waiting impatiently
The end of the world has a strange sort of attraction to it. For a while now people have constantly predicted that the world would end in the near future. Of course, they were wrong, and now we look back condescendingly on various cults. In my lifetime I have seen a couple come and go. There was the whole millennium thing, something about bird flu, something about sars, a super flu, a bunch of global conflict, and so on and so on. Each coming along in tight-fitting brightly coloured packaging and sold to us through mass media hype. Oh and there is peak oil, and of course global warming nowadays. It reminds me of that fable by Aesop about the mass media that cried Armageddon! Then when a real wolf came along no one believed him. /emo
It remains a puzzle as to why there is this sick fascination with the end of the world. I suspect for some people it is a mere analogy to their messy bedroom; they could clean it up, but then it would just get messy again. I gather that for some people the end of the world is followed by eternal bliss, and they feel that the sooner we are stuck in an infinite period of time the better. For others, no doubt, it is nothing more than the natural progression from humanity to the end of the world; assuming we are the whole point, why should there be anything after us. For people in positions of power having a catastrophe just around the corner sets you a comfortable position, at least until it actually happens. And I suspect many people have realised that our mode of living, which requires infinite growth to continue, has to end at some point, and it is probably about time it did. So much for speculation.
Personally, I think it is easier to trip the giant in the direction he walks, than to tackle and force him backwards. The sooner our civilisation ends (let us be honest about what ‘the end of the world’ really means), the sooner we can get on to creating a world worth living in.
4 comments:
I'd say it's related to your whole 'this society is not made for people' thing — most people aren't consciously aware of it, but something is horribly broken. So, whether sub-consciously or consciously, people hope for an end to the brokenness.
A more interesting question, I think, is "if the world does end, as you claim, what do you think comes next?"
Hey, have you ever thought of starting a secret club to topple the giant that is our civilization? It could have a cool name, like 'the league of shadows', or something like that.
I actually think it holds a fascination for people because it will give them something to do. Big catastrophe happens and suddenly all of those things that seemed so important - work, money, possessions - don't matter one little bit anymore. They're transcended by something bigger. Catastrophe also tends to bring people together into a real community with no barriers of politics or belief between them.
The happiest people in the world seem to be the ones with the 'hardest' lives. The easy life isn't the good life, and I think most people know that on some level, but can't bring themselves to stop clinging to the ease.
Nato: I see no need for secrets or clubs. Personally I'm a little too indifferent (lazy) towards the whole civilisation thing in reality. From all current projections and basic common sense it is going to fall over and crash of its own accord. Which brings me to..
Matt: I don't really see much reason for waiting for the world to actually end before trying to start living in a new one. The transition from civilised life to anarchy will be one that will require a bit of time, adjustment, and a lot of learning I imagine. Because we really don't know what will actually work, it will take a lot of experimental sorts of community lifestyles. Because the time scale available to work out something that works is small and shrinking, this is best achieved by a diverse plethora of differing attempts.
I guess the reason I think of it as an anarchy is because there is absolute freedom for people to truly author there lives. The reason it is distinct from civilisation is because it denies one of civilisations fundamental premise; that there is one right way to live, and being civilised is it.
Way to ramble. Sorry.
Daria: I agree, but at the same time I hope this transition will result in easier and more flourishing lives that what we currently experience. I don't really envy savages or people stuck in the third world. In many ways our current mode of living is incredibly hard and draining; no one else works 40+ hour weeks.
(note: all above ideas not completely thought through.)
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