By Regena Handy
Gathered around the TV, the small group of friends watched the famous ball drop in Times Square. I recall feeling a faint anxiety just before the clock struck midnight and the crowd, of what was later estimated at close to a half million in the square alone, began their boisterous celebration.
Then one of our friends joked that all the lights were still burning where we were assembled in rural Floyd County. Thus it looked like we had survived the anticipated crisis.
January 1, 2000. The new millennium. Y2K.
Normally past events are remembered and stories written as a tribute to milestone anniversaries. The 18 years that have passed since the beginning of the year 2000 probably do not denote any particular occasion. However, the Y2K scare or bug came up in conversation recently and has been on my mind since then.
Over the years many have argued that the entire state of affairs was blown out of proportion. But we all remember the concern that our computerized world would malfunction and modern civilization as we knew it would collapse.
Many feared a far greater disaster would occur to the point of calling it the “apocalypse” and feeling that the “end was near.” (Though I have a very basic layman’s understanding of the possible predicament, I will in no way attempt to explain it and confuse any other person’s memory of that time.)
The discussion that took place at a recent holiday gathering included several people who were barely out of their teens when the year 2000 rolled around. Several were college students then and they recounted their own memories and feelings of those around them.
One person recalled driving with friends just before midnight and wondering if the computerized system in his car would fail. A former bank employee told about many customers withdrawing their money in cash allotments prior to the new millennium.
Another said her parents truly believed it was the end of time as foretold in biblical terms. One young man remembered as his group of college friends sang “Old Lang Syne,” fearing the worst at midnight. And I shared my own recollection of acquaintances that converted money into gold coins and bars and stored away non-perishable foods. Also, I reminisced about people who though they verbally doubted any consequences of computer failure, still chose not to take any chances and avoided flying during that particular period.
Unmerited or not, what simply became known as Y2K has been referred to since then as the “disaster that never was.” When such predictions do not bear out, we unfortunately become jaded and less likely to give heed to future concerns.
With the on-going catastrophes that occur almost constantly on a world-wide basis, we have become skeptics, almost blasé about prophecies of pending concerns in our own lives. Thus when issues arise that should perhaps be cause for true apprehension, we might well instead say with a nonchalant shrug —“remember the Y2K scare”.
I hope your 2018 new year began with less apprehension than the one I’ve reflected on here. Let’s all work together to make it a good one.
