The end of the world???

I was a young child in grade school happily playing in the school yard. There stood teachers speaking of something called the end of the world... They looked scared and spoke in the same fashion even as a young child I saw these things in them. The radio spoke of this being the war to end all wars if it started. Soon the "drills" at school started, when the sirens were heard we were to get out of our seats and go underneath our desks, or we were to go into the hallway and stand against the walls. Stay away from windows was the rule. We were given information to bring home to our parents about building bomb shelters, and what food should be kept in the house. So this is the "atomic age", what does this mean I thought. What is a bomb anyhow and why go under the desk... why were so many so afraid... This is called the Cuban missile crisis... It was the talk of everyone, everyone even the children in the school yard their parents told them about it... I thought, my mom and dad didn't say anything to me, I did hear them talking to "grown-ups" about this but not me... Yet at school I was taught to live in terror that the "end of the world" was near... What does that mean I thought... I did not understand, but I saw, I saw terror in teachers faces and in their voices, causing me to think that am not safe and I did not know why... Just who was going to end the world, what is a rocket with an atomic bomb on it. How can it find me and hurt me I am safe I live here I do not see these missiles, I know the neighborhood there are no missiles here... what is the problem??? Yet day after day we were drilled for a "bomb" coming our way and that would start the war and end the world... Finally I remember I was getting upset, I had a vivid dream I was standing in my parent's kitchen looking out the back door there I was a "missile flying through the air" of course I did not know what a missile looked like so in my mind the missile was a flying rocket man with a bomb in his hand... Deep fear was touchable around people then... newspapers, banner headlines... the end is near...the President on TV talking about this... Some old fat guy stood up in what was called the United Nations took his shoe off and banged it on the table, shouting in a language I did not understand... the TV man said, this man was shouting he will bury us and our children and grandchildren will live under Communists rule... What does that mean and who is this guy, I thought... I did not understand, I just felt the fear... and I believe on some level that fear never left me in regards to the end of the world, that is until I realized the world will end for each and everyone of us someday, with death... Now is the time to enjoy life as it is and not worry about such things as the end of the world... it will come soon enough for us all... and I do not believe that this will be the end of our life when this world ends for us, it just means we will be living in a different world, a better world... one where little children in the school yard are not taught to fear the end of the world. But they are taught to love each other and play together... For you see that is what grow-ups are suppose to do as well, they are suppose to love each other and play together and not fight over everything because they can as adults. No the other world where we will be someday does not have these bullies that insist that the world is made just for them, they will have learned how to share... I look forward to this world and I fear not the end of this one, you should not either.