Why are we so obsessed with the end of days? The apocalyptic movie 2012 was a major box office success. It seems that everywhere you look there is someone spouting off about how Global Warming, Nuclear War, Sunbursts, or who knows what else is going to doom us for all of eternity.
While flicking through the various stations yesterday, I cam across a show on the History Network called “The Nostradamus Effect”. Out of morbid curiosity I decided to stop there. Needless to say, I shouldn’t have done that.
The show was focused on various theories of the impending apocalypse for 2012. They focused on Mayans, Nostradamus, Bot-Net, and various other things. There were people everywhere talking about how the world will end and we need to start preparing for it now.
First off, this show should not have been on the History Network. This is a place that people turn for facts and legitimate stories about our past. Not quack theories about our future. But, I digress, the irresponsibilities of the media could fill several posts themselves.
My point is this: Why are we so convinced that the world as we know it will end? And so soon at that?
All of the “documentaries” and made for TV Specials really remind me of 10-12 years ago when they were convinced that the world would end in the year 2000. When January 1, 2000 was all too similar to December 31, 1999, what did people do? Apologize? Of course not! Instead some people said “Hey, 2000 wasn’t the start of the millennium, 2001 is. That’s when the world will end!”. While the first part of that statement is mathematically correct, nonetheless January 1, 2001 came and went like every other day.
Of course, a few months later there were the September 11 terrorist attacks to fill everyones thoughts with doom and gloom. I remember reading some very contrived (and fake!) things that Nostradamus wrote “predicting” that eagles would fly into towers and make them collapse and something about and idiot king, and blah blah blah. Obviously, the world is ending, right?
Well it didn’t. Sure things got pretty bad for people in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there were no massive biological and nuclear attacks wiping out our way of life, as was predicted.
Then of course, we have Global Warming. This is most certainly a threat to our civilization and way of life, but we do still have time. Sure there are droughts and hurricanes, but civilization as we know it is carrying on. We need to make some changes, but there will be no dramatic 40 Day Flood that we need to contend with.
But sadly the truth of “let’s change our life styles to avoid slow steady catastrophe somewhere down the road” does not make for good TV. Now the thought of the world ending on December 21, 2012 as the Mayans said, now that is worth watching!
So here we are, two and a half years away from that day, and people are starting to go mad, and you know what? It’s only going to get worse.
I personally don’t think that I’m important enough to see the end of the world. The sun will eventually explode, but it won’t be until long after I’m dead.
Human civilization has survived war after war, plagues, natural disasters, nuclear explosions, and yes even climate change, and we will continue to do so. Obviously these things had severe consequences for the people at the time, but society as a whole flourished, and hell even benefited from most of those events. The Black Plague did lead to the rise in urbanization, World War II lead to the scientific boom of the past sixty years, and, well I could go on. And so too shall we.
December 2012, will be a month like any other. It will be a little chilly in the Northern Part of the planet, people will exchange gifts, there will be one major, earth shattering event to behold though. My 30th birthday. Maybe the apocalypse will be better after all.
Until next time,
G
Tags: 17 posts, apocalypse, Laying it on the line, predictions
Yeah, I’ve seen “The Nostradaeallmus Effect” too. The show itself doesn’t really bug me – there will always be stupid things, watched by dumb people.
What pisses me off is that it’s on the fucking HISTORY channel. Jesus Criminey Christ.