It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine.

Today the basis for what is our modern celebration of Christmas, the longest day of the year, the end of the world. Well, two out of three ain't bad. Somewhere, someone got an idea in their heads that the Mayan calendar ended today because it was the END OF THE WORLD. I guess no one stopped to think that it may be the end of the Mayan calendar because...well, their civilization collapsed and the calendar maker had to think of more pressing things to occupy his time. I find this apocalyptic paranoia somewhat fascinating. No matter how much reason or evidence is presented, some people refuse to believe that the calendar ending on this date is nothing less than a prophesy. Even the biggest rockstar astrophysicist around, Neil deGrasse Tyson, cannot convince them otherwise. Even the Ask an Astrobiologis guy at NASA cannot sway their belief.

The interesting thing is that this mass apocalyptic delusion is far from being a recent phenomena. It has been going on since ancient times. Paranoia about moral collapse, the need to control others, just wanting to stir things up out of boredom, who knows why this is such a pervasive belief. I enjoy the apocalypse in films, music, and literature, but I just cannot quite get behind it in real life. Sure, it is possible that civilization will crumble or there could be an energy/water crisis that causes civil unrest that takes us to or even beyond the brink. I have entertained the idea once or twice. I think that it is useful to learn how to do things the old fashioned way, as much for future disaster as for preserving history, but I am no doomsday prepper. I do not spend every waking hour and every cent preparing for a future that is only somewhat likely, or not at all.

Preparation is something that should be a back of your mind thing, not something you obsess over constantly. What kind of life is that? I live in the shadow of a giant rock that could explode and kill millions at any time. Mount Rainier is an active volcano. I grew up in Florida and lived in Louisiana for 6 years. I went through Hurricane Katrina. I was in Baton Rouge, but we were hit and faced a lot of aftermath from evacuees from NOLA. Disaster is always a possibility. We know that. We need to prepare, but more than that, we need to live. We need to enjoy what is around us in the present moment.

So, I made an end of the world playlist to enjoy today. I plan to enjoy the silliness and hope no one takes things too far. At the top of that list is R.E.M. I will enthusiastically sing along, badly and messing up the lyrics. It's the end of the world as we know it... and I do feel fine. I hope you do, too.