Decent Apocalypse by Zahng

I haven’t heard anyone mention the Mayan calendar or the looming end of the world since December 21st, but in the weeks leading up to that date, it seemed to be the only thing people were talking about—more exciting than the fiscal cliff, apparently. We’re still here, so it looks like the apocalyptic predictions were wrong. The funny thing is, no one really seemed terribly surprised upon waking up on December 22nd. It seems as though apocalypse myths are not limited to the realm of ancient cultures, religious zealots, and new-age hippies. Americans love a good apocalypse prediction, and we don’t even have to believe in them to enjoy them.

As a church-going child growing up in rural America, I can’t recall one Evangelical Christian pastor that didn’t claim that we were living in the “end times,” citing everything from rising crime rates to homosexuality to changing weather patterns as evidence. These sorts of predictions aren’t anything new in the Christian church—preachers and pastors have been claiming that the apocalypse is imminent and citing a variety of ridiculous “signs” for hundreds of years. In fact, apocalypse stories have been associated with a variety of religions and cultures since the early days of civilization. However, the fact that these sorts of predictions also capture secular attention is interesting.

The Mayan calendar myth turned out to be due to a misreading of the ancient civilization’s Long Count calendar. December 21, 2012 marked the end of one b’ak’tun cycle, but all this means is that we’re now in a new one. However, this information was readily available on the Internet well before the anticipated date. It didn’t matter that the predictions were wrong—people were still talking about the impending end of the world, with a great deal of excitement and a surprising lack of concern.

The fervor made me wonder where this fascination with end-of-the-world predictions comes from. The Mayan non-apocalypse was just one in a series of doomsdays that captured public attention, but never actually happened. Remember Y2K? Me either, because it didn’t occur. Yet it was talked about so much that the prediction was an event in itself. Y2K was taken more seriously than the Mayan date, although both predictions were due to major calendar changes that turned out to be innocuous.

So why do we love predicting the apocalypse so much? In part, it’s because it makes us feel special. Being one of the people who are around to see the world end seems like a privilege; after all, it’s only going to happen once. It also lends some meaning and order to life. Some people see the apocalypse as a religious thing, separating the good from the evil, or as a punishment for mankind’s sins against Earth and each other. Others see it simply as a reminder that life is short and we must treasure the time we have.

However, all of the apocalypse parties and end-of-the-world bar-hopping don’t really have much to do with existential seriousness. We celebrate apocalypse after failed apocalypse much the same way we celebrate holidays in America. Christmas gift-giving and Easter dinner are celebrations of Christian holidays, but people of various religions (and no religion at all) also participate in these traditions. Holidays give us something to do and something to look forward to, and some, like New Year’s, are indicative of fresh starts. Apocalypse predictions similarly give us something to do and talk about, and even if we don’t believe in them, the concept of endings and possible new beginnings resonates with us. They also result in some of the best themed drinks, so I’ll be enjoying a Judgement Day, Southern Bound Meteor, or La Fin Du Monde (End of the World) beer at my next apocalypse party—which probably won’t be too far in the future.

Happy New Year, Romantics, and congratulations on making it to 2013!