Like the pun? I'm not terribly good at them, but upon thinking about the two things I wanted to write about, it came to mind immediately. Of course, I'm referencing the recent passing of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and the coverage that one man's "Rapture/End of the World" theories has gotten in the past week from mainstream and other various outlets.
First things first, though. I didn't get into wrestling until March of 1999, so I missed Randy Savage's hey day in the late 1980's/early 1990's. However, thanks largely due to a friend of mine (shout out for Steve~!), I've watched most of the best of his matches. I'd always heard that Savage vs. Steamboat from Wrestlemania III was one of the best matches of all time. Thanks to Steve, I echo that sentiment. That match was perfection. The one between him and Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania V was outstanding. Both matches made me feel something, which is a key factor in what makes a great wrestling match.
Little known fact: when my cousin was little, his mom and my mom would take him and go to wrestling shows. My mom's second husband was also into wrestling, so she would go with him. Her favourite wrestler? Randy Savage. Perhaps it was fore destined that I would become a wrestling fan...anyways, I thought that was interesting, so after I did start watching, I would keep her in the loop if I saw or heard anything. She was saddened to read of his death, but I think it affected me more than her. I'm not sure why.
Maybe it's because I'm tired of wrestlers dying young. 58 (Randy's age) may not sound young, but nowadays it is. Larry Sweeney was 29 (MY age! Good grief!). Eddie Guerrero was 38. Chris Benoit was 40. Chris Candido was 33. Miss Elizabeth was 42. Luna Vachon was 48. Sensational Sherri was 49. You see a pattern here...?
Randy is scheduled for a medical autopsy so I don't want to speculate on possible reasons for his heart attack (if it turns out to be a heart attack). This is not going to be a "steroids rant" unlike some in the media have speculated already. No, this isn't really a rant, more of a ramble. Two points though.
One - wrestlers need insurance. This past week, WWE announced that all wrestlers would be required to get insurance. The kicker is that they have to pay for it themselves. This is a step in the right direction, however, it's a bit ass-backwards that the employees (and lets not kid ourselves, they're not independent contractors, they are employees) have to pay for their own insurance instead of the COMPANY paying for it. I know big names like John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio can afford it, but it makes me wonder about lower-tier talent, like the women (no matter how big of a star any of the women are nowadays, I highly doubt they're paid as much as top tier talent is) or people like the Usos, Zack Ryder, etc. Insurance is not cheap, that's for damn sure.
I'm digressing, but wrestlers need insurance. They need regular medical checkups, drug screens, extensive monitoring because of all the pressure they put on their bodies constantly. Especially the WWE since they are the busiest company. TNA I'm not even going to address because, thanks to poor Daffney's lawsuit, we all know how much of a hazard to your health THAT company is. Other, smaller companies get a pass because their schedules are much lighter and most wrestlers have jobs that allow for insurance. WWE can certainly afford to pay for their employees to have insurance - after all, Linda McMahon could afford to throw away all that cash for her failed campaign. The money is there.
Granted, most of the people I listed died while not actively employed by the WWE, but that doesn't change the fact that implementing change now could save lives in the future.
Second point - how many folks die in the same manner that Randy Savage did? Heart attacks, strokes, car crashes, things that cause sudden death can strike at any moment. It drives home the fact that life cannot and should not be taken for granted. We do it anyway, we always assume tomorrow will be there. Or the next 6 hours will be there. Or hell, the next hour. When the fact is: nothing is guaranteed. You aren't assured of tomorrow.
With all the news of wars, disease, politics, fighting, nitpicking, people tend to take life for granted. Why think it's anything special when it's so cheap? 30 lives lost in Syria, 100 in an earthquake in the Pacific, 200 in Libya...numbers, each representing a life, flash on the screen in the newest death toll. But behind the stats, behind the analysis, each number represents a person. With a name, a face, a family, a life, a purpose.
How many of us go to bed still angry at a friend or loved one? How many of us choose to not pick up the phone when someone calls? How many of us end a phone call without telling a family member or significant other that you love them? You expect them to be there the next day, the next time they call or the next time you see them. Nothing is guaranteed, however.
My point - don't delay. Don't go to bed angry, stay up and talk it out. Pick up the phone and talk to the friend you haven't heard from in awhile. Tell your family/SO you love them (make sure you mean it!). Go outside, take a walk. Find shapes in the clouds. Watch a caterpillar (pet it if you feel adventurous!). Listen to the birds, feel the sun on your face. Smile. Laugh. Tell a joke.
Make it count. You never know when it'll be your time.
I daresay The Macho Man made it count. He gave us memories to last a lifetime. Thank you Randy Savage, may you truly rest in peace.
My second post about the "Rapture" that was supposed to happen today will come later. Feeling a bit drained after writing this up.
Edited with additions on 5/23/2011.
So this "Rapture" that was supposed to happen last Saturday on the 21st. Shit like this makes me mad and I'll tell you why.
A lot of people in this world have a need to believe in something, anything. Whether it be God, Jesus, Allah, Buddah, Shiva or Ahura Mazda. Even better if you can back it up with figures, stats, facts, stories, what have you. Some people are gullable, and I'm not talking your average person of faith. I have faith, I believe in Jesus as Saviour, and I believe in the two greatest commandments (love God and love your neighbor as yourself). Beyond that, things are up for debate. How the earth was created, how old it is, evolution vs. creationism. I used to be VERY fundamentalist, but I'd like to think I've grown and expanded beyond black and white thinking.
Hearing this man say that May 21st would be the day of the Rapture, giving a TIME as well as a date and purporting to back it up with figures he'd came up with supposedly from the bible...I dismissed it at once. I'm surprised the media gave it so much coverage. Perhaps because this man predicted the rapture before and it didn't happen, but why give the fish another chance to bit when he's already failed once?
It makes me mad because people like him prey on good, basic humans who are just looking for certainty in times like these. Worse, they ask for donations. Money. People EMPTIED THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS and gave it to him! Sold their houses, quit their jobs, dropped out of schools because of one man's prediction. A man that had been documented as HAVING BEEN WRONG BEFORE. Google "end of the world predictions" or something along those lines. Or here, I did it for you:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/end_wrld.htm
How many of those have been accurate? Zero. None. Nada. Zip.
Now the same man who claimed to have figured up the date for the Rapture supposedly got his information from the Bible. Did he not see the verse that stated, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."? Matthew 24:36. You'd think that, having supposedly read the bible, he would've seen this verse. Last time I checked, Harold Camping wasn't God. Not even close.
I get that people want to know when the end is coming. I'd kinda like to know myself. But it's just not going to happen. Jesus Himself didn't know, so how can anyone else claim to have such exclusive knowledge? So many throughout history have claimed to know, but they were all wrong. The fact that some still choose to have this knowledge, and try to get as much money as they can out of gullable people, makes me furious. They're cheats and swindlers, nothing but crooks. There's been no word from Harold if he'll return the money he received from his followers. How much do you want to bet that he won't return it?
You could make the argument that you shouldn't feel sorry for the people who believed Harold, that they chose to believe. True, but I feel compassion for people who sincerely want to believe, who want to know. They get taken advantage of by assholes like Harold. It's happened throughout time. It'll continue to happen.
Christians (and really, anyone of faith), believe Jesus (or your deity/holy book of choice). Don't believe people who think they have an "inside track" on stuff like that. They don't. Especially if they want your money. Jesus gave his sermons for free, he never asked for donations in return. Remember, only God knows when the end is. No one else does and no one else ever will.
That concludes my rant. Stuff like that really makes me mad because it's taking advantage of decent people. That's something Jesus never did. Food for thought.
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