One in seven thinks end of world is coming

[_Only]

WHAT?! And miss out on final world peace sometime in the future! Oh no, no, no, we gotta see if that delusional dream comes about first before we call for the end of the world, man.

Where's your self-imposed optimism for godsakes?

How dare they even entertain such delusions.

[MID]

"Nearly 15 percent of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime"

How did this become about Americans again?

Just to clarify for those who were concerned when my late night responses wound up in another threat somehow (got me.. .!).

16% of the population would imply roughly 50 million Americans.

Not wanting to single out 50 million Americans with the distinction of beleiving in this sort of crap( I have no pride in that distinction), I'll state that this implies a billion people world wide share in this delusion.

That's a distressing number of people. For every believer in the United States, there are 20 someplace else in the world.

...egad

But--the good news is that this figure implies that there are approximately 6 billion people in the world that do not believe the end of the world is imminent (i.e., "coming".).

Yay!

[csspwns]

this is gonna be like Independence Day movie again where aliens try to take over the earth but fail cuz of Smith

[Redoubt]

I don't think one has to follow the Mayan calendar to recognize the trouble the world is in. I mean, each day we wake to see news that forces us to wonder how we got in this handbasket and why are we going to hell.

[Damrod]

I have pndered this phenomena and my personal opinion is that this group of people can be separated into a few different philosopies/camps.

1) The religous believers. It doesn't matter if it's Christianity, Judaism or Islam, they believe the world has decended into such wickedness, debauchery and genuine evil that it must be destroyed and cleansed. They see the fulfillment of prophecy in the headlines of each new day and nothing is going to convince them otherwise. Their texts were so cleverly written as to seemingly appear to each age or century that it can be and has been "expected" for thousands of years.

2) The new age thinkers. They also believe man has become so predatory to his fellow man that there "must" be a change of direction or consciousness or we are doomed to destroy ourselves. They pull on ancient prophecy and legend from a plethora of cultures as justification for their ideas and to them, each new "anomaly" or "Unusual phenomena" gives credence their position.

3) The Hopeless. Sadly, there is a group of people out there have just given up on hope and positive change. They see the world as being completely out of their control or influence...that their very lives are no longer in their hands and they have become as a leaf in the wind. They look at the world and think that the "powers that be" are not going to suddenly change their ways. They are not going to step up and say "we have been doing this wrong all along and now we are going to make the world right for all mankind". These people (the hopeless) just want it to end because short of one of the first two things occuring, only cataclysm and a slap back to the stone age is going to correct the paths we have chosen over the millenia our species has been advancing. They are miserable and find nothing to look forward to tomorrow except continuing struggle, suffering and hardship.

I personally would like to see the world made into a more "user friendly" place. Though I have hope that as more people study philosophy and seek to understand what makes people do the things they do... that at some point, our technology and our collective goals to be better will merge. Maybe I am the one who is delusional....hard to say.

I don't believe the world is ending...though I do agree that change is needed. I feel like the political-economic path we as a country and as a world is on is totally unsustainable and we either fix it or IT WILL collapse. That collapse might spawn wars, famine, disease, or all three and we might very well get smacked back to the stone age and have no choice but to start over when all of our electronic intellect is lost and no longer works.

Just my opinions though. Fascinating topic of study and discussion as it brings several things into the conversation...religion, politics, science and philosophy...great thread!

Edited May 16, 2012 by Damrod

[_Only]

Fascinating topic of study and discussion as it brings several things into the conversation...religion, politics, science and philosophy...great thread!

I agree. If more would have that viewpoint, beyond the obvious "the end is nigh" or "I can't wait for this nonsense to end on December 22nd", some great discussion can happen.

[freeman88]

my lifetime? i doubt it.

[MID]

I don't think one has to follow the Mayan calendar to recognize the trouble the world is in. I mean, each day we wake to see news that forces us to wonder how we got in this handbasket and why are we going to hell.

Where is this "hell" you speak of?

[MID]

this is gonna be like Independence Day movie again where aliens try to take over the earth but fail cuz of Smith

It's actually going to be like 2000.

Just as folks woke up on 1-1-2000 and suddenly realized that the hype put forth didn't happen. Indeed, little was going on that morning, save many folks would later wake up with a terrible headache and hang over.

On 12-22-12, folks will wake up similarly...and possibly gullible believers will have a hangover and headache (they may have been imbibing heavily to dull the pain of their impending doom!).

Distressingly, that could be 40-50 million Americans, and..

...a billion drunken hung over folks world wide!

Amazing, isn't it?

Edited May 19, 2012 by MID

[ShadowSot]

I'm looking forward to what'll be sold on ebay, since I missed out on the sales in 2000.

But seriously, this does concern me, makesme woder how the percentage is spread out. it's probably heaver in some countries than others.

I know many of the people I meet here in the bible belt expect Jesus to return with their lifetime. I think the expected to date is 2050.

I don't see how it's expected that plans can be made for the long term future with such a significant percentage.

Anyway, I love the avatar MID.

[Rlyeh]

I don't think one has to follow the Mayan calendar to recognize the trouble the world is in. I mean, each day we wake to see news that forces us to wonder how we got in this handbasket and why are we going to hell.

Turn it off if you want it to be like the good ol' days.

[MID]

I'm looking forward to what'll be sold on ebay, since I missed out on the sales in 2000.

But seriously, this does concern me, makesme woder how the percentage is spread out. it's probably heaver in some countries than others.

I know many of the people I meet here in the bible belt expect Jesus to return with their lifetime. I think the expected to date is 2050.

I don't see how it's expected that plans can be made for the long term future with such a significant percentage.

Anyway, I love the avatar MID.

Many thanks, Shadow!

Edited May 19, 2012 by MID

[_Only]

Where is this "hell" you speak of?

The mind.

Perception.

[MID]

The mind.

Perception.

I would tend to agree, in the presence of a complete sentence.

However, I asked Redoubt the question.

[Gary Meadows]

I don't think one has to follow the Mayan calendar to recognize the trouble the world is in. I mean, each day we wake to see news that forces us to wonder how we got in this handbasket and why are we going to hell.

Yea because the past is so full of joy and peace...

Lol.

[_Only]

I would tend to agree, in the presence of a complete sentence.

However, I asked Redoubt the question.

Yeah, I don't like loaded rhetorical questions, so I answered for him.

In incomplete form.

I can do that stuff.

[Beany]

Remember what's his name that predicted the end of the world twice in the last year? And there's all those people in France, waiting for the end as well. I wonder how many times the end has been predicted over the last 4-5,000. And people are still falling for it. I do believe the big draw is that some people believe they are the chosen ones who are sure to ascend, leaving the rest of us behind. For sure, us un-chosen ones are pretty sure the world will continue mostly as it always has, although it might be really cool if the chosen ones ascended (or descended, as the case may be) and left the rest of us in peace, with no leaflets stuck on our doors and no missionaries disturbing a fine day.

[mytan08]

hi, im new in this forum and as what's on my mind we dont when will be our mother earth will rest or the end of the world.

we just have to care our earth more and believe in him.

[White Crane Feather]

I do not think it is going to on a specific date....

I just hope it does happen, sooner than later.....This cancer on Earth needs to be treated all ready.

Yeah we need a good lemming jump don't we. Unfortunately, we are probably stuck with the current arrangement for now. Mabey a good solar flare will wipe out electronics and we can live by our wits again I stead of chaseing the joneses.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Seeker79

[advincharles]

I think that this is all a part of joke because if in really this thing is exist then according to the maya culture the beginning of the beginning of 2012 is the end of world but is it happened? the answer is not so just chill.

[MID]

I think that this is all a part of joke because if in really this thing is exist then according to the maya culture the beginning of the beginning of 2012 is the end of world but is it happened? the answer is not so just chill.

Actually, there's nothing in that Mayan calendar that indicates the end of the world is anytime.

That's a wishful-thinking ( ) creation of gullible people, the same type that affix all sorts of prophecy and prediction to the nonsensical gibberish that Nostradamus wrote.

[JonathanVonErich]

Actually, there's nothing in that Mayan calendar that indicates the end of the world is anytime.

That's a wishful-thinking ( ) creation of gullible people, the same type that affix all sorts of prophecy and prediction to the nonsensical gibberish that Nostradamus wrote.

Holy ****, that was well said.

[MID]

Holy ****, that was well said.

Many thanks, Sir.

[jesspy]

Mayb e someone went back in time and created a giant ad that spans time. A new flavour of coke or another iphone will be released 21/12/12 maybe.

[Habitat]

One in seven people are absolutely hopeless at arithmetic, and the other five have to make up for it.