of the hoarders.

A third thing I would say to myself is that communion and community
transcend tragedy. I have been involved in two major disasters in my life -
a devastating hurricane and a heinous act of terrorism. In both instances,
there erupted an awesome expression of community and solidarity, compassion
and generosity. While there were some isolated acts of looting, the
overwhelming majority of people from all walks of life united to survive,
rebuild and move forward. Unrestrained generosity prevailed. Genuine caring
for others was seen in surprising ways in surprising places. Rather than a
selfish "me-ism" defining daily life, entire communities were grasped by
compassion and service. People rediscovered their true, best self.

Finally, I would remind myself that even at its worst, Y2K will not qualify
as "major." "Major" is when life is lived in an eternal hell. "Major" is
facing an incurable illness without faith, hope or love. "Major" is death by
starvation for over 35,000 of the world's children each day. "Major" is
massive hatred, rage, violence and a disregard for the sacredness of life.

Y2K may be inconvenient, even distressing, perhaps downright difficult in
its implications, but it won't be "major." Those who endow it with such
significance are settling for a life that is sustained by far too flimsy an
anchor.

We need to call Y2K home - to our home, where the stuff of life is governed
more by grace and faith than by fear and technology.

# # #

*Solomon is bishop of the United Methodist Church's Louisiana Area. This
column originally appeared in The Louisiana United Methodist Review
newspaper.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

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