I’m a worrier.
I worry about how I’ll do on my Law School Admission Test, whether I’ll ever get a job I like, whether there will be Social Security when I retire.
I worry my hair will turn gray soon, and I’m waiting for that first wrinkle to pop up.
I worry we’ll run out of trees and water and glaciers.
I worry that the earth will no longer be able to support its growing population.
I guess I can stop worrying about all that because the world is supposed to end in December 2012.
An Internet search of the subject will reveal all sorts of fascinating things.
Some people think Dec. 21 is the day aliens will invade, an asteroid will hit the earth, the Yellowstone National Park volcano will erupt, tsunamis will ravage the coasts or something will happen to the sun.
But better than the theories surrounding what will happen when the Mayan long calendar winds to an end, is what people are doing to prepare for it.
How do you prepare for the switching of the polar fields?
On one message board I found people were already purchasing food, generators and guns. They were creating medical kits and importing gas masks from Canada. They were printing articles about tying knots and sewing your own clothes.
One woman was keeping her preparations a secret from her husband and children.
A group of 16 people bought a large plot of land in Africa at a high enough elevation to avoid even the highest of tidal waves.
They’re keeping the location a secret because they don’t want other survivalist groups edging in on their sweet spot.
At first thought, they may seem absolutely ridiculous, like they let Kevin Costner’s “The Postman” and “Waterworld” roles go to their heads.
Maybe they have.
In some ways though, there is no difference between them and me.
While I’m not hoarding magnesium fire starters, I am preparing for a future where I have only limited control.
While I was investigating how to bake bread over boiling water, it became clear to me that these doomsday preparations were taking over some people’s lives, kind of like how studying for the LSAT takes over mine sometimes.
So maybe what we can learn from LSAT takers and doomsday preparers is that on the quest to solve future problems, you have to keep living your life and enjoying the moment.
The doomsday preparers need to take a break from organizing their rice and flour canisters to spend time with their families and enjoy the lives they have right now.
I can take a break from my stack of practice tests to watch a movie with my roommates or go out with friends.
We have to be ready for what life can bring us, but that doesn’t mean much if we don’t like the life we have right now.