The apocalypse or the end of the world has been something that’s come up in conversation quite a bit in the past few decades and definitely something I have been pondering leading up to the 21st of December. While randomly browsing through the internet (using the modern day oracle of Delphi, aka Google) a few weeks ago, looking for any information on this devestating occurance, I discovered that this all important date was in fact the ending of the Mayan calendar, which some “experts” have even gone as far as to “prove” similarities between the predictions made in Hinduism about the Kali-Yuga. (for those who are staring at their screens looking somewhat baffled as to what on earth that word is, please see notes at the end of this post for a very short description).
For centuries, people have tried to solve the burning question of when the world will come to an end. I understand that a few days ago, while most people simply ignored these predictions and went about their business, others thought this to be the literal end of the world or perhaps the less scary possibility of a shift in consciousness; which in much simpler terms refer to a change in people’s perception.
So in light of all these revelations and ideas, I couldn’t help but ask myself, why we are we so obsessed with the end of the world?
According to Shmuel Lissek, a neuroscientist from the University of Minnesota, most people live under the belief that knowing the occurance of an event would minimise the shock factor and allow people to think and act rationally. Lissek, in collaboration with National Institute of Mental Health neuroscientist Christian Grillon, has also discovered that that when an unpleasant or painful experience, such as an electric shock, is predictable, we relax and the anxiety produced by uncertainty is diminished. Of course knowing when the world comes to an end isn’t quite a comforting thought to all, but for many of us it’s a reason to stop worrying and perhaps make amends to the ones we have wronged, tell our loved ones how we feel, make a bunker, gather canned food and engage in charitable behaviour. After all, maybe (just maybe) life would be better after a disaster which demolishes all technology and infrastructure where (according to the book of Revelations and the story of Noah in the bible) only the good will survive and we could start all over again afresh.
All this made perfect sense to me, the evil perishing, a disaster bringing all survivors together to build a brand new world, living in a bunker eating canned food, catching up on much needed sleep etc. But the next question that gnawed at me was a lot harder to explain than the above. Why should it take an impending disaster to make us realise that there are somethings in this world that are simply not right? Why can’t we make changes to it now, whether or not we know when it all goes pear shaped? If death is imminent, why are we more worried about the world coming to an end as a whole, and less stressed about the calamities people are facing around the world this very minute?
Perhaps the answer lies within ourselves and this indeed is the shift in consciousness that was predicted. Personally the above mentioned questions caused me to take a very long, hard look at myself and how I have been leading my life. I started off by writing a list of all the things I wished to eliminate from my life and little by little I can feel myself opening up to the world and seeing myself as a part of it instead of an island trying to survive on its own. The next will be a list of all the things I wish to do in order to make a difference. Perhaps being more honest with myself and living a life of compassion and moral consciousness is all it takes to make a difference. In the words of the ever so wise Mahatma Ghandi, I believe I have made the firm decision to be the change I wish to see in the world. I know there will be times I fail, but maybe (just maybe) my mother was right, and the most important thing is to try in the first place.
P.S- According to Hinduism Kali Yuga (the current time of the world) is believed to be the last of the four stages of the world. Kali being the God of destruction, and Yuga, being the word for “time”; this time is believed to be the era of destruction and degeneration.
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