The End is not near, it's Here

When I think of the end of the world, I honestly don’t freak out; not a bit. I don’t panic, I don’t worry, I don’t start with a spout of palpitations, nor do I experience an adrenaline rush. No horror nor excitement, no wonder regarding how or why it could happen. Nothing.

Selfish, maybe?

Not really.

The truth is, when the world ends, it is not as if the only people who will be gone are you, your parrot and your great-uncle Martin. It is not going to be just the annoying neighbor who loves Bon Jovi a little too much, or his dog who loves your cat’s tail inappropriately much. It is going to be all of us; every single one of us.

Which is perhaps why not feeling bad about this isn’t the most selfish thing to do. In reality, it doesn’t matter, because we’ll all be long gone, and there’s nothing we can do about it. This is not something that is our fault like global warming or the melting of ice caps; if Armageddon or 2012 are as real as people say, this “ending” is going to happen no matter what. The sad but real truth is there, right in front of us, mocking us, every second of every minute of every day.

Of course, being this neutral about it is probably exponentially stupid. After all, there is SO much I want to experience before being wiped off the face of the earth. With barely a couple of years left to achieve all of this, I really should be doing some major panicking; I should be putting together a disparate list of things to do before it’s too late. A part of me wants to do all those things; scuba diving, bungee jumping, writing a book, touching lives, falling in love, not tripping over flat ground, and so much more. However, these are not things that you just do off a list. Yes, you have to make them happen, but no, you cannot just set a deadline, like 21st December 2012.

Live in the moment; take every day as it comes. Don’t become a train wreck of worry, thinking about all the things you need to do before you’re wiped off. More importantly, don’t become too complacent with the assumption that you have your whole life in front of you to watch your favorite band play live, or to learn a sport you love, or to buy a golden retriever that you want to name Heinz for no apparent reason. Just go for it, embrace it. Embrace life.