River of life:
The Nizaito River begins in the mountains of Polo, above 3000 feet. From there it plummets to Platon, which lies only a few hundred feet above sea level. As it falls, it flushes out the rocks from the valley floor, vastly expanding its river bed during Noel. For those of us raised in the United States, it is hard to imagine how a river could uncover so many rocks in such a short period of time. The Nizaito still flows with the storm waters as you can see in the above image. Water from this little river flows into a canal that irrigates thousands of acres on the plains surrounding Oviedo. Thus it brings life to land that would otherwise remain locked in a perpetual cycle of dryness interrupted by the rare tropical downpour.
Emerson:
He spent the morning and afternoon drinking clerén. Towards evening he announced that he would cross the river and wander back to the batey and his belongings. People told him he was in no condition to cross the river; that he should wait until the stupor had passed. That Sunday night he went into the waters and they carried him away from human existence as we know it.
The confluence:
Two vectors met: a raging river and a mind intoxicated by cheap alcohol. Take one of those elements away, and tragedy is averted. How will it go with Emerson in the Final Judgment? Will the Creator confront him with all the lost opportunities; the talents squandered; the grand design of his life and how he was meant to share in the unfolding of creation?
Plunging into the river of our time:
Will the dynamics of our Final Judgment be any different from those that bring Emerson into the awareness of God's truth? A growing chorus of voices alert us to the dangers involved in plunging recklessly into a river of carbon dioxide and other gases which can overwhelm the precious diversity of life as we know it on our planet. Is our voracious appetite for carbon based goods and services that much different from the alcohol which reduced Emerson's mind to a foggy stupor? How do you envision the Final Judgment?
