An Atheist Considers the Apocolypse

More seriously, I think some people (not meaning you necessarily, J) secretly wish the world would end during their life so that they could be a part of this big, exciting thing that everyone's stipulated about for a very, very long time. But I think most of the people who want that to happen are also very religious and want to be there when God says, "I pick you and you and you over there."

I can't imagine the end of the world and I don't want to anyway. I want to keep enjoying my life. It's too scarey to think otherwise.

On the other hand, a Malthusian die-off of a large percentage of the human population due to resource exhaustion is an almost certainty within our lifetimes.

I wish the world would end for the first reason you give, mostly because I'm bored. But I'm the opposite of religious. Apart from childish reasons of wanting something to liven up an afternoon, I would like my death to co-incide with everyone else's because (a) I wouldn't be missing out on anything afterwards, and (b) I wouldn't be cursing my luck, or my years of smoking, drinking, shagging monkeys, whatever - everyone would get it indiscriminately, not just me.

No need for the disclaimer, Sarah! I'm not a big fan of the apocolypse or anything, and I'm sure that this particular freaky obsession episode will pass in a few days. But you nailed it -- there's a certain sex appeal about the apocolypse, isn't there? It's this freudian wish-fulfillment thing, although I don't think that most people really want there to be an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it.

Damn.

Only the comic book ones, Dan. Neil and I were never that close, but we went for a beer or two, and so on. I was better friends with Grant, for instance, and genuinely good friends with Alan Moore, for instance. I regret that we are out of touch now, even if he is a bit of a nutter these days.

My girlfriend is really into apocalypses and all that...I think Sarah's reason given re: being a part of something greater than yourself is right on. Also, there is the additional attraction surviving and taking part in whatever post-apocalyptic landscape appeals to you.

As for the Apocalypse, i'm sure that something will evolve out of the hot sulfur plumes at the bottom of the ocean and take over. I imagine that they'll listen to a lot of microhouse. Once they reinvent music, of course...

Listen to this mp3 of a man who called into the Art Bell show:
Man calls in scared shitless, radio station satellite knocked out of orbit during call, radio station loses power, man's "very important message" is not heard! Doh!

And then read this crap about the Iraq / Nibiru connection:

Since I know little of the true meaning of the Bible, does that mean all of us who are sitting here confused, atheists obviously would have to be included, and who don't know the "truth" and don't worship The One True God through Jesus, the Savior... are all those people about to be killed in the final Great Battle?

If we're taking the Apocalypse seriously, I am wondering what is the result of such an Apocalypse. Speaking as a man that got drunk twice last week, had sex out of wedlock yesterday, smokes cigarettes and generally doesn't follow the rules of the Bible too closely, I am wondering what my future holds!

http://images.thetimes.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,61690,00.jpg

I started reading it about a year ago and got horribly depressed. I haven't visited it in a while. Too depressing. Made me drink heavily.

http://mirrors.meepzorp.com/geocities.com/george-bush-antichrist/index_files/bushsat.jpeg

From George W. Bush is the Antichrist

here was my fave doom-n-gloom quote: (and i preferred this one)

The Olduvai 'slide' from 2001 to 2011 (Figure 4) may resemble the "Great Depression" of 1929 to 1939: unemployment, breadlines, and homelessness. As for the Olduvai 'cliff' from 2012 to 2030 — I know of no precedent in human history.

interesting to think of conditions on earth in only 25 years time being essentially 'road warrior' type shit (more specifically, mad max and thunderdome)

so far i haven't seen any accounting for development of alternative energy sources, other than blanket dismissal "no renewable energy systems have the potential to generate more than a tiny fraction of the power now being generated by fossil fuels." - seems too negative to take seriously.

also this example of shady maths:

if you just want to heat your coffee, then 1 J of oil energy works just as well as 1 J of electrical energy. However, if you want to power up your computer, then 1 J of electricity is worth 3 J of oil. Therefore, the ratio of the importance of electricity versus oil to Industrial Civilization is not 42:39, but more like 99:1

how we got from 42:39 to 99:1 with a factor of 3, i'd like to know. or maybe i just don't get it?

Yeah, they do slight the role of alternative energy. But what the heck? Why are we not taking steps towards it? It's incomprehensible.

important to note that it is energy vs population. i consider population to be the #1 problem in the world - it seems to effect everything else for the worse :(

maybe they'll have to change those SUV bumperstickers: "I'M CONTRIBUTING TO THE END OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION - ASK ME HOW!!"

Fuck.

you will be pleased then that europeans will soon be extinct.
even in developing nations birth rates are plummeting, the problem is going to be lack of people not too many.

even if population were to decline, how would that be problematic??

Birth rates in most third world countries are stable or increasing - its actually death rates which are rising, especially in Africa. This is a return to a pre-industrial society with high birth and death rates.

The "olduvai" theory is nothing new, its what many people have been saying, except with a neat name and a more exact timeline. You could pick at certain facts here or there, and the dates maybe be off a decade or so, but the basic idea is sound: we are fuX0red.

I've actually gotten over all this apocolypse nonsense in the past six months, but I have to admit it would be pretty cool to be around at the end of history. (Plus, I just finished reading "The Invisibles" and it's pretty wicked.)

Earth set for Mars close encounter
Mars and Earth pass closer to each other this month than at any time during the last 60,000 years.

if they are going to be this close I think we have more to worry about than a few volcanoes!

Tep you are so right. There's typos throughout my post. All dates should be Dec. 21, 2012. Guess I just had Rush on the brane!

maybe the Mayans aren't as clever as everyone thinks - we'd have stuck with their calendar otherwise? apprently it's all to do with sunspot ratios triggering a massive solar flare that will lash out at the Earth frazzling everything to a crisp. still at least you'll get that tan you always wanted, if only for a few seconds...

then there's asteroids...i wish they would invent a dinky little spaceship that could just blast them into smaller, more manageable chunks

when fire rains from the sky, I'm totally taking a few go-karts