Abel

I am an artist. I must admit that in our group, artists,we can be a most peculiar bunch. I recently had a conversation with a young guy who said he just got married because his parents felt like the end of the world was near and he and his girlfriend should be united at "the end". I will call my friend Abel. Abel said his parents have been severely disappointed over the years as each and every prediction of the end of the world failed. Pity. The thing which is curious for me is that anyone who remotely believes the world will end soon would bother with higher education or anything else. Why not just sit around and wait to die? I don't know if I would function well if I believed this to be true.
I suppose the disappointment comes in because of some belief that there would be a rapture or a heavenly ascent of some kind. I just feel so connected to this earth and my life that any promises of that sort, of heaven and such, do not even interest or tempt me. I like living right here and right now. I despise what some people do to the planet like tossing poison into rivers. I actively fight to keep the earth clean and healthy. I wish everyone would. Is it such a burden to want the next generation to inherit a decent world?