| Millenial Workshop It was almost exactly a thousand years ago that "Beowulf" became the first English language work of literature, and yet the sound of the words, to hear it read aloud, is so different from our present use of the language, that we cannot recognize even a portion of it. This example bears testament to the enormous distance we have traveled in all areas of human experience over the last one thousand years. A lot of ground has been covered and it’s an interesting task to think of how to prepare for similar wonders and weirdness leading up to the coming Y3K. So, in order to enhance your dining and dancing pleasure this New Years’ Eve, I thought it would be a good time to make out a Millennial Checklist to make your night a little more interesting. Fun for the whole family! Questions to ponder: (Real answers now! No cheating!) -Where were you on New Years’ Eve in the year 1000? -Where will you be 1000 years from now? -Do you think that any element of your present life will be preserved for 1000 years? -What is it you bring to the distant future? -What do you preserve from 1000 years ago? -Are there any genetic traits you now carry that you think may show up in 1000 years? -Does the soul age? If so what will another 1000 years do for your soul? What has the past 1000 years done for you? -If you could say anything to people of the year 1000, what would it be? How about the year 3000? -How many firmly held ideas and beliefs about the world that we have today do you think humanity will change entirely in the next 1000 years? (Remember, in the year 1000, they thought the globe was flat). -If the atoms of our bodies are actually formed in star clusters billions of years ago, what bit of our present story and humanity do you think that they retain? -Do you ever imagine being able to talk to an ancestor of 1000 years ago? What do you discuss? How about your progeny in the year 3000? What would you like to ask? (Try this. Hey, you’re just getting the family together. Nothing like the eternal present, as the Buddhists say!!) -What matters? -What doesn’t matter? -What endures? -What is the value of a continuity of radical change? -If you were looking back 1000 years, how would you describe your life, what would you say your life was about? -Ask the same question, looking forward from the year 1000 to your distant future life. -If you were like the Dalai Lama and took it upon yourself to consciously prepare for your next incarnation, what would you do? How would you sum up the life just lived? What would you choose for your next experience and how? -How would you explain the present world we live in to a Viking of the tenth century? A Crusader of the 11th? A Cleric in the 12th? An Inquisitor of the 13th? A Courtesan of the 14th? A Sculptor in the 15th? An Explorer in the 16th? A Colonist of the 17th? A Minuteman in the 18th? A Captain of Industry in the 19th? A WWI soldier in the 20th? -What have you decided to create out of your life in this fresh new century? Who and what have you decided to become? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time to reflect: Great Polaroid moments of the passing millennium. Imagine yourself as an invisible spirit looking in on these events: Attending Beethoven’s first performance of his last symphony, the ninth, which he composed and conducted while totally deaf and had to be turned around to see the audience applauding. Being present with Thomas Jefferson in his study, hammering out the Declaration of Independence, a new idea of governance derived from the bold sentiment of the age that redefined human ideals. Listening to Martin Luther King give that stirring speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Looking over Leonardo’s shoulder during a private moment as he furiously sketched and wrote notes describing the flight of birds in his notebooks. Seeing the look on Leif Ericson’s face in the year 1000 when he touched down his Viking ship on the Canadian shore of North America. Witnessing the mad Dyonissian dancing of Rudolph Nijinsky as Igor Stravinsky’s "Rites of Spring" were first performed. Sitting at the feet of Ghandi watching him spin flax into thread, a respite as the political storm around him swirled. Being in the house of Lorenzo the Magnificent when he invited the very young Michaelangelo into his patronage, and to see those first sparks of greatness in his early works. Watching Lewis and Clark, traveling up the Missouri River as they reached the Rocky Mountains. Contemplating with Henry David Thoreau, hanging out at Walden’s Pond. Watching William Blake wander around their house talking and interacting with invisible people. Being n the studios of the tiny Sun Records in Memphis with that new kid, Elvis. Standing backstage in a moment of rehearsal at the Globe Theatre during a rewrite of "Hamlet". Watching the ecstasies of "the flying friar", a 15th century monk who would levitate in a trance, awaken and find himself in trees or on the roofs of buildings. Too bad he was afraid of heights! Witnessing the coronation of Napoleon as emperor. Seeing the arrival of Marco Polo into Baghdad. Attending the Russian Court of the Czar and Czarina with "the mad monk" Rasputin. Seeing Emelia Erhardt launch her plane for that famous flight. Looking upon Saint Francis of Assisi, and the first stigmata, the wounds of Christ. Walking with Neal Armstrong taking the first step on to the moon’s surface- and looking up to see the fragile blue planet we call home. written December 31, 1999 |