Uh oh. This is the 666th consecutive day that I have posted on this blog. The devil you say.
Superstition has grown around the number 666, fueled by John the Revelator himself, who wrote of a beastly tyrant who forced everyone to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead, “so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.”
And then he left a hint about whom he was describing: “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number. His number is 666.”
Through the years a mythology has grown around the number, from declaring that UPC bars are the mark of the beast to declaring certain politicians to be the beast incarnate. (Actually, I might accept a theory that all politicians are variants of the same beast.)
I’m not sure what conclusions to draw about these matters; I just had to note that I couldn’t help but note the number this post holds in the blogging streak’s sequence. I confess to uneasiness about this particular number even as I admit it’s an irrational feeling. If something unpleasant befalls me today, draw what conclusions you will.