Why do so many of us do our best to ignore the Year 2000 computer bug? Maybe because it seems frightening, anxiety-producing, anger-stoking, and sad to think the way of life we have could be interrupted by anything so seemingly trivial.

Interrupted in what way and by how much? That's uncertain, and there's nothing like uncertainty to make folks even MORE uncomfortable. And this is all a normal and expected reaction to anticipatory loss and inconvenience.

Many of us regard anticipatory change as an expectation of loss. Period. Because we may not be seeing the other possibilities, we get drawn down into panic, fear, and grief with relief coming only from denial. And, when the finally change occurs, the perspective of loss continues.

But this is not the only view to hold. Change can also be interesting, challenging, hopeful, and exciting. We may still be upset or disturbed by it, but these feelings can be accompanied by more optimistic ones. From this perspective, we start to see the Y2K computer bug as an opportunity for us both as individuals and as a community.

Why not take this as an opportunity to reclaim parts of our lives we left behind when we got so distracted by everyday life? An important part of the preparation could be assessing what is important to us and how we express these values as individuals and in groups. Maybe we could consider simplifying our too busy, too complex, too presured lives.

Seen in this way, Y2K not just a potential threat, but a priceless opportunity. Even if the Y2K Problem ends up to be much ado about nothing, we could still realize important gains. After all: there is always change on a grand scale waiting to happen in every life. If, in the final analysis, Y2K does not represent such a transition, there is something else in the future which will.