December 21,
2012. The impending doomsday of the Mayan prophecies is upon us. On the eve of
this supposed “end of days”, I felt it appropriate to write on the theories and
other worldly aspects of such ideas and concepts revolving around “The End”.
Starting as
early as ancient times many cultures have developed or had an idea of an “end
of time” scenario. The ancient Greeks believed in a theory known as;
Eschatology, which translates to “end time” and is frequently referred to today
as a study of time and the ages of man. These theories of life, death, and
judgment via Greek Gods where transplanted into the Christian bible and is
often used to refer to the “study” of life in general.
Other
ancient civilizations like that of Egypt also refer to the end of time in the
stories of the gods; Osiris, Isis, and Horus. They struggled to regain a
strong hold for man over the destructive god Set. Another is the creation story of Ra,
the sun god, who was the entity said to have created a world, inhabitable by
men once he destroyed the evils of the universe.
Ancient Sumerians in Babylon (today the Middle East) foretold of the coming of a 12th
planet called Nibiru that would collide with the earth causing the destruction of the
human race. The planet today is not more than a frequent myth according to NASA
but there is a planet that revolves around the sun every 3,600 years that many
believe to be the mythical Nibiru planet.
French born chemist;
Michael de Nostredame also known as Nostradamus in today’s academic and literary
terms, was a well known “prophet” who predicted many world events during his
life from the early to mid 1500’s. Contrary to popular belief, he was not
ostracized by the church (unlike his astrological counterpart; Galileo) and in
fact, worked closely with the bishops in the catholic community in Italy until
the later years of his life.
Nostradamus
used several unconventional methods that would induce a trance like state in
order for him to foretell coming prophecies. Standing erect, against a brass
pole, enabled him to produce a bio electric charge to help stimulate his brain
into a more focused state. He also used a steaming bowl of water, filled with
fragrant oils and herbs which allegedly helped promote the senses to further enhance
his physic abilities. Some scholars speculate that Nostradamus may have even
used mild hallucinogens, such as Nutmeg, to promote the visions he felt related
to futuristic events, some of which where apocalyptic in nature.
Regardless
of method or culture, societies have always been obsessed with an end of time
event, typically under apocalyptic circumstances. Scientific facts show us the
evidence of natural phenomenon such as earth quakes, floods, tsumani and
volcanic eruptions that happened in the earliest development of the human
societies. This could make some cultures believe heavily in the idea that a
natural disaster could consume the entire planet, or even that of the human
race.
Historical
facts also point to the possibilities of an impending destruction of life as we
know it and the human element involved in that idea is possibly the majority of
the image portrayal in modern ideas of ancient prophecies. The majority of
concepts today are heavily relied upon by Christian and Jewish based religious
following from the text of the Hebrew and Christian Bible. Zoroastrianism, in
Judaic teachings, refers to the resurrection of the dead during the end of days
and a purification of the earth which involves the bringing of newness to our planet
and the species that inhabit it. Also, the Christian bible offers its own
explanation in the book of Revelations. The end of days, in Revelations, tells of
a more apocalyptic scenario regarding the four horseman of the Apocalypse; Pestilence,
famine, war and death and are followed by the second coming of Christ.
A modern interpretation of the four horseman of the Apocalypse, according to the Christian bible.
Most of what
we believe today is fueled by social media and the twisted ideas and portrayals
of these once structured understandings. Evolved with human beings, is the concept
of whether or not it is reasonable to think that an entire group or
civilization could be lost to such an event? And the answer is YES!
Civilizations from the beginning of time have been struggling to keep their
social and economic structures afloat. Leaving legacies; genetically, socially,
and historically has been our way of not repeating events and mistakes that may
harm us as a species. Though the brother hood of man seems to contradict that
statement, the historical element in humanity has shown us that a broader range
of survival has and always will be the ultimate goal in humans.
History
repeats itself, or so they say; essentially leading us to know that with the
knowledge and education of those before us we are armed, to a degree, against
some apocalyptic events that may threaten us. Tomorrow’s “Doom’s Day” is the
beginning of a new era. If nothing more than a metaphor for starting over, a
new beginning is sometimes better than the insanity of chasing old ideas and
understandings that leave us wondering what, where, when, why and how. If we
can take anything from the idea that it may be our last day on earth, it would
be wise to spend it with the ones you love. But what if you could not predict
or foresee an apocalyptic event?
Prophets and
psychics will always be an intriguing part of human history. Believers in the
bible and Faith’s from all around the world have the universal understanding
that something “greater” than human’s is out there. But in the face of an apocalypse
would it really matter to the human species, what they believed? The idea that
it all must end, no matter what your beliefs, ideas, or imaginations might
bring forth, is irrefutable. If it lives, it must, at some point, die.
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