With the end of the Mayan calendar coming tomorrow, many more people than you could imagine are expecting this to be the end of the world.
All morning I cannot help but hum the old R.E.M. song “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”
I also keep thinking of all the extra water, beans, and rice so many of us had leftover after Y2K.
So why do people continue to believe these type of predictions?
I feel like people know intuitively that our broken world needs to be made right. We long for peace. We want resolution and even justice.
At the same time, we give into fear every chance we get. Even people of faith buy into the panic (sometimes even more than others).
If this is the end of the world as we know it, how could it happen?
One article I read asked scientists for the most likely scenarios that could end the world by December 21, 2012. Some of their ideas included:
- a dark comet that cannot be seen that collides with earth
- an incurable cancer that spreads from foxes to dogs to humans
- an underwater landslide that releases a toxic amount of methane
What proof do we have that this is not the end of the world?
NASA released a video explaining that tomorrow is not the end of the world. (Check out this article from NASA addressing each of these potential fatal options).
The Mayans themselves are unconcerned since this calendar date did not signify the end of the world, but the end of an era.
Jesus reminded us that no one knows the last day, so we shouldn’t believe these type of predictions (Matthew 24:36).
So how should we respond?
We need to stop living with fear and instead live with intentionality.
If we began to live with faith, love, and hope we can overcome the pessimism around us and help others do the same.
We can replace fear with faith and anxiety with peace!
Some inspiring quotes on this topic include:
We should live every day as if it was our last, but we should plan as if it isn’t.
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” – James 4:17
“Never put off tomorrow what you can do today.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Live every day as if it were your last, because one of these days, it will be.” – Jeremy Schwartz
“Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find ”tomorrow” on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday’s defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year. The saddest words you can ever utter are, ”If I had my life to live over again.’ Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day! Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” – Og Mandino
