Maybe Not the End of the World

How many people, how many civilizations, how many cultures have predicted the end of the world.  The answer is, more than we can say.  What is it about predicting the end, either the end of the world, or, at least, the end of mankind?  Does it bring a feeling of power to the people who are doing the predicting.  That is the least of the phenomenon.  In some cultures, in some situations, predicting the end, elaborating on the end of the world, stringing out the end as long as possible, has brought status, if not actual power to those predicting the apocalypse.  Many were priests, or people who served that function in their culture.  Predicting the end gave their positions validity.  They knew what nobody could know.
There is a reason for that.  Why do they know the unknowable?  How is it that they came by that ultimate information?  The answer is not so profound:  they wanted to know.  More to the point, the information they reveal is not real.  Nobody can know when the end of the world will take place, until the actual end of the world is occurring.
There were the Mayans, and several other prehistoric cultures.  In the last couple of thousand years, there were the Christians.  Yes, the Christians began predicting the end of the world was going to take place at the millenium, or year 1000 A.D.  Check me on this.  Then, and many will remember this, some predicted the end would come in the year 2000.  That did not turn out to be true, either, but George W. Bush was elected President of the United States.  His administration was as close to the end of the world as I want to come.
I am no scientist, and I am certainly no priest or any kind of religious spokesman.  If I am then automatically disqualified from addressing the subject of the end of the world, please forgive me for going on.  What am I saying, then?  Am I saying, "Do not listen to these charlatans."  Yes, I am saying that.  Furthermore, it is my unsolicited recommendation that you should not listen to anyone like them.  Anyone who claims to have knowledge of the end of the world is lying to you and has an agenda.  They are claiming any and all power you are prepared to surrender to them.  Run the other way.
Although I am taking a facetious tone in this piece, I am completely serious.  Do not believe people who claim the unknowable.  Learn as much as you can on your own.  I am referring to conventional learning.  Math, science, literature, history, anthropology and any other conventional subject.  Learn as much as you can stand.  Then start on the unconventional learning.  Go ahead and learn about religion, mythology, mysticism and all other types of storytelling.  At a certain point, you will begin to discern what is bull and what is solid information.  Some would say that is the entire point of all learning.  On that point, who am I to disagree.
There is not much left to say about the subject.  After you learn as much as you can, find your own way as best you can.  Get along with as many people as you can.  Love everyone who will let you do so.  Take care of your family.   Give away as much as you can afford and still do the aforementioned actions.
What if I am wrong?  As laughable a concept as that is, let us explore it for a moment. What are the implications of the opposite of what I have been saying.  Just reverse it all, except those end-of-times predictions that have expired.  We cannot be ridiculous about it.  Would it be nice if priests had an inside track to explaining the end of the world?  Some people think so.  It might be good to imagine there was a unified force, a god controlling things to the extent that he can tell a few folks to be good, follow his rules, have a little fun until the end.  Maybe folks who buy the story will stay in line and behave themselves for just a little bit longer.  It has always been a struggle.
Where do we go from here?  See above.  Keep learning, getting along with people, take care of your family, and sharing with those who are falling behind.  The world is neither a good place, nor a bad one.  It is the only place. Take care of yourself and your people, and don't take any wooden nickels.