The drama, the story line in the movie, is the conflict between the father climatologist and his estranged but brilliant son, Sam, who leaves Washington to go to New York to participate in a “college bowl” type contest between elite schools. Sam goes to be with the girl he has a crush on, Laura. As the storms begin to ravage New York City and cut it off from the world, Sam, Laura, the school’s chief nerd and the leading member of another team find themselves in New York’s world famous Public Library, on East 41st Street and Fifth Avenue, the one with the lions at the entrance. Sam makes a phone call to his parents from a public phone in the flooded mezzanine, and the father warns the son to stay inside, and to insure that he has a heat source. He explains to him about the eye of the oncoming storm and its fatal nature. He also promises to come to New York and get Sam.
So we see the father’s journey into danger from Washington to New York to rescue his son, the journey which parallels the journey of Professor Stovin and crew in The Sixth Winter through northern Siberia to America. Though costly, the journey is successful. Father and son are re-united, tied together with mutual bonds of new respect.
The point of tying the movie and the book together is that, though worked on a quarter century apart, they both look at the same issue – sudden climate change. It must be made clear that sudden climate change is an entirely different issue from climate change generally. The Earth has grown warmer and colder over varying times in the past several billion years or so, and will continue to vary in its climate from time to time. There was once a time when grapes were grown in northern England and Greenland was indeed green. And there have been times when men have roasted oxen on the Thames or skated on the Hudson River. Indeed, there was once a time when the parched nation of Israel was lush with vegetation and it took two men to heft a bunch of grapes grown there. Who knows? It may be that I and mine will again see a time when it takes two men to heft a bunch of grapes grown in this country. That is something worth praying for.
Article comments
1 - MAOZ
Hag Same'aH, Ruvy!
I stumbled across something that might speak to you, in the Revava.org forum's discussion titled "Weak Dollar". A link is given there to an article.
I didn't have time just now to go through the entire article. But in skimming through it, it struck me that you might be interested in seeing it.
Kol tuv.
2 - duane
Ruvy, you hint around at your belief that there will be an apocalypse. What is the nature of such an apocalypse as you envision it? Something specific? Natural disaster? War? Disease? What does the aftermath look like? I know you don't know, exactly. I'm asking for your speculation.
Realizing with a certain humility that it is not us who cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall.
Nice turn of phrase. But a bit at odds with the belief that humans can cause or prevent a catastrophic climatic change.
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Thanks, MAOZ!!
A great read! Great reference!!
Have some sufganyot (jelly doughnuts) for me!
Hanukkah SameaH!
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Duane,
I'll get back to your question in a little while. This is the only computer with internet connection and I promised my wife some time at the computer for an internet version of "Brick Blaster." See you in a bit...
5 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Duane,
The original closing sentence in the essay was:
We would do well to realize that we have not been good stewards of the planet G-d entrusted us with, and seek to do better, hope for the best, and trim our sails to however the wind blows, realizing with a certain humility that it is G-d and not us Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.
The editor, in editing the this piece ever so lightly, edited G-d out....
Be that as it may, the phrase "Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall" is lifted from the Standing Prayer, the 'Amidá that I recite and that is recited three times daily.
I'll be back with more later, Duane. You have hit at the fundament of my writing and I may write an entire article based on your question.
In the meantime, thanks for the kind words.
Later,
Reuven
6 - Mike Johnston
Christianity has been waiting for an apocalypse for something like 2000 years now without much in the way of results. Climate change is such a man made event that any apocalypse would be something that we would have to intentionally allow to happen because we have the means to stop it (just not the will).
Science fiction is great because it serves to translate dry, scientific data into a form that the general public can digest. But making it entertaining can often blur reality and fiction.
If we step up to the plate and learn to manage our planet responsibly there will probably never be a climate change apocalypse.
7 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Mike,
Jews had been praying to live in and control Jerusalem for 2,000 years without much of anything for results. Check my screen name again if you're having trouble getting the point.
By the way, we are still praying for the re-building of Jerusalem. Until OUR Temple stands on the Temple Mount and this entire land belongs to ALL of the People of Israel, that rebuilding will not be complete.
In the Tana"kh, the Hebrew Bible, it is written that when G-d blinks His Eye, 1,000 years pass. That verse is part of how our sages came up with a 15 billion year age for the universe.
When you deal with an Entity that is outside of time, you need patience - real patience.
I would counsel a bit more humility on your part. Two thousand years is but two blinks of G-d's Eye.
Re-read, please.
We would do well to realize that we have not been good stewards of the planet G-d entrusted us with, and seek to do better, hope for the best, and trim our sails to however the wind blows, realizing with a certain humility that it is G-d and not us Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.
Shavua Tov - Have a good week.
8 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Duane,
Ruvy, you hint around at your belief that there will be an apocalypse. What is the nature of such an apocalypse as you envision it? Something specific? Natural disaster? War? Disease? What does the aftermath look like? I know you don't know, exactly. I'm asking for your speculation.
Apparently the answer to your question has been rattling around in my head for some weeks and is found at this article in comments #16 and #20.
First of all, though, a small correction in terms. The word "apocalypse" is a Christian term referring to a Christian idea, a final battle between Good and Evil to take place around Har Megiddo (Mt. Megiddo) in Israel. The Greek then messes up the Hebrew and gives you Armageddon, which is the Christian term for the location of this battle, as well as a generic term in English for an apocalyptic battle or confrontation, or in the case of this article, a sudden change in affairs (climate) that causes great upheaval...
The Hebrew term is geulá, meaning Redemption. As mentioned to Irene Wagner, the Redemption can be early, an event caused by massive repentance of Jews and others and a turning away from sin. In this event, the terrors that are prophesied in Biblical Books like Isaiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Joel or Jeremiah do not occur, and you go straight to a wonderful world on earth. Or, you get to do it the hard way: the terrors of the coming of the messiah do occur (mishléi hamashíaH in Hebrew) and you get that wonderful world only after lots of blood is shed, and many people die.
Either way, the messiah comes and rights the world, and either way, something like what is in those comments is what I speculate will occur.