APOCALYPSE DELAYED

Apparently it has been postponed.  The playdate has been delayed --- as to what specific date, only God knows.  And I mean that literally.

There is this constant preoccupation of the End of Days.  Blame it on Hollywood and other soothsayers who make money out of human paranoia.  For the past two years we have been given mega-productions like "2012", "Knowing" and other great tales of cinematic doom to feed our fears and encourage our sense of hopelessness that one day too soon all that we know of mankind will end.  Goodbye, Third Rock.  Oh, yes --- and we also have the Good Book as constant reference to this inevitable event.

But the point of the matter is that there is indeed such a big deal about the earth cracking in two like an egg split in half.  We love going into these exercises of imagination to explore that "what ifs" of our existence.  Well, whether we want to face it head-on or not --- we are all going to turn into fertilizers some day. It will happen.  It is not that it can happen because it is one thing that is most certain.  Figuring out how there will be collective death for the entire planet is a different trip all together.

Or maybe we can attribute this fear to signs that we consider as apparent omens of what is to happen soon.  Think of Japan, the mega-quake and the tsunamis.  Think of the tremors that have shaken various parts of the world --- from China to Spain, from Christchurch to some remote town in Chile.  Think of the blatant and shameless displays of inhumanity in various wars and protests that have exploded all over the planet --- as if orchestrated to lead to some unthinkable finale.  Think of terrorism.  And let us not go all that far, think of the irreconcilable divisiveness in this country.

Yes, the zealots of doom ended up with pies on their faces when 21 May 2011 turned out to be just another day.  It was supposed to be the start of the Rapture --- that all-too-anticipated event when the Righteous and the Faithful are beamed up to heaven to be spared from the wrath of God as He punishes the unforgivable.  Even as I write this, I made a headcount of all my friends and relatives.  All of them are still here.  It is either the Rapture had to be delayed for some technical glitches or not a single one of the people I love or even know qualified for the ultra-exclusive journey.

So the whole bit about Doomsday Delayed has turned out to be such a joke. For the meantime, any way.  Who knows?  Maybe one day the joke will be on all of us who are all too rational and prefer to listen to geologists, astronomers and even politicians into assuring ourselves that all this talk is like watching "Scream 4".  That is, we exert effort to frighten ourselves for the sake of an adrenaline rush.

In the meantime, let us all wait for 21 December 2012.  Let's see if we get to have a Merry Christmas next year.