The Society That Cried Wolf

I’m old enough to remember Y2K and all of the hype surrounding that supposed end of times. Now this generation is growing up having seen the failure of the infamous 12/21/12. When will it happen again? What date will be selected for the next mass craze?

It concerns me that so often in our society do we work ourselves up with such vigor over events that seem to carry over unnoticed. What happened today that wouldn’t, or couldn’t have taken place any other day? Sure, there were deaths, murders, crimes, whatever happening all over the world, but it was still just a normal day. I still went to bed too late, woke up too early, ate a shitty lunch, and had a mediocre day at work; nothing out of the ordinary.

I won’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous. I am a neurotic, anxiety prone dude. No two ways about it. But, this kind of hysteria which seems to only be our culture’s way of poking fun at our mortal fate is disturbing. What would happen when the real end of times happens? Is this kind of social phenomena, a symptom of some higher power that is preparing us to make fun of this idea so that when it really happens we are laughing about it? Is this our society crying wolf so that no one takes it seriously when it does happen?

Maybe I’ve just watched too much Doomsday Preppers and other mind numbing Dicovery Channel dribble. Not maybe, I have. I just don’t know why we are so fixated on a Hollywood style end of times catastrophe. The world is already crumbling down around us. We are polluting the air, water, and oceans faster than nature can heal itself. Our resources are being destroyed and our current set up is terrible. We are a society that wraps bananas in plastic to sell them. We are a society that throws out food rather than give it to those who are starving. We are a society that needs a wakeup call. We are a society that needs to change. We don’t need to have a catastrophe to start this change. We all just need to wake up. Look around.

That meat didn’t get to the grocery store innocently. Gallons and gallons water and grain went into making that meat. That grain and that water could have been used to feed hungry people, not antibiotic pumped cows. We are breeding animals to kill them. We are creating science fiction creatures to slaughter and consume. This all needs to change. We need a more compassionate world. We need a real change. I don’t want the world to end, but I do want the world to change. There are 7 billion people here and I refuse to believe the situation we have now is the best we can come up with, the best we can agree upon.

So the world didn’t end today. Be happy. Show some of that gratitude towards the planet that didn’t disintegrate beneath your feet. Show some thanks to the oceans that didn’t flood your streets. Be compassionate. Share your wealth. Share your food. Donate your time, money and energy. Kiss your loved ones. Hold them tight and tell them you care about them. Take this wakeup call as recognition to be happy, to be free. The world didn’t end! Spread your love!

End Rant.