Love vs Zombies

Dearest Readers,

Whenever I come to Vancouver (or any other Big City) I like to take in some kind of artistic experience, be it a play, a tour through an art gallery or an excellent film. This particular trip has coincided with TREMORS: a new generation of contemporary theatre, by Rumble Productions and the last couple of nights I've been to two of the plays.

The first one, I'm So Close created by Why Not Theatre, dealt with love and the end of the world. The second one, Cozy Catastrophe by Theatre Melee, dealt with the end of the world and... fear. Interesting mix.

Where does our obsession with the end of the world come from? Why do films like The Day after Tomorrow and 2012 rake in millions of dollars? What is it all about?

In the case of the first play I saw it was more about our need to ask deep philosophical questions. The Universe is expanding. One day it will expand so much that it will cease to be. What's the point? The story explored the idea that Love makes the meaningless of it all somehow meaningful.

The second play I saw was about aliens and zombies taking over the world. Scared, selfish and, frankly, stupid people try to figure out how to survive. They don't do a very good job. It was a disaster play. Funny but ridiculous. It was about entertainment, pure and simple.

Because we don't have the answer to the Big Question, which is "What are we doing here?", we will naturally try to figure it out. This is the nature of the human mind. Some of us will ponder the human condition and find hope in the answer (Love) and others will make fun of our situation and find no hope (Zombies Rule).

There was a time in my life when I was afraid to have hope. If I have hope, I reasoned, I will be disappointed, I will be hurt, I will be vulnerable. It's easier to not believe in anything, to say, "Who cares?" and live accordingly. But it wasn't easier. It was harder. It was more painful, more disappointing, more scary.

Today the hope that I have comes from faith. Faith in Love. Faith that despite the Universe's expansion and inevitable demise (according to the play it will happen in 150 billion years, which is the approximate age of our current Universe -- we're halfway there -- goes by quick, no?) there is a Higher Power and this Power knows us because It is Us and We Are It.

Not everyone has to agree with me. We're all on our own individual journey. All I know is that I was guided to this faith. I didn't create it. It was given to me, shown to me through events and circumstances that were beyond my human control. And that is what continues to feed my own Hope for humanity.

Like the song says, "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

Inspiring Message of the Day: Do I have hope? Do I believe in the Power of Love to overcome all obstacles? If not, why not? What is holding me back from having faith in Higher Guidance? Today I will ponder these questions in search of the deepest answers.