Disappointment

In early August 1914, Europeans were euphoric. They cheered, sang, and waved flags. At last, there would be war; at last, they would get to fight on the field of honor, and they would find meaning in their meaningless lives. It had been a long time waiting.

But the war was a disappointment. The field of honor turned out to be a run-of-the-mill farm field that reeked of corpses and feces.

In the spring of 1917, the Russians had had enough. Also, many French soldiers longed for home. By November 1918, even the Germans had had enough.

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When the Germans went to the polls in November 1932, the Nazi Party won 33% of the vote and became the largest party in the Reichstag. In January 1933, a coalition government was formed, and Hitler was appointed Chancellor.

In early March 1933, elections were held again. The Nazi Party now won 43.9% of the vote. (The Communists were prevented from participating.) On March 23, Hitler introduced a bill in the Reichstag to transfer all power to him personally. The right-wing parties voted for the bill; liberals, Catholics, and Protestants did as well. Hitler became an absolute ruler, and millions of Germans were overjoyed; they regained faith in the future.

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What if you, too, have been deceived? Imagine if everything you believe in and live for is misconceptions or pure idiocy. It is not at all impossible, quite the opposite. People have always been deceived into one thing or another, only to realize later it was a misconception or even pure idiocy.

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If there is no afterlife, you will at least not be disappointed when you die.                  But if there is an afterlife, you will probably be very disappointed.