This evening, as I was doing some internet research on another topic, I stumbled across Whitley's Journal, the semi-regular writings of Whitley Strieber on www.unknowncountry.com. I used to follow his column regularly - back when I lived in CubeWorld, and was frequently looking for a mental outlet from the world of corporate America. Now, since I am on my, own, a number of regular news columns dropped off the edge of the radar. Whitley's Journal was among them.
Whitley always has some powerful things to say. As I went back and read some of his writings over the last few months, I saw his commentaries on the election, the environmental tipping point, and related current events. To my relief, he did not endorse any candidate for president, or for any other office. Yet one comment he made was telling - and that was to point out one of the most critical decision factors. What will the current president do when push comes to shove in Iran?
He pointed out that confrontation with Persia has in many ways been a defining factor in the development of western civilization - from the Greco-Persian wars, to the wars fought between the Roman and Parthian empires, to the medieval battles between the Eurpoeans and the Muslim powers of the near east, to the travails of today. And now, as the west loses its nuclear monopoly, the conflict will only intensify. How will the president handle it?
As I write this, the election has come and gone. The result is decided - President Obama won re-election. Whether this is good or bad depends upon your point of view. But my own belief is that he will (and must) have a decisive role to play in the coming conflict - most likely for the better. Still, that is a guess. I'm not much of a prophet, so take that guess with a really big grain of salt.
Iran aside, we are at the tipping point in a multitude of other ways, as well. As another article in Whitley's Journal, Superstorm Sandy and the Future, pointed out, the drift toward the coming environmental change has now passed the point of no return. We spent too many years on meaningless debate on the reality of global warming - years when we should have been acting to address the issues. Now it's too late. The best we can do is to prepare for the consequences and try to minimize them as best we can.
To be fair, I've heard a number of commentaries on Whitley Strieber's writings over the years. A number of rationalist friends of mine have used rather non-positive adjectives. Many such objections have been around since the days Communion was first published. They are old, and to me, most don't hold a whole lot of merit. Still, each of us needs to exercise our own discernment. Each of us will believe what we will. But that belief needs to be tempered by the evidence behind what the articles I am describing have to say. We are now at the critical point.
There were several other articles in the backlog that I read this evening, but I thought the ones mentioned above were the most telling. Again, none of us can see the future, but Whitley has been pretty accurate on a number of things, and my guess is that this is probably in that league. Unfortunately, it is not a pleasant set of predictions. They are indeed, some of the darker thoughts in this particular long-neglected journal collection.
