Great Dental Office Conversation today! IMO, that is...

[PCIntern]

Patient: 55 y.o. AA male, nice guy, great politics, Union guy, worked 1-2 jobs his entire working life...however...

Me: (Shaking hands) Great to see you. Howyafeeling today? (my standard greeting to peer-males sincerely felt and has lots of implications medically/dentally in terms of physical and mental health, attitude this day, friendliness)

He: Pretty good...say, what do you think about that Japan business?

Me: You mean Sony? I liked their reel-to-reel tape recorders...(smiling) I know, you mean the earthquake. Terrible, just terrible. (Man of few words when asked a leading question - there's often an agenda when the patient brings up a subject - I play 'wait and see'.)

He: I'm not a real religious man, but I think it's a Sign.

Me: I'm sorry, a Sign from who? (Yes, I know it should be 'whom', but this is conversational)

He: He's telling us that our time on this Earth may not be long.

Me: (Smiling but not too much) I'm sorry, you're NOT religious, but you're telling me that God is talking to us via killing Japanese? My Dad did that too...I don't think he was Divine, at least in that sense.

He: (Laughing, slightly embarrassed) There's a concatenation (no lie, his word) of events which leads me to believe that these may be forewarnings of the End times.

Me: I know what you mean...I felt that way when I saw the movies Fail-Safe and Dr. Strangelove back when they were released...you know they were both in black and white.

He: I know, I really liked the Slim Pickens Pilot...

Me: Did you know that Peter Sellers was originally to play that role, but he was sick or something and couldn't manage all the roles, so Kubrick hired Pickens? Genius move.

He: Never saw the other movie...

Me: What were we talking about...oh yes, End Times...see how easily we got diverted?

He: (Laughing hard) Guess maybe it won't be this month...

Me: You know, I listen to that radio guy, Jean Shepherd, and he once told a story about how, near Paoli (Pennsylvania) a group assembled because they thought that the Apocalypse was coming on a certain day, and when they didn't come, they couldn't go back to their jobs or stores because they had quit or sold them due to the impending doom of the Earth.

He: Really.

Me: Yeah, I can't make this stuff up.

[CC]

1. Not really an end times person

myself but really beginning to wonder if the earth isn't trying to rid itself of humans. Like we were some kind of pest that has done enough damage it now notices us as a pest to rid itself of.

[PCIntern]

2. I don't think so...

We're the ones who build cities on coastlines, nuclear plants on fault lines, tie up boats in unprotected inlets...etc.

We're doing a great job all by ourselves...

[CC]

I know but the thought crosses my mind

whenever I hear of the religious end times stuff. You handled it well. Though have to say, there really is no safe place, some safer than others but every where has its natural risk that we add the man made risk to.

[Boswell]

5. well, without the whole intent part

it sure could be pretty soon that large mammals may no longer be able to survive. that would be us and most primates. so yes in that sense I can see a case made for the end of us. not by any "revenge" or malicious intent but simply by our speeding up processes that if left to themselves could have given us lots of time to find ways to deal with them...


*edited for bad spelling :)

[eleny]

3. Jean Shepherd?!

Excelsior you fathead!

My ipod is jam packed with his old shows.

[PCIntern]

4. I have almost 1400 of them...

if I can locate the show about the Rapture, I'll PM you with the date...if you don't have it, I'll send you the mp3 file...

:hi:

[eleny]

6. Thanks!

But please don't rush. You're a busy guy with your dental practice and all.

I started listening to his shows back in the early 60s when I was in high school. He was a hawk but still a treasure.

[Gin]

7. had a contractor tell me the tsunami that was heading for the west coast

might be the one the bible says will make California fall into the ocean.????..did the bible say that?

I changed the subject.

[eleny]

10. Yeah, where can you go with fantasies like that

And if they're working on your house, it's best to keep things neutral.

[PCIntern]

8. True...

he used to make fun of 'protestors'...but he went on the 1968 (I believe)MLK rally and changed his mind about civil rights...then he went to the anti-war marches and further changed his mind about the War...

[eleny]

9. That's something I never knew

I never delved into his life very far but always loved his story telling. Especially the stories about his years in the service.

Nothing like learning the truth!

[PCIntern]

11. there's a biography

"Excelsior, you fathead".

but I don't like it much...

the author took exception to me here...he must have been Googling his book and my post came up. he joined so he could come at me...

book still relatively sucks...

sorry, Mr. Author if you read this...

[Laxman]

16. Great Episode -January 29, 1974 n/t

[Recovered Repug]

12. If he thought the "End Times" were approaching,

why worry about seeing the dentist?

[BobbyBoring]

13. I think the earth is sort of like a boat

When you put too many people on the boat, it sinks. If you go back through history, the earth has always dealt with it's over population problem through famine, disease, natural events, etc. man helps from time to time by throwing in a war here and there.

The capacity of the earth to hold more people grows with advances in farming, medicine, development, etc. I think we've reached our capacity for this round~

[The Wizard]

14. When someone starts taliking end times

ask if you can have their car. I once asked that of someone threatening suicide. They got pissed and decided to put suicide on hold.

[chaska]

15. He's not wrong. Take away the religious stuff....

and this IS the beginning of the end times, the global warming end times. Gaia has had enough of our shit and will be kicking our asses for millennia to come. Most of us (humans) won't survive.

The mistake we make, we secularists, is in thinking that just because stuff from the Bible, for instance, is cloaked in the language of mysticism that there is no truth to it. Those who wrote the Bible were just relating facts (in some cases) in a way they could relate to it (magical thinking, etc.).

[PCIntern]

17. I respectfully disagree with your premise...

the fact is, that 'end times' were/is a way of threatening masses with eternal damnation for NOT following the rules of the particular religion...I know for example, that one of my employees prays for my soul each week in church b/c, as a Jew, I am doomed unless I turn towards the appropriate invisible sky-being which I am presently ignoring whilst I deal with my OWN invisible sky-being.