It's The End Of The World As We Know It. .....Again.

For somewhere around the 20th time in the past decade and a half, it's the end of the world. ....again.

Let's set the mood, shall we?





Yep.  It's that time again.  The time for panic and self fulfilling prophecy of the end of the world spawning tragic events.  And this week has had its overwhelming share of things that I'm sure plenty of people are scratching their heads, as well as their asses, thinking things are "a sign" of what's to come.

I personally decline to take a side because frankly I don't see much point.  If I were to say the world is definitely going to end, it's not as if I will have bragging rights the day after, now do I?  No.  All that does is set one up for ridicule when it doesn't.  But I'm not going to say that things are going well either.  ...To be honest, at this point, "I'm ready to kick back and welcome the end of existence." -Dogma.

But let's get down to it, shall we?  Starting with self fulfilling prophecy.

I hate to say, but I'm really feeling that people, assuming this is the "end," are using the excuse to just not give a shit anymore.  Hey, why not charge everything to the Mastercard?  World's going to end anyway.  Might as well get that big screen TV I've been wanting and hey, why not get that new sports car as well...  Okay.  I'm a fan of people living in the moment and doing what's going to make them happy.  Not a fan of financial irresponsibility.  But there are worse things you can do.  Like, say...  commit horrendous crimes.  I'm not saying that this had anything to do with the horrible tragedy that occurred a few days ago in one of our nation's elementary school's.  I'm just saying that similar situation are the kind of self fulfilling prophecy bullshit that CAN happen.  If one believes it is the end of the world and starts acting like a monster, the rest of the world begins to believe it is the end of the world because monsters in it are one of the "signs" and the cycle continues.  Things just keep getting worse and worse because... well, if we're all sentenced to death anyway, what's the difference, right?  Wrong.  Back away from the grape Kool-Aid!  You don't have to drink it just because you think you'll die anyway.  Where's the logic in....  you know what...  never mind.  If you want to chlorinate your personal gene pool a little, really who am I to stop you?  Ya done Darwin proud.





Why the World Didn't End Yesterday (Next Week.)...
I'm especially enjoying this video NASA presented ...um.  ...last week?  In response to what ...um... happen-ed NEXT week?  ...As an English major the past tense future tense here is making my head spin.  I'm just going to assume NASA has a time machine and got a little lost somewhere along the way.  Google maps must not have an app for that yet.



Oh NASA....  If you want to make a video about why the world didn't end yesterday, be confident enough in your statement to not release the video until the day after people are expecting the world to end.  It kind of sends the wrong message.  This video was released 10 days premature.  Also, the bit where you claim that if an asteroid or some such thing were on a path toward us we would see it coming?  ....Not such a reassuring statement considering the same day you released this video we learn that a previously UNKNOWN asteroid passed within the our moon's orbit.  (Which we did not see coming as the earth cast a shadow on it.)




Now there are conflicting reports on this if you go off and do further research.  The confusion is over the reported size of the asteroid, some claiming it was about the size of a bus, while other say it is over two miles in diameter (about twice the size of the one thought responsible for the death of the dinosaurs.)  Here's where the confusion is.  They are two separate asteroids.  The larger of the two, we did in fact know about and are not expected to be in risk of impact for another 600 years.  (By then we will have developed a pill for that, right?)  The smaller, while we didn't know about it, and I'm certain more research is needed before any legitimate estimations can be made, It is not world wide catastrophic.  It would certainly be a tragedy, to impact with it, but it is not in the classification some would refer to as "global killer."  ...so...  ya know.  There's some comfort.

In the end, I suppose the best advice I can give everyone is "relax."  Take a deep breath of that polluted air we've all come to love so dearly, and let go of some of this stress.  As someone who has studied this stuff at GREAT length I can assure you that the Mayans did not predict the end of the world.  Only a mathematical recycling of their calendar.  Yes it is supposed to be mated with spiritual aspects, but maybe it's high time for that after all.  With a little hope and patience and love, maybe we can get past all this tragic nonsense and self fulfilling prophetic horror.  Maybe we can work together to usher in a new age with this calendar, where we finally come together to love each other.  I know it's a long shot, but it's just another one of those prophecies we can throw out there, in hopes of self fulfillment.

In the meantime, have a Happy Solstice everyone.