Yes, i am one of the people who is hoping that the "world ends" on December 21, 2012. Is that a little fatalistic, you bet.
One thing i have noticed (maybe in error) is that this time there are a growing number of people who actually join me in my view. The world ending could be wishful thinking? Why? Well, modern life is getting incredibly complicated - the dream of a better (or good life) has largely been done in by daily realities. The world population is growing, there is more competition and less opportunity (if you live in a first world country), everything is getting more and more expensive, and a billion other headaches. It seems like everything is about to fall apart at the seams (albeit slowly).
The fact is that life is a cruel and ephemeral existence fraught with numerous perils. Thousands if not millions of people will die on December 21, 2012. Another fact is that everything could fall apart in days (civilization as we know it decimated). The world during the "cold war" was evidence of this. In a matter of days (or hours) cities could fall, replaced with radioactive craters. In the post "cold war" era, there is a lack of immediacy. The biggest threat to daily existence is life itself. The biggest external threat is now thought, by many, to be isolated terror. That does not mean that the human animal isn't capable of doing more damage than an abstract concept of a massive planetary collision.
Dying in a cataclysmic event has a certain romantic quality to it. Yes, i said that. In some ways, the death gains significance as it is linked to a historic event (or would be if history existed after it). Another is that there is a tangible connection to humanity that bypasses all of the prejudices and differences.
i know i would far rather be taken out by a meteorite (like the big Samoan guy in Armageddon) than die a slow, and ultimately insignificant, death.
Come on end of the world...
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