What's up with the world ending?

[SabahTheLoner]

Ragnarok is the prophecy of the end-times in Norse myth, where a new world rises from the ashes of a great war. The Mayan calendar ended in 2012 (when compared to the Georgian calendar) which people misinterpreted. Now apparently Biblical numerologists think the world will end two days from now.

Why do some care so much about when and how the world will end? How did the world not "end" already in the past? For all we know Ragnarok passed and we're living in it's ashes. And it's not like the world ending or continuing will change the fact that we're gonna die someday, predicted or not.

Honestly why worry so much about the world ending questions in the first place?

 

[Rival]

One day the curtain will come down and this godforsaken act will be over.

Thank G-d. Thank G-d.

 

[Quintessence]

There's a really good book that covers this - Apocalypse: A History of the End of Time by John Michael Greer - which I have not actually read myself but have listened to interviews of the author that went into much of the content of the work. There are many psychological reasons why apocalyptic narratives are so popular, as well as cultural ones. As a Pagan with cyclical view of time rather than a linear one (I don't believe there is such a thing as "the end of the world"), apocalypse narratives have never appealed to me.

 

[Valjean]

Those religious nutters have been predicting the end of the world for thousands of years and nothing ever came of it. It was just unfounded speculation, with no supporting evidence.

This time, though, it's the scientists predicting the end, and their prophesy is based completely on evidence and empirical data.

So long, been good to know ya...

 

[Twilight Hue]

Well, everyone needs a hobby.

 

[sun rise]

Many people expect a grand "Hollywood Spectacular" end of the world. People like and are drawn to the dramatic. But change is mostly not like that. Often it's a slow process. I think the old world has been ending for decades, mostly out of sight, but with a few glimmers of something new emerging.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I think a lot of this has to do with people's fascination and curiosity as it pertains to extinction events.

One of my favorites is Nibiru. Once again it's at our doorstep, that is, until it doesn't turn out the way people thought and then they go back to the drawing table and make up a new date.

Seems to be a common recurring theme among the apocalyptic crowd. ;0)

Still, we all know there will be one day, such a thing as an extinction event occurring.

My guess it's either going to be an asteroid or the Sun going red giant with the exception made for early self-annihilation. I can't imagine what those days could be like for people on earth, assuming colonization technology on other worlds hasn't been developed adequately enough to effectively terraform outer planets of the solar system. Even then, I'm assuming people only delay the inevitable. For me the world literally ends when I personally die.

Don't need to be apocalyptic for that. Such views however put a nice twist on things and makes it a little bit more, well "exciting" for lack of a better word.

 

[Vee]

Ragnarok is the prophecy of the end-times in Norse myth, where a new world rises from the ashes of a great war. The Aztec calendar ended in 2012 (when compared to the Georgian calendar). Now apparently Biblical numerologists think the world will end two days from now.

Why do some care so much about when and how the world will end? How did the world not "end" already in the past? For all we know Ragnarok passed and we're living in it's ashes. And it's not like the world ending or continuing will change the fact that we're gonna die someday, predicted or not.

Honestly why worry so much about the world ending questions in the first place?

Hasn't the world been about to end on 26 different dates in the last ten years?

 

[robocop (actually)]

Two things that are problematic are that a population on a planet could be about to self-destroy and that they could populate space without being ready. Nature wants us to survive, but we have to squeeze between those problems for it to be worth it.

 

[Sanzbir]

The Aztec calendar ended in 2012

First the nitpicky stuff that just bothers me about this post about the "Aztec calendar "

No. No no no no no no no.

First. It was the Mayan Calendar, not the Aztec.

Second, and most importantly, the Mayan Calendar, contrary to the 2012 meme that has arisen, does not ever end. 2012 merely marked the end of one cycle and the begining of the next. Their calendar never actually ends. Essentially all that happened in 2012 from the perspective of the Mayan calendar was essentially a Super-Millennium. It was no different than Mayan Y2K, except it didn't even have potential to mess with our computers.

Absolutely nothing about Mayan beliefs implied the world would end merely because their equivalent of a millennium had passed.

It was never an apocalypse, it was a calendar.

For a more serious answer my own religion views apocalyptic texts as being symbolic of the end of cycles, and the beginning of new cycles. We view essentially all apocalypse predictions the same way the Mayans viewed their calendar. It's just a cycle.

Maybe the tendency for people to view a cycle, like the Mayan Calendar, as some sort of apocalypse is telling of the way humanity views cycles...

 

[BSM1]

Those religious nutters have been predicting the end of the world for thousands of years and nothing ever came of it. It was just unfounded speculation, with no supporting evidence.

This time, though, it's the scientists predicting the end, and their prophesy is based completely on evidence and empirical data.

So long, been good to know ya...

Down side is that they only have to be right once...just sayin'.

 

[Muslim-UK]

Almost 6 Million views, so must be true.....

Hopefully they can reschedule as Saturday is my day off.

 

[YmirGF]

Almost 6 Million views, so must be true.....

Hopefully they can reschedule as Saturday is my day off.

Yeah, but 5 million of the views were done by the guy's mom and another million by his cat.

 

[YmirGF]

Hasn't the world been about to end on 26 different dates in the last ten years?

Not that Jehovah's Witnesses are without egg on their face for their famous failed predictions. Jus' sayin'...

 

[Revoltingest]

One day the curtain will come down and this godforsaken act will be over.

Thank G-d. Thank G-d.

You want it to end?
I'm enjoying the ride!
And "The Walking Dead" is coming back next month.

 

[Rival]

You want it to end?
I'm enjoying the ride!
And "The Walking Dead" is coming back next month.

If my physician told me I would die tomorrow I would heave a huge relief sigh.

 

[Muslim-UK]

Yeah, but 5 million of the views were done by the guy's mom and another million by his cat.

Must be serious for cat to be worrying, 9 lives and all that.

 

[Revoltingest]

If my physician told me I would die tomorrow I would heave a huge relief sigh.

You need more fun in your life!

 

[Quagmire]

Ragnarok is the prophecy of the end-times in Norse myth, where a new world rises from the ashes of a great war. The Aztec calendar ended in 2012 (when compared to the Georgian calendar). Now apparently Biblical numerologists think the world will end two days from now.

Why do some care so much about when and how the world will end? How did the world not "end" already in the past? For all we know Ragnarok passed and we're living in it's ashes. And it's not like the world ending or continuing will change the fact that we're gonna die someday, predicted or not.

Honestly why worry so much about the world ending questions in the first place?

You realize that If the world ends the internet will go down, right?

 

[Wu Wei]

Well..... if I post on Sunday....you know the interpretation of the prophecy was wrong

So many folks predicting the worlds ending

List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events

one of them might be right...but so far they have a perfect score for being wrong