As I sit here in a comfy chair at Starbucks, typing away on my laptop, I think it odd that my thoughts drift to visions of destruction and desolation. Odd because my imaginings entail the loss of pretty much everything I enjoy as I sit here: my iced mocha, the wireless internet I am using, my car outside, even the sense of safety and security that I feel. Odd also because, while I entertain notions of what it would be like, a part of me is sure that I really have no concept of what I contemplate. No frame of reference. I could assume that since I have played numerous games, seen numerous movies, and read numerous books centered on the theme of the post apocalypse that I do indeed have plenty of vicarious experience to draw upon. But how much do I really know about something if what I know is solely based on things fed to me through popular culture . Just because I have watched as many war movies as I possibly could, and read as much as I could about military engagements and what not, does not mean that I have any idea of what it truly means to be in a war. An idea, maybe, but nothing more. Something tells me that if I were really and truly there, I would not be quite so into it. And yet, this idea of the end times fascinates me. Why? What is it about the end of everything that is so alluring? Is it some kind of species awareness that makes us afraid that something may happen to wipe us from history completely? Or, is it because Hollywood just wanted to make another bad disaster movie? There are so many ways we have envisioned the demise of our species. The pole shift that will occur in 2012, that was supposedly foretold by the Mayans is a good example. It sounds really exciting. But when you really research the whole 2012 thing, you get all bogged down in Mesoamerican Long Counts, and previous worlds that have been destroyed, or were they destroyed, some say no, and after a while, you don’t even care anymore. Did you know that the Aztecs believed that there were four “Suns,” or worlds previous to this one, all of which were ultimately destroyed? Then again, the Aztecs themselves were, for the most part, destroyed by European invaders, so maybe they were on to something after all. Let’s not forget the vikings. According to Norse mythology there were a series of events, called Ragnarok , that signaled the end of the world. A great battle between the gods, followed by a bunch of natural disasters , and eventually the submersion of the world under water. Then again, of course a sea-faring people would predict that eventually the oceans would cover there lands. It just makes sense. Even Christianity has its own doomsday predictions. The rise of the Anti-Christ, followed by the return of Jesus Christ , and ultimately, Judgment Day. Or something along those lines. I’m not quite sure about the particulars, but if you are really interested you could read the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye . I think there was even a movie starring Kirk Cameron.
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Reflections On The End Times