Things That Were Supposed to Happen in 2011 - But Didn't

A little perspective always helps.  I get bombarded with doomsday scenarios all year, and none of them come true.  Here's a few you'll remember, and a few you may have forgotten.

1 - The Rapture Didn't Happen.  Twice.

The world was supposed to end.  Once again, someone had Biblical proof that the time had come, and billboards all across the nation heralded this doom-saying.  (Here is some background information on that.)  Of course, we're still here, and the families who paid for those signs are having financial trouble since they spent all of their money on a sign.

The doomsayers are always wrong, but that sort of habit is not limited to Christians, for example...

2 - Nuclear Fallout From Japan Didn't Hurt Anybody

Japan's tsunami/earthquake earlier this year was very devastating, and I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of that event.  But, a few days later, I was told that the nuclear fallout would travel across the ocean and kill everyone in America.  Of course, reasonable scientists told us that nuclear fallout would not harm us, but no one listens to reasonable people, and there was great panic about this.

Homes were evacuated in Japan, and some food shipments were not sent, but that's the most serious effects I've heard concerning those nuclear accidents.  It's amazing how everyone becomes an expert in nuclear power when someone scares them.

3 - Sea Life in the Gulf of Mexico is Safe to Eat

I know, I know, the BP oil spill was a 2010 thing, but I was still hearing about it this year.  People were so scared, that I was warned by friends not to eat seafood while I traveled in Spain, in March - even though the Spanish don't fish out of the Gulf of Mexico!  In some circles, it was believed that this oil spill would destroy sea life all over the globe, and these people always seemed to be around me when I ordered seafood.  I don't like littering the sea with oil, but these fears were misplaced, and I enjoyed every bite of paella I had.

4 - The Occupy Wall Street Movement had No Effect on Wall Street

They did manage to shut down a few locally owned businesses by camping out in front of small businesses and keeping customers away, but Wall Street opened and closed each day without batting an eye.  If sleeping on the ground in New York was the sort of thing that could affect Wall Street and federal politics, then the homeless people of NY would be the most powerful political lobby in the world.

These protesters have had no effect, but they do have a few valid complaints about government corruption - it's time to find a more useful way to change these things.

5 - Sarah Palin Did Not Run for Office

I don't know (or care) how you feel about this, personally, but everyone I knew was certain she would run for President.  She didn't.  I know some people who thought nothing would make them happier than seeing her run for office, and others who wanted her to run because they love to hate her.  I'm not sure why this meant so much to people, but she's not running.  (If you're the sort of person who obsesses about Palin - or some other politician - then make 2012 the year that you find something else to do.)

6 - This Website Didn't Shut Down

I got sick of this site and tried to shut it down.  But, I really just needed a break.

It's frustrating to write this site.  I beg my fellow Believers to stop being hateful to others for political reasons, but the very people who leave comments agreeing with me will later say that Republicans/Democrats are "stupid" and will continue that hate cycle.  We should all be above that sort of petty hatred.

And when I ask people to think about issues and get along with people who disagree with them, well, I just get called names and dismissed by people on both sides of the argument.  Christians say I'm watering down the Faith, and non-Christians think I'm a pushy Holy-Roller.  It hurts me to see that Christians fighting ideology wars with hatred and politics, rather than showing Christ's Love to their neighbors.

After closing down the site in defeat, I realized that I could try again with a group of writers, and I have.  So far, it's been a good change.

So, 2011 turned out very different than some people predicted.  What have I left out?