"Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one." – Richard Dawkins
Would you like to know what the scariest thing about this picture is? I'll give you a hint; it's not his boots or the beard. The answer: there are actually a lot of people out there who believe what the sign says, a whole lot, especially in the United States of America.
I've actually met someone like this, a man walking the streets with a sign draped over him that declared the world was going to end. Rather than laugh at this man, I offered to buy him a cup of coffee if he would agree to tell me why he thought the world was going to end. He refused to accept my offer, saying that he didn't need to explain himself and his views. He was right, he didn't have to. My offer was one of curiosity, but it was interesting that a man with such radical methods to preach his word would refuse a chance to sit down and express his views. Chances are he assumed I was trying to stop him from showing off his sign and oppress him. I had no such intentions but I was given the chance to see something I had only seen spoofed on television: someone walking around with a legit belief that the world as we know it was going to end.
In 2011, this kind of practice was taken to a new extreme. I had traveled to visit my parents in March of that year. So when I was visiting Mom and Dad in Tennessee, they took me to this incredible place to eat for lunch. It was a diner called 'The Iron Porkchop', which in itself is very blasphemous because pork is outlawed by pretty much every religion, so I was game to go there. When we got there, there was a billboard across the street from a very cool diner we went out to for lunch. I couldn't help but stand there and look at it for a few moments, because I was amazed by two things. First that someone actually believed it, and second that someone believed it enough to put up this enormous billboard in front of the Iron Porkchop:
I can assure you the discovery of this billboard didn't ruin my lunch. I still went inside and had a chicken fried steak with macaroni and corn, which was delicious by the way. But for a long time after that, I was curious to what would make someone so convinced the end was near that they would design and pay a great amount of money to post this sign up for all to see. To me this was the man on the street times a million. Even if the sign was right and the end was near, why waste money trying to inform people about it? Do you have any idea how expensive those signs are? How many homeless people could have been fed or sheltered with that kind of coin? Surely if God wanted to inform people that the end was near, the book details specific signs that would/should inform the believers that the rapture was upon them. I don't remember seeing billboards amongst them in the Holy Scripture so what kind of person would waste the time and money to put this up?
This sign was actually the result of the belief of a very radical group of very zealous Christians who were convinced that Jesus would return and the rapture would start on May 21st, 2011. I happen to remember this date very well because it also happened to be my parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary. Leading up to that big day, I had so much fun with my parents, teasing them endlessly about it. I made jokes like their marriage lasting forty years was a sign of the pending Armageddon. I also asked if I had to get them a gift since they world was ending that day. All kidding aside, my parents celebrated their 40th anniversary rapture free, and the world did not end. And for the record, my brothers and I all chipped in together and bought a very lovely gift for my folks to celebrate their special day.
So the fact that the rapture didn't occur in May 2011 effect people's strong willingness to believe that the world will eventually end? Nope, there are still people out there convinced that the end is coming and that those who do not follow their ridiculous claims will be left behind when the savoir returns. You'd think some people would be curious to why this didn't happen yet, or especially on the days when people were convinced it would happen. There could be a reason why these end of days events are no occurring: there is no God to bring them into action. It could be that simple. People could have been following a false deity all this time and their claims of a pending Armageddon are just as false as the existence of their almighty figurehead in the sky. That same buffoon who claimed the rapture would begin in May of 2011 claimed it didn't happen because he miscalculated. So the problem was his bullshit religion, but bad math. The same person claimed that the correct math suggest that the end of the world would instead start sometimes in October of 2011. I forget the exact day and I'm too lazy to look it up but considering that I'm writing this in the year 2012 and we're all still here... I am sure you can imagine what happened, or what didn't happen in this case around October of 2011. No rapture for the second time that year. Bad math again? Not too sure, but we haven't heard from that quack again. I'm sure that person is in a comfy den somewhere trying to correct the math and get the date right this time. He just can't seem to accept that the world is likely not going to end, at least not in his lifetime. This isn't the first time people had predicted the end of the world, but each time the same thing seems to happen over and over again. Nothing happens and life on earth moves along, making the person who made this prediction look rather silly.
What is truly scary about people's wish for the world to end stems from their equally absurd notion that there is life after this world. People fear death, so the idea that there is another one waiting for them in the afterlife appeals to them all. It's like a getting a 'get out of death free' card, a way out to a better place if you're a good little religious lemming. This is the hook of religion, a free pass from death. Live forever and spend time with everyone you lost earlier too! Well, that part varies depending on what religion you look at. There are some offering an afterlife of eternity with family members you haven't seen for a bit, while others offer a bribe of seventy something virgins to spend the afterlife with. The point being is this is a bribe. You are being asked to do something in return for all these post-death goodies. The fact is if there is no afterlife, no heaven to hang out with your relatives for eternity, that means all the time and money you wasted sucking up to the churches has been for nothing. This life that you're currently pissing away, thinking you'll get a mulligan in the hereafter is all you have and you're blowing it.
The sooner you realize there is only one level of existence, the sooner you can start to appreciate what you have now rather than spoil it for a second chance that is never coming your way. There is no dress rehearsal; this is all you're going to get. Life if a lot more precious than what most people think, and it's a shame to see some people squander away what they have out of some unrealistic fable that was sold to them when they were very young.
As I said earlier, this was not the first time someone tried to schedule the end of the world. Everyone knows about the whole Mayan and Aztec calendar that predicts the end of the world for December 21, 2012 but there have been over two hundred end of the world predictions made in our history and not a single one has occurred. So forgive me if I don't hold my breath for the Mayans. From what I gathered regarding the Mayans, the assumptions come from the fact that their calendar is divided up into various time sections with months that last only twenty days and other variations. Their last calendar started somewhere in August in the year 13 BCE with the supposed birth of Venus. Based on this calendar, people came to the crazy conclusion that the world would end when this cycle runs out which would happen around the winter solstice in 2012. No evidence to suggest that anything bad happens at the end of each calendar, but that doesn't stop people from freaking the hell out, now does it?
The real question that should ponder is why are these people so eager for the world to end? Why do they want to die so prematurely? There are many who are under the impression that they want something better, angered and most likely bitter that their lives are not as good as they dreamt it would turn out. This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. The idea that anyone in North America would ever think such a thing is lunacy. Just by being born here, we won the lottery right on the first day of life. Those who think they don't live a good life in one of the wealthiest nations in the world should take a visit of other countries where things we take for granted are not offered. There are people who starve, have no roof over their heads and live in fear of death or ethnic cleansing every day. Those are the people who have a right to complain about life not turning out as well as they hoped it might. Countries where it's considered lucky to reach the age of 20 or 30 might be the spot on this world where people have a legit beef with the way things turned out rather than the nation where dying at 40 or 50 is considered going early. To me this is no different than listening to a spoiled brat cry because his toy isn't as big or as cool as the next kid's. When my son becomes a little whiney about things like that, I often remind him to be happy with what he's got rather than what he doesn't have. I do not hesitate to remind him that there are countless children around the world who have no toys, no computers and that for him to complain about what he has which is a lot more seems very selfish.
The message I sent to my son seemed to have hit the mark because he not only doesn't whine about what he doesn't have as often anymore, but has actually become more active for charity. He felt bad that there are people out there who don't have the basics like food, shelter and supplies for school. He wants to do something to help, and just to hear him say that filled my heart with pride to know that my son understands that things are not fair in this world and there are many, many more people out there who are the real recipients of the shit end of the stick. And we did do something about it. My son and I often paint together. Nothing earth shattering, but my son is only eight so he's got an excuse; I just flat out suck. One day when we were painting, my son asked if he could sell his painting to raise money to help those kids who don't have the things he does. I put both our paintings online and we raised seventy dollars which was later donated to a charity that sent aid to countries in Africa.
This is the lesson that most of the people who want the world to end so that they can start over in an imaginary world badly need to learn. Life isn't as bad as you think it is, and it's in fact a hell of a lot better than what other people are forced to endure out there. You are like a spoiled child who wants someone else's toy. If my son can learn to appreciate what he has and not pine for other things and strive to help those less fortunate than himself, than I hope these adults who pine for a better life will do the same: appreciate what they have, and strive to help those who are not so fortunate. We have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and blankets to keep us warm when winter comes. Anything more is a bonus, so to whine about that makes you an asshole. Would I like to have a ten bedroom mansion with six bathrooms and a five car garage? Sure, but I'm not going to have a temper tantrum if I don't get one and want the world to end so I can have one in heaven. Do you finally see how selfish that sounds when put this way?
To prove to my son that I prefer to lead by example rather than just lecture, I plan to give at least 10-15% of whatever this book makes to charity. Possibly more depending on how successful it is. As long as I make enough to cover the basics, I will make an effort to give a chunk of whatever I have left to those who need it rather than spoil myself with things I don't need. I do think because I think it's the right thing to do. I didn't need to read a book to learn this, it's a conclusion I came to by using common sense. I also like to think that I learned to be charitable from those who raised me. My grandmother was an avid volunteer who put the needs of others before her own, which I always looked up to. She was a selfless human being and an amazing person. My parents were not as active as her, but did their part when they could find time away from working full time and raising three troublesome boys. I plan to be the same shining example to my own boys, giving whatever I can regardless of what I'm doing. I donate money, time and every effort I can to help those less fortunate than myself, and I hope my sons learn from my example and do the same when they are older.
I don't need God to teach myself or my son what is right in this world as common sense is more than enough to guide anyone towards a moral and good life. While there is no guarantee my sons will turn out to be a decent, law bidding contributors to society, I will not pass the buck of things go wrong. I will not say it's a part of God's plan or say that my imaginary friend works in mysterious ways when things go wrong. I will accept full responsibility, which is more than what I can say for others who are more than willing to put the blame on God and his mysterious ways when they fail to do their job and raise a law bidding member of society. That is your failure, not God's.
There's no guarantee of (and there likely isn't) any life after death, so rather than pine for paradise in heaven, try to make the best of the life you have now rather than pine for one that might and likely doesn't exist. Many of us are fortunate to have the lives we inherited merely by where we happened to be when our eggs hatched. Those of us who were born on this side of the planet are the privileged, not the unfortunate. If my eight year old son can learn that without much difficulty, I hope that you can as well. Rather than pray for the end of the world get up off your knees, do something about it and make the world a better place for everyone, not just yourself.