Thoughts about the end of the world?

My thoughts are that things like the end of the world or an apocalypse were never about a complete and total halt of existence as we know it, but rather about renewal and rebirth. Just about every religion involves some judgement day, where something better happens for those who are worthy of surviving it.
I personally think that this idea is born of man’s desire for a better world/life.

I think the “apocalypse” will be the slow and painful death of a planet’s environment, ruined by the humans that exploit it.

War. War never changes.

The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

But war never changes.

In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.

I don’t think about it. Like you said, if it happens we can’t do anything about it, anyway.

There won’t be any literal end of world any time in the next few billion years.

The main risks our civilisation faces are ecological. Industrial and agricultural practices are affecting ecosystems and causing global warming. We’re basically in an unsustainable system—resources are being depleted, fertile land is being degraded, water is becoming scarce in many regions, bees and other pollinators are in decline, biodiversity is in decline, global temperatures are rising and affecting the climate in detrimental ways.

And there’s countries with huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

In theory, there are solutions to all of the above. The technologies and techniques already exist today. But, we are a petty, short-sighted, and parochial species, and there’s practically nothing being done to change anything. No political will. No economic incentive. Very little public concern.

You see, eschatological visions of the end times only promote even more fatalism and inaction. You believe in an impossible end for which nothing can be done, when the real existential threats are ignored.

Apocalypse is a frame of mind. A belief. A surrender to inevitability. It is a despair for the future. It is the death of hope. ― Jim Butcher, Death Masks

To which I add: A better way than enjoy life is to be concerned about the beginning of today than the end of tomorrow.

I feel fine

If you dwell on the end of the world, you’ll never enjoy anything today.

Drop any persistent concern, and enjoy life NOW.

The world as in the planet or the world according to man? In the distant future, after man is long gone, scientists say the sun will coll to become a red giant and will swell in size to envelope the first three planets. Man will see his end by sickness such as MRSA. And that could be tomorrow!

I so saw that coming, @filmfann! It’s perfect and I second the motion!

I love that song.

That’s great, it starts with an earthquake,
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs,
Dummy serve your own needs
Feed it off an aux speak, grunt, no,
Strength, no, ladder start to clatter with fear
Fight down height
Wire in a fire, representing seven games,

I do not believe in most end-of-world scenarios, but I do think we need to be a lot more worried about climate change.

@50ShadesOfNope I think we (Christians) should live as if every day is our last, helping others and worshipping God to the best of our abilities. If and when the end comes, we’ll just be pleasantly surprised.

Some Christians, like my mom for instance, dwell so much on the fear of the end times, like with Israel and war and persecution of Christians, that is actually feels to me like they are ‘living in fear’ and it’s so wasteful of our precious time to do God’s work. I’m not scared, God told us in the Bible not to be, so that’s who I’m listening to.

I am a Christian. Like you @50ShadesOfNope, I am vigilant, and well aware of what we’re facing. I’m also not afraid, but I sure don’t want to be caught napping.

I don’t want it to end as it’s the only world we’ve got.

Welcome to Fluther.

My thoughts on the topic have already been expressed:

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Robert Frost

I don’t want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart

In my heart I have but one desire
And that one is you
No other will do

I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love

And with your admission that you feel the same
I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of

Believe me

I don’t want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart

When I die, whenever that is, I will experience the end of the world. So will all of you. No need to speculate. It will happen at the end of your lifetime.

@josie Well, that’s really the end of us as individuals in the world, but not the end of the world per se. It does still turn without us.

Let’s colonize the galaxy.

Here’s a song, relevant to my previous answer.

One thing all civilizations before us have in common is that they have collapsed.

So far after all of it the earth still exists.

As a Christian myself the one thing you have is God’s promise that He is coming and it is in that judgment that you may get to sit at the right hand or left hand of Christ, but we don’t really know how it goes until it happens I’m not taking anyone’s seat…maybe they will have nametags :-O

~Matthew 20:23

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

What’s to be afraid of?

What’s to be afraid of?
That everyone who is not in the special club will be tortured in hell for all eternity?

^ Well if you’re afraid of that then that is the fear of God, He put it there. He also has given various ways for His children to ensure a spot in that ‘special club’.

Besides what is hell?

Have you been there?

Seems to me right now is kind of hell ‘ish’.

Maybe our spirits do not even get to cross over until judgment day this may explain paranormal researchers events on a spiritual level with scientific equipnent and maybe that limbo state is where we go before judgment and where we’ll stay if we do not pass go.

But I’m not maker, so it’s not up to me.

The fact that anyone has the “fear” of anything after death or even continually strives in this modern era to live eternally speaks true to me of the word that He always preached and has ingrained into us and since we are made in His image, this proves enough for me that He exists, and somewhere along it all some have lost our way, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be found and the fear at least of hell be alleviated, having the fear of hell is detrimental to you’re living eternally, so it seems at least to me that God put it in us for a reason, because if we choose to be afraid of evil and go towards the good being God then it actually has glorified the greatness of the grace of Him.

@KaY_Jelly Good job. I’m not skeered either!

@KNOWITALL ;) Thank you very much.

Humans now play a key role in the biosphere, with the large human population dominating many of Earth’s ecosystems. Should the human race become extinct, then the various features assembled by humanity will begin to decay. Future of Earth .

The only certain end of this world is when the Sun expands into a red giant star after using most of its hydrogen. Then, it will expand and absorb the inner planets.

If it happens, it happens. I don’t worry about hypothetical things that I can’t control anyway.