How will the world end and will you be alive to see its demise?
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Is it wrong for me to think the end of the world will start in the Middle East?
It will start with the destruction of Israel and end with all earth in flames.
I think it could happen soon. I would hate to watch such a thing.
Hi Samuel and welcome to the blog.
Thank you for stepping up. I share your frightening view of the end of the world. There are many facts that point to the possibility of your scenario.
When you are dealing with martyrs who find their true calling in their deaths, negotiation, fear of dying, reward and the earthly realm hold no advantage or meaning.
When everlasting life comes in the form of total destruction you begin to wonder how anyone will ever survive the hatred in the Middle East.
I strongly think the human race will end up exacting its own planetary demise. We foolishly continue to pump oil out of the earth’s core, dump millions of gallons of toxic waste into our oceans, and destroy millions of acres of forests every year. And for what? Money? Mother earth will not be able to withstand the damage we inflict too much longer.
I believe we’ll see Mother Nature attempt to recover with an ice age or the earth may simply implode.
I’ve been doing some off hour research into air temperatures, and I’ve found that blacktop and asphalt actually prohibits the air from cooling at the end of the day. The convection currents rising from the blacktop are 2-3 degrees warmer over my driveway than over the grass, a mere 1 foot from its edge. Now, put that into perspective with the millions of miles of roadway. Global warming through CFC’s? How about global warming through convective heat?
It’s a smoke and mirrors show, really. Look to the sky! Our end will be an ice age caused by a meteor. Suckers! As they pump out more oil and continue dupming and cutting.
We are by definition, a virus.
-CK
When martyrs have weapons that kill everyone in an instant and poison the world forever you can see how a chain reaction begun in the Middle East will quickly fall like Jenga pegs all over the world. Relationships between countries won’t even be tested. There will not be time to see who is on which side. They push a button. We push a button. The curtain falls.
That’s an interesting take, Cryptic!
If you work of your asphalt analysis into something interesting, write it up for publication here as a post! It would be fascinating.
I agree we take from the earth and rarely replenish anything.
We may poison the entire earth as Samuel suggests and there where will we go? Into the heavens or onto the moon?
Samuel —
I agree human nature is impulsive and when you have bullies with their trigger-fingers jittering on a button to set off a sequence of unstoppable events you quickly have a recipe for masses of ash across the globe.
The Cold War mentality of “self-assured mutual destruction” no longer lingers as a good deterrent because there are people who prefer their deaths over their lives and it is a religious conceit and not an economic one so there are few healing solutions to change the power of a dogma with ancient rituals and revelations.
You can’t wage country against country wars any more. You need to go after the pockets of bad that cause trouble. We need our military to become quiet and surgical and stop with the big shows. Cut the troublemaker’s throats instead of bombing entire towns and then deny everything.
That’s a radical way to deal with the world, Samuel. I agree that going after the troublemakers instead of an entire people is a better path to take than the one currently engaging the world.
Diplomacy is a quickly dying Art.
I think we will be the architects of our own demise – either we will “press the button” or we will poison the planet to the extent that it will no longer be able to support us/sustain us.
I think the planet itself in some form or another will out last us.
Adds a quick post script – I forgot to answer part of the question ……. If they get too trigger happy – I may still be around, but I hope the *greater good* prevails.
Nicola!
If we are “the architects of our own demise” why aren’t we also the personification of our own preservation?
Is it human nature to only destroy what is than to create what should be?
I agree a rock will outlive us all.
I also think that some crazy fool with a nuke could end the world as we know it.
If mass hysteria is to be believed, watch out on Aug. 22!
Others are predicting sometime between now and 2010. I remember hearing something about the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 and that being the end of the world.
I have a feeling that we’ll live a long time as humans and our generation won’t see the end of the world.
There have always been predictions of the end of the world throughout history.
I think the key sign showing the end is near is all the people wanting to write books! 😉
If we are “the architects of our own demise” why aren’t we also the personification of our own preservation?
Is it human nature to only destroy what is than to create what should be?
We could and still can choose preservation but basically we as humans are too greedy and too disrespectful of the earth and its resources.
Humans have also become lazy – far too often people find that *taking from somone/something else* is easier than building and creating for ourselves.
We could be investing in wave, solar and wind power. We could be looking for and researching alternatives to oil and coal. We could be dong so much more – but we choose not to – we chose to invest in other things.
Chris!
I agree there have been soothsayers across the history of time who cry for the end of the world.
Has there ever been a time in the history of the world where so many places across the world have the power — nuclear bombs — to poison entire continents in a volley of explosions?
Has there ever been a time in human history when a catastrophic weapon has not ultimately been used in battle?
Nicola —
Excellent points. Oil is an old resource and as you so rightly suggest, an outdated way to power the world.
Our reliance on foreign oil — when the sun, wind and oceans belong to us all — does seem alarmingly shortsighted and protective of ancient familial money interests that do not promote the common welfare of everyone.
The sooner we wean ourselves from oil the faster our lives will become better — but that swap from one addiction to a more plentiful resource will not happen in our lifetimes.
Hi David,
We live in scary times.
Mutual Assured Destuction doesn’t work in these days when dying is the goal of some.
In some ways, I trust North Korea more than I trust Iran. But, both have little to lose and think they have everything to gain through acquiring (and using?) nuclear weapons.
The scariest things are the biological and chemical weapons that are easier to produce and deploy. Iran and North Korea won’t have enough nuclear weapons to ruin the world in the near future, but a mad scientist with a petri dish could!
Why do you trust North Korea more than Iran, Chris?
You’re right about biological weapons. They’re the next REALLY big weapon that has yet to be used to the fullest possible potential for destruction.
I assume that North Korea is rational and thinks of doing things that are in its best interests. They might threaten, but in the end, I think they want what the rest of countries in the world want — money, power and status.
North Korea knows that it risks being blown up if it attacks anyone.
Iran’s leaders probably don’t mind dying for their cause because their rewards aren’t here on earth. In their twisted thinking, they gain from killing the infidels and gain if they are killed trying.
That’s why Iran’s religious leaders are more dangerous.
North Korea can be bought off or told by China to stand down, but Iran’s religious beliefs won’t let it be co-opted by secular rewards or threats.
Chris!
Your analysis is sobering. You’re right North Korea wants to belong to the world power. Iran refuses to play by any rules by their own self-interest. That is dangerous.
Also, North Korea’s population is 23 million while Iran’s is around 70 million — if you mess with Iran you better have the power and the might to back up your big threats because they have millions of martyrs who will call you on it with their deaths and yours.
Irag, in comparison has only 26 million people and Afghanistan has 29 million.
In Today’s NYT’s Frank Rich was writing about the relationship between politics and terror warnings and he said in Iraq there are over 3,000 civilians dying there each day — more than were killed that one day on 9/11. That terrible disparity in the sacredness of lives isn’t playing well at home or in the Middle East.
Here’s the current status of the Doomsday Clock, Dave:
http://www.thebulletin.org/doomsday_clock/current_time.htm
Hi David,
Here’s an interesting story:
Britain Took Part in Mock Iran Invasion.
Of course, any good military power practices invading any country that might pose a threat.
We’ve had plans for invading Canada — just in case we had any problems with our 51st state, I mean, neighbor to the north.
Chris:
From Seymour Hersh’s recent New Yorker article:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060710fa_fact
Here’s another attack Iran story:
Source: Telegraph.co.uk.
From U.S. Policy Options for Iran: Executive Summary, inserted into the Congressional Record by Congressman Bob Filner:
Chris —
It makes one wonder if the entire reason for engaging Iraq was really to ultimately invade Iran.
Yes, dirty bombs are in the nuclear bomb category because the aftereffects are the same:
http://www.google.com/search?q=dirty%20bomb
I think North Korea is less of a threat than Iran. Iran wants the bomb because they’ve clearly said they plan to use it against Israel the moment they can get one produced:
http://www.google.com/search?q=iran%20nuclear%20bomb%20israel
I agree the Middle East is a ticking timebomb and we’ve done nothing to help cool things down over there despite what we are told.
Here’s what Frank Rich said today in the NYTimes:
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/opinion/20rich.html?hp
I think we’re in a tough spot far away from home without much of a diplomatic plan to get us out of the sandy tarpit.
It is interesting to note, that there has not been a time in human history when some faction of humans did not think they were in the end times. Although, while at work, I don’t have time to substantiate that statement.
Cheers,
Tanya
I look forward to your analysis when you’re not at work, Tanya!
August 22, 2006 status check at 23:26 Teheran local time.
Any bloggers with any reports of the end of the world, please advise.
Please be advised, only report “end of the world” events that you’ve personally observed.
We will stand by for reports.
Yikes!
What a scary mess!
I’ll standby, too. Right over here in my corner.