Mythology Essay, Research Paper

Sam Desmet Mythology10/15/00Mythology s of the Apocalypse: An overview and a basis for my version of the end of the world.The point of any Apocalypse is the continuation of life, or so it would seem. I would like to cover some of my observations relating to the Christian/Hebrew faith and their view of the end of the world. Additionally I d like to offer some thoughts on the reasoning behind the apocalypse mythologies of other cultures. The all-permeating idea that a superior being will come and take everything away relates to the human condition (as noted in the text) and the whole idea of Impermanence . This is key. Also, the fact that the prophets and philosophers who offered these tales were overwhelmed by the evil they where witness to. Disillusionment and God s seem to spell disaster. Once humans separated themselves from nature we lost our balance; we lost our place in the order of things. As a result we took that big logical, reasoning brain of ours and constructed meaning and place. We also managed to work in the idea that we are somehow destined to destroy ourselves. If not through our actions, than through our ignorance and our separation from the very thing that makes life possible. Cooperation and understanding. Prophets such as St. John and Isaiah were obviously intelligent people. They would have seen the fear and loathing in people as obviously as you or I. Their tales of how a vengeful god would/will come down from high to sweep away all the bad elements were probably as much wishful thinking as anything else. The Kali Age sounds to me like a snapshot of Wall Street. Yet another tale depicting the faults of our being and resolving those faults with a new beginning. Only this myth extends the housecleaning to all levels of reality. The Norse myth is similar in its scope and intent, except they managed to work liqueur into their afterlife. Finally we come to the modern version of the Apocalypse which has just as much assumption to it as those before. The universe will eventually run out of gas and we ll all be either dead or very, very cold. This is pretty hard to swallow considering were not exactly sure what the universe is up to. Maybe there will be an ultimate end to everything, or maybe our ancestors were right all along and there will simply be a new beginning. My Revelation:-Behold, our end will not meet us head on as we have been expecting. No, destruction will sneak in through the back door, the door we ve left unlocked because we thought no one knew about it. -This destruction shall come in the form of a blessing or a great good. It shall be embraced and brought into our very homes. It will not reveal it s true nature until it s too late.-There will be a series of great earthquakes that every relevant city will know. The greatest of all will be left crippled and confused. And so the Destruction shall be invited into our midst. -God will have been forgotten, and with him all social constraint will be lost. Decency will have no meaning as children go hungry and winter draws near. Great societies shall be eaten from within and nothing will remain. Destruction will smile as we continue to carry it with us, unaware.

-Within a year there shall be a horrid plague, a plague that will leave only those courting destruction to rule. Those who have the ability will rule as well and destruction will laugh aloud. -As the last standing ramparts are chiseled and eaten there will be a realization. Governments will be blamed and hunted. Only the vicious will survive hence the vicious will rule. All the while Destruction will work it s way into everything, into our very souls.-With no hope, no order, no sanity, and no food those left shall be forced to plead with destruction, prey to it, and elevate it beyond what was possible. -Destruction will realize it s true mission and chaos will reign. There will be nothing save tools and instincts. Destruction will be gone, as there will be nothing left to destroy.On the whole I d say that our widespread acceptance of apocalypse mythology is based on an ingrained sense of our own mortality. Or possibly we accept them because we can t wrap our minds around what the future holds. It s easier to just drum up a story about how the world will end than it is to try and predict it s future. I find it interesting that no matter what culture the author might be from their story s all have the same theme. In many cases they had a lot of the same elements as well. Flood s, death from above, rivers running red with blood, and the sun being either blacked out or even eaten are some common images associated with the Apocalypse. How did so many stories containing so many similar elements come into being? The answer is probably sitting right on top of your shoulders. What one man can do another man can do , and people were in the mood for stories of their inevitable demise at the hands of their god(s). Of course no one is publishing any articles chronicling the end of existence anymore. It s ugly, and no one would take it seriously anyhow. Maybe Heat Death really is the definitive answer to the what going to happen? question. Certainly science has managed to dispel quite a few of our fears over the years. Sailors don t need to worry about falling off the edge of the world anymore, and I m writing this on a really thin, light computer. But can science give an answer to a question that is massively important yet has no answer in the present? I think not. Can faith give the necessary righteousness to survive what dreams may come? Possibly, for the few. I think the fear people feel is the problem with our existence, and consequently the reason for apocalypse mythology. To quote a famous Jedi master; Fear leads to anger, Anger leads to hate, and Hate leads to suffering. Suffering at the hands of other people seems to be the primary reason for any Apocalypse, be it at the hands of a vengeful god or by the splitting of an atom. We see all the suffering and hate around us, but it s mixed in with brief happiness and wealth, making it hard to distinguish. Compassion is the only acceptable answer, understanding is not enough. Our species needs more empathy to survive.