Buzz
Dear readers, the end is upon us. It often feels like an apocalypse is just waiting to unfold – any day now – threatening to bring about our downfall and distress to those who believe it. This has been a recurring theme not only since the failed 2012 Mayan prediction, but throughout history, stretching back even to pre-Roman times.
What fuels our obsession with this? Written without profit in mind, here are the Top 10 reasons behind our unyielding fixation...
10. A bloated sense of our own significance
A lot of this comes from our struggle to comprehend our fleeting role in the vast expanse of deep time. The human mind simply can't process the scale of it all. For many, it's not just that the world revolves around us – it seems to stop for us too. Currently, 1 in 7 people worldwide believe that the end will come during their lifetime.
9. It offers a sense of purpose
The concept of an apocalypse resonates on a deep psychological level because the idea that ‘there’s no meaning’ is deeply unsettling. It symbolizes the eternal clash between order and chaos.
Human civilizations have always sought to create some form of meaning to give history and our individual lives a sense of purpose.
8. It taps into a fundamental human desire: control
Apocalyptic prophecies are a way for individuals to assert control over the direction of their own world – and that of others.
The one thing we can never forecast is the timing or nature of our own deaths. During periods of widespread unrest – war, famine, or general hardship – apocalyptic teachings and predictions often gain traction. In those moments, we seem to consume these ideas as if there's no future left.
7. It’s a collective death wish
Immanuel Velikovsky, an author known for his work on ancient catastrophes, proposed a disturbing theory: humanity suppresses its memory of past civilizations' failures while simultaneously craving those disasters – almost as if we have a shared death wish.
Given the looming threats of war, climate change, economic collapse, and other potential ways we could obliterate ourselves, this is certainly a cause for concern. However, we must make a clear distinction between the extinction of our species (far more probable) and the destruction of the planet (highly improbable).
6. We’re simply bored
Life can sometimes feel like an endless grind. Same job, same routine – a true Groundhog Day situation, as the hipsters would put it.
Wouldn't a little chaos spice things up? After all, aren't the apocalyptic scenarios in movies just downright thrilling? We can almost picture Milla Jovovich or Megan Fox in tight leather pants, running around saving the world. That would definitely liven up a dreary Wednesday morning, right?
5. It’s been foretold…
…by every single religion. Those in the West are probably most aware of Christian eschatology (religious theory about the end of the world). Until recently it was taken as a given by many believers that the Second Coming and the end of the world were imminent. It’s easier to control a population that clings to a terror of some looming destruction, after all.
4. It’s just common sense
Robert Oppenheimer once made a bet with other members of the Manhattan Project about whether the first atomic bomb they were about to detonate would trigger a chain reaction that would obliterate Earth's atmosphere. Thank goodness the other guy didn’t win the bet.
During the Cold War, the primary threat of the apocalypse was nuclear weapons – and they did come dangerously close to triggering it. Nowadays, the end of humanity could stem from catastrophic climate change that leaves the planet intact but wipes out humans, or perhaps an epidemic of bad rap music that drives everyone to madness.
3. You’re absolutely right
It’s easy to poke fun at those who’ve tried and failed to predict the apocalypse, but contemplating the ways the world could end, or when it might come to a close, may be fulfilling a fundamental human need.
End-of-the-world believers, whether they’re religious or not, have one thing in their favor: the world will, eventually, end. Our planet can’t last forever – astronomers estimate that in about 7.5 billion years, it will be swallowed up by our Sun.
In the meantime, if we truly only have the briefest moment as a tiny species of carbon-based bipeds in a seemingly endless saga, shouldn't we make the most of these fleeting moments we have on stage?
2. It helps us understand ourselves better
Take a look at any solid apocalyptic sci-fi movie. It presents an excellent chance to reflect on our species as a whole.
Good fiction thrives on personal conflict, and few scenarios allow for as much broad speculation as a classic apocalyptic event. Bring on the zombies, mutants, and aliens – because when things get rough… well, you know the rest.
1. There are no repercussions if there’s no tomorrow
When you're buried under a mountain of debt, overworked, underpaid, and utterly disheartened by the global financial collapse and climate change, the idea of an apocalyptic event might almost feel like a relief.
The power to wipe out the past is an incredibly tempting force. After all, who really wants to spend their entire life paying off those credit card bills, right?
