Inquiry Question Why are societies, past and present, so enthralled with the prospect of the end of the

world? Primary Purpose (to explore or to argue) My primary purpose for this paper is to explore mans undeniable fascination with the end of the world throughout the ages. Im not going to focus on religion or science, but on past and present societies beliefs on when the world will end and why, without delving too far off-topic. The point of this paper is not to define what I believe or what anyone else believes about the end of the world, but if that happens, it would not be too much of a travesty. The ultimate goal of any writing is too evoke emotion or derive truth, so I guess my primary purpose could also be to find truth about why we want to know (definitely) and when it is going to happen (unlikely). Prior Knowledge I know little about the end of the world. What I know is what the Christians teach and what has been prophesied in Revelations. And what the Christians teach (at least the ones I grew up around) is merely the events that will surround the end time, which are covered in a layer of obscurity and language that is hard to follow. They also teach that no one knows the day or time that will accompany the rapture or the returning of Jesus Christ. I have heard some of the uproar about the Mayan Calendar, and Ive heard about the apocalypse that is supposed to occur on December 21st, 2012. I dont know any proof about it, though, and I cannot validate or refute the argument that its true. Ive heard the name Nostradamus mentioned in accord with the end times and prophesies of it. I think it was a special on the History Channel or something. Personally, I have bias in the field of I dont really care when the world ends. Would I like to live? Sure. But ultimately, it wont be my decision when I stop living, and if its because of an apocalypse I wont have any say, and I genuinely wont be able to care, will I? I am interested to know why man is so enthralled with the end of the world. Its just an interesting subject to me, I guess. Beliefs, Assumptions, Stereotypes I believe people who are more religious tend to focus less on the prospect of the end of the world because most religions have some form of transcending this human body or an afterlife of some sorts. I think those who focus on an ultimate and inevitable apocalypse are the people who believe that this world is all there is, those who believe there is nothing after it. I dont personally see the merit in seeking to find out when or if the world will end. Of course the world will end some day; all things do. And even if it doesnt, it will change dramatically. The number one

change being that none of us will be around anymore. So even if the earth doesnt end permanently for everyone, it will end for every single person. It always has. What will knowing the date of the end of the world honestly do? It wouldnt make the world a better place. Far from it. The world would most likely become a very morally ambiguous and hedonistic society for the last few weeks or months. No one wants to die. Even suicidal people dont want to die. They want to escape the pains in life, and they believe they are choosing the lesser of two evils. Everyone must die, though. Someday, will everyone die all at once? Will humanity be wiped out and all other life with it? Perhaps. But well never know. Not for certainty. Not until it happens. And then, what good will it serve you? Working Knowledge: A quick Internet search turns up that the study of the end of the world or the final events of history has a professional name: eschatology. Eschatology is a field dealt with mainly by several religious sects as it deals with death, judgment, and the afterlife. It also turns up 2,550,000,000 other results. Almost 3 billion results come up for the end of the world! Granted, one of the top ones is a James Franco movie December 21st, 2012the supposed Mayan-predicted apocalypsehas its own website, complete with an e-bookstore and merchandise galore. Dont forget to check out the Survival Supply Kits for sale, too! NASA seems to believe the world will keep on spinning into December 22nd and not be blown to pieces anytime soon. The Earth will remain fruitful, not a barren wasteland. NASAs website goes on to debunk the myths of the Mayan prediction, which really isnt a Mayan prediction at all. Okay okay okay. This is a very broad topic, and needs to be narrowed down a bit obviously. If I need to expand: Theres no way in hell that I will need to expand this topic. If I need to narrow it down: I DO need to narrow it down How?