The Dinosaurs were going along just fine. That can be said too about the Incas and Aztecs. They were going along fine too. And we too have been going along just fine for a time. But then, a meteorite changed everything for the Dinosaurs. For the American Continents, everything changed the instant Christopher Columbus set his foot there. To think that nothing could ever go wrong has always been wrong thinking. Complacency, history tells us, always goes before the fall of an empire, a civilisation or an entire species. There have been "Golden Ages" in history, and then in an instant, it comes to a sudden, violent and ignominious end. Peter Lockhart asked the question: "What could possibly go wrong?" This piece answers it. We are doomed like the Dinosaurs. It could be from lies and deceit, greed and corruption that have brought economic ruin and war, or from our own stupidity the collapse of the seas from over fishing and pollution. The struggle for food has unleashed disease scourges on humanity that get worse not better. Humans at Pompeii next to Mount Vesuvius epitomise humans everywhere. They know the danger, but do nothing until it's much too late. That is when sorrows come.
About the Author: Peter Lockhart was born in Auckland New Zealand, in April 1954. By the time he turned five years of age, he had steamed around the world by ship, and spent time in a Catholic orphanage. And that was just the beginning of the many adventures he has had in his life. Always a voracious reader, Lockhart had long harboured the desire to be a writer himself. Having had a lifelong interest in matters pertaining to spiritual beliefs and theology, Lockhart went on something of a spiritual journey, beginning with Roman Catholicism, going through Mormonism and the Anglican Church, and finally ending with atheism. It was after reading Dawkins and Hitchens and their contribution to the discussion on religious beliefs and god, that Lockhart was inspired to join the chorus of dissent against established religious organisations. His first book: The Naked Emperor: Why Religion is Bollocks is the result of almost two years of research and writing. It is moreover, the end result of a lot of thought spanning several years, on the subject of belief, and the history of Judaism and Christianity especially. The author is something of a recluse, living alone on a Sheep Station in Western Australia, where he has lots of time for reflection and reading. A father of daughters, and grandfather of grandchildren, Lockhart takes the long view that life is a journey and the best we can hope for is to do no harm, and make a difference to our fellows. Religion is not the only interest of the author, as he has many and varied interests including economics, history and politics. In addition the major health concerns such as Influenza and other health issues, and even geology and Volcanoes are just some of the things that fascinate the author.