Don't Panic

This blog entry is what I would much rather write for the paragraph due tomorrow, instead of some focused mumbo-jumbo.  The prompt asks “how would you live if you knew, for sure, that everything will be destroyed when you are 36 years old?” I imagine apocalyptic conditions as the cause of everything getting destroyed in eighteen short years.  Therefore, I immediately thought of Douglas Adams’ novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which aliens demolish the Earth in order to make way for an intergalactic expressway.  For those of you who have not read this amazing book, or even those who think it’s unfathomable to read anything but a book for school during the academic year, I highly recommend giving this one a try.  Not only is it a relatively simple read, but Adams is hilarious—I find myself literally (and I mean literally) laughing out loud every few pages.  Anyway, in his novel, I find it interesting to look at how the people of Earth reacted to the sense of impending doom they faced upon hearing the world would explode in a matter of minutes, on that fateful Thursday.  Some people at a bar chose to put paper bags on their heads and lie down in one last futile attempt of protection. Mostly though, people screamed mindlessly and ran to nowhere in particular.  I, however, if placed in the situation of the end of the world, would like to live as the main character, Arthur Dent, did.  His best friend, Ford Prefect, is actually an extraterrestrial and had masqueraded as a human for a number of years, portraying himself as an out of work actor.  Ford saves Arthur from Earth’s demise and they go on to have fun adventures in space.  How great! So what would I do if I knew the world would end when I turn 36? I would hope one of my friends unveiled themselves as an alien and saved me.  As you may be able to tell, I have had this plan in effect for a few years now, that’s why I do theater…to meet actors who may one day save me from the end of the world.