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Nothing to fear

Arizona Daily Wildcat

It is a privilege and an honor to write for the last issue of the Arizona Daily Wildcat. For today, September 8, 1999 will be the last day of normalcy - the calm before the storm - that is, the end of the world. Or so the doomsayers predict.

Tomorrow, September 9, has a special significance to those who anticipate, perhaps even hope, for chaos as the year 2000 approaches. Considering September is the ninth month of the year and most computer systems only receive the last two digits of any year entered, the entry will appear as "9999"-a number that can be interpreted as a code to terminate function on several computer systems-a move that could incite chaos and anarchy.

Hence, assuming that this day itself does not begin the downward spiral as some anticipate, tomorrow is seen as a bit of a dry run before the actual Y2K crisis hits the world.

While several people fear the actual Y2K computer glitch; wondering how they'll be able to function without computer systems such ATMs, others fear an apocalyptic significance of the date-perhaps signifying the end of the world. I for one, fear these people.

But as January 1 approaches, it has become crystal clear that as Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."

Like that research project written on your syllabus that you won't begin until the night before it is due, the year 2000 is going to sneak up on the entire world. No matter how much we prepare, it will most likely be that we will not be fully prepared for its ramifications. But just as humanity has dealt with unanticipated tragedies such as the recent Turkish earthquake, life will go on no matter what the results of the Y2K problem-this is what the public needs to accept.

Any anxiety-ridden frenzy that journalists or religious zealots try to stir up will only lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy and cause problems than any glitch itself. Things will be OK. There will be setbacks and problems but nothing that merits a response where we must take up arms and scurry down to our bunker.

Perhaps these doomsayers are right. Perhaps I'll wake up on January 1 to see Old Man Potter down the street, throwing his walker through the Jamison's window trying to get at their stockpile of canned yams. All the while, a barrage of missiles, vigilante gunfire and nose diving planes swarm the sky.

The greatest thing we have to fear as the year 2000 approaches is not our iMacs or our ICBMs, but ourselves. Human panic, the X factor that the government cannot control, may lead to the biggest problems we can face.

Even if there are computer glitches in military systems, it's not as though defense systems are programmed to "launch" should there be a glitch; there is a fail-safe mechanism that requires human approval in launch systems. Besides, if a missile is launched at the U.S. and does manage to strike, any effort to run or even drive away from it will be as effective as peeling the cheese of your Big Mac to reduce your calorie intake.

Next, few people realize that this year, January 1 falls on a Saturday. We can at least take comfort in the fact that the world won't end on a work day. So, have a good time and take the day off.

Finally, we can be rest assured that there will be somewhat of a buffer zone for the Y2K problem here in America. Considering the location of International Dateline, New Zealand, one of the world's largest exporter of sheep, will be the first country to have its calendar read, January 1, 2000. All indications are that their sheep are Y2K compliant. So, know that any impact felt in the first time zone to turn their clocks over to 2000 will not be too drastic.

So, when 11:59 p.m. on December 31 rolls around this year, see it as an opportunity to kick back, reflect on the past year of your life, make some resolutions that you know you'll break and watch Dick Clark cringe as he fears the Times Square ball will malfunction and fall on his head.

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