Things That Will Be

"Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be?"
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Is it that I have seen so many vain attempts to alter the inevitable that I see the pure, deluded, ego in such a question?

Now the mandatory disclaimer: yes, we can alter many things through human effort. But the mindset of whole cultures is that "wishing will make it so". Even wishing accompanied with the most strenuous effort is not enough to change the big things. We age, we die, and our sin nature is bringing us down, with all our golden dreams.

This pessimism--more than emotion or disposition--but a world view, perhaps is an echo of my genetic heritage. In "The Dark Eye in Africa", an address, later made into a book by Lauren Van der Post, the author states that the Germans have a mythology where evil triumphs. At the end of time, the Rainbow Bridge collapses. I know it is said to all start over, but the end remains the same.

As I daily scan the state of the world, I wonder, will the unrealistic optimism ever stop? This whole line of thought can be expunged by calling it "defeatist". This has always worked in the past. But I am cheered to see such terms grow silent. Finally, I do believe, we are facing that awful thing called reality. Perhaps many will see, that Pandora's evils have escaped, not to be retrieved.

Why would anyone be cheered by such grim truths? Because here is hope that many will seek a true remedy for them all. He exists and his promises are sure. I count on them every day. As I face my imminent death, it is in the expectation of "new heavens, and a new Earth, and yes, a new me.