If the Apocalypse comes, beep me

I have been offered many apocalypsi over the years. The first one, of course, was the classic End Times model (Babalon, Beast, Jesus, Last Judgement, etc.) For years, I thought that was actually real.

Just as soon as I realized that was NGH (not gonna happen), I am offered Apocalypse #2, the Oh-My-God-The-Republicans-Have-Won! We are headed for fascism! model.

Yes, Bush has enacted the Patriot Act. Yes, Abu Ghraib was a huge scandal. So is Guantanamo Bay. No, my daily life has changed not at all, except for airport security checkpoints being a huge pain. The MIB's (Men In Black) have not searched my apartment. No one has arrested me for criticizing the government online or IRL. The Soviet Union used to ban government criticism, I've heard. No, we do not have secret police, reeducation camps, death camps, mass disappearances, or other apparatus beloved by totalitarian states everywhere.

It's Bush's second term. While they have gone way too far, they have not affected most people's daily lives in a catastrophic way. He isn't Hitler, folks.

So, Apocalypse #2 is not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Then I am offered Apocalypse #3. The Eco-Fatalism model. The theme of that one has been explored in a previous post, so there is no need to recapitulate it. After processing #3, I noticed something.

Apocalypsi #2 and #3 contradict each other. #2 predicts surveillance everywhere, secret police, fascism, ad nauseum. #3 predicts total societal collapse because we will not be able to use our technology.

If #3 comes true, the government won't be able to deploy its technology to transport people overseas to torture them, as it does now. We will be out of oil. No oil, no fuel for ships or planes.

If #2 comes true, either we don't run out of oil, or else we have found alternative energy sources to run planes, ships, police cars, etc.

Once I realized this, I had a dilemma. I could no longer rely on my pessimism to predict my (and the world's) future.

Then I realized it was not my role or job to predict the, or even my, future. My role in life is to do my part of the Great Work and let Gods take care of the rest. They will decide what our fate will be. Our minds are too little to know the future. If we do the Great Work, all will be well, for we will be united with Them at death.