IS THE WORLD GOING TO END?
SOONER OR LATER, PROBABLY.
There are many fears that are sort of baked into our human consciousness. One of those is the notion of the end of the World. We pass through times and phases, as I am sure people have throughout history in which we wonder if the world is still going to be around in 10 years, let alone the next month The truth is we dont know. What we also don't know is whether or not a giant planet sized meteor is going to fly into the Earth and vaporize it sometime next week. Could happen, no? What about some strange space anomoly, or unforeseen reaction of the sun? The bottom line is that everything exists by grace, or whatever you want to call it. It is a miracle there is life on Earth at all and a great wonder we are all still here. As individuals. myself included, I can't say I would be thrilled to see any event to occur that would cause an end to what we see as our world as we know it. My lofty self would certainly pee in my pants if I saw a giant meteor about to strike the Earth. And, I am sure, I would be wrenched with tears if I had to witness any truly great Earthly disaster. However, it all brings us back to that old notion of savoring the moment. All potentials for distaster should lead us back to savoring life, and for keeping fear at bay as long as we do not need to feel it.
I feel fairly confident that when die, we will all feel like the world is dying with us. How can we not? It is all disappearing and slipping through our fingers, until we get to the other side, and the world we have known won't matter anymore. So, our personal worlds will certainly end before the world itself ends. As someone who grew up, like many, during the Cold War, it is an added concern that mankind has creaed the capacity to not only destroy itself, but much of the world as we know it. As a child, tensions where high with Russia, and many of us had nightmares of someone hitting button and starting an ugly unwinnable war, as I am sure people are starting to feel again. I also lived in highly desirable target near a hub of defense technology which did not help to alleviate my anxiety. Again, by grace do we exist. Will we, or someone else be so foolish as to start an armagedon? Who knows. There is a popular guru who pointed out that the Earth we will fine regardless. It is only us people who will have to bow out, if such a thing where to happen. In the end, there are many ways to die, and we don't get to chose.To live wisley is to reconcile with death, whether that is on some couch in our old age, or a meteor should hit our house (bad luck), or humankind chooses to be so foolish and disrespectful as to bring our own demise upon us..
Someday the world will end. Maybe a billion years from now, maybe next week. No one is guaranteed how long this ride would be. But today. at least for me, I am blessed. Show me how to make the best of this day. Fingers crossed. Into history we all go.