Peter, Wrong month or not: This reminded me of a short story I was forced to read in high school called "And The World Was Made Clean". Eugenics had been carried to such an extreme that only two people were left on the earth - a red-haired, non- freckled woman and a red-haired, freckled man.They hated each other, pretended to be willing to start a new world together despite their differences, and killed each other. "And The World Was Made Clean".

I disagree that we lack the rituals to show that destruction is only partial. Death, decay, and new life are basic to every religion and recognized by every atheist I know. We live it every time we grind fallen leaves into mulch or recycle a Pepsi can.

SS