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Monotony, Uncertainty and Eschatology

With all of this talk of doomsday -- Harold Camping resetting the date to October 21st and there's also the buzz about 2012 -- I wonder what drives some people to embrace the End Times whether they be Christian or New Age.

I think a few individuals want release from the monotony of daily living, the constant grind of working and making ends meet. They want some excitement, an escape from the deadly boredom. Stuck on a treadmill they question the purpose of life.

And while there's monotony, there also lurks uncertainty. Something bad could happen at any moment -- a car accident, a murder, a natural catastrophe. Some people want to jump to the end of the book and know how it all wraps up, no surprises.

Especially when it comes to the big question: Is there life after death? And more importantly, will I be rewarded for my struggles?

That's why when someone comes along and says, "Here's the date and good things will come your way if you believe," suckers are ready to line up.

Comments

KittySigurdardottir. said…
"Good things will come your way" reminds me of a song sung bt Clint Black and Roy Rodgers called "Hold on Partner" that always makes me feel good when I'm down.

It's amazing how music can make you feel better.I need music to relax me actually,I'm ultra hyper,how about you?
6:42 PM
Doug said…
Maybe it's just me, but eternity in heaven kind of sounds like the sort of monotony that would elicit a desire for a real end. But one hopes it's better than that when one gets there.

And why limit it to Christians and New Agers? What about atheists who simply want an escape from the end-times predictors?

(Tried to post this from my phone the other day. So much for the marvel of mobile technology. Maybe we'll get better reception after the Apocalypse, eh?)
8:16 PM
X. Dell said…
Seems to me that we've all pondered what lies beyond death, and none of us--even those living among us who were once declared clinically dead--can give a definitive proof of what lies in the great beyond.

In that regard, these believers aren't significantly different than most of the population. They're also not that different in their desire for clarity, certainty, foreknowledge, etc..

Yet believers of this type are definitely a minority, and believers to this degree are a really tiny minority. So, I'd be curious as to why the "suckers" would manifest these rather universal human needs in this particular manner. What really makes them different from the rest of us?
11:38 AM
Marvin said…
People like to look forward to something, even if it's death.

Personally, I'm a believer in "not with a bang, but a whimper."
3:41 PM
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