I’ve been keeping an apocalypse watch for several years now. That is, I think and feel that a Great Change is coming, probably within my lifetime. I first had a sense of it back in ‘99 or 2000 though it wasn’t associated or caused by the millennial change; that date was a red herring. The lack of colossal change at that time caused a relaxing of tension, people felt safe. It set a base level.
9/11 was a ripple of what’s coming. The recent tsunami was another. Consider the increase in scale and extrapolate. What’s coming is Large. Of course I’m likely just crazy and seeing patterns in randomness. I’m not the only one though and I know of at least one person who is working to bring it about (and I think he’s making good progress).
I told you all that so I could put forth my opinion on the new pope. Assuming you’re giving my ideas even partial consideration, you’re probably also thinking that transition must fit in. Indeed I do think it fits in, but likely not in the same way as others do. See my initial thought, developed before John Paul II’s death, was that the new pope would accelerate us, shortening the wait for the apocalypse.
I gave it more thought yesterday though and realized I was wrong. Reading this editorial on Benedict XVI, this column, “Victory for Orthodoxy” both from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and this editorial, “Pope Guided by Timeless Principles” from The New Zealand Herald were the key factors in coming to that conclusion. Now I think that Benedict XVI will be holding back the Change, not pushing us toward it. In effect he will be a dam. Slipping into waveform terminology, he’ll cause an increase in both the wavelength and the amplitude. Elements will build and pile upon each other. He’s the second wind of the marathon runner, holding off collapse just a little longer, just another few steps…
(If you want more to read, try “The ‘18th’ Pope Benedict, not the 16th” again from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and “New concerns for a new pope” from Bangkok’s The Nation. Via the BBC’s article on excerpt’s of Benedict XVI’s first message, I give you a pdf of the full text of that first speech. And finally, a New York Times piece, “A Future Pope Is Recalled: A Lover of Cats and Mozart, Dazzled by Church as a Boy”.)
Its just a pattern in randomness. The aztecs predicted the sun would die on December 23 2013 and scientists say we have a little longer than that. Its just cycles, I hope. If not, then you’re right and we’re all gonna die. BTW, Heather’s right. Your photos are great. Well, I gtg. Keep posting so we have someone worth reading,
Nini
Actually, it’s the Mayan calendar that predicts the end of the world on December 21st (or 23rd depending on who you ask) 2012, though the Aztec calendar is essentially the same. The Mayans just expected this world we know to end and a new one to begin. In their beliefs it had happened three times before and it was mainly mankind that was destroyed and recreated, not the sun or the earth. It was more of a cycle, as you say, and that date marks the end of this cycle, according to their beliefs.
Personally I don’t see what’s coming as a point where everyone will die. That’s why I used the phrase Great Change as well as apocalypse (which literally means “to uncover”). I don’t think of it as the end of the world, but as the end of the world as we know it. Death, particularly on a large scale, brings with it change for those who do not die (and it is inherently a change for those who die) so there could be a large number of deaths that occur as part of it, but it’s not about death and destruction per se. Of course I do meet the qualifications for schizotypal personality disorder, so I may just be nuts and there’s no apocalyptic event on it’s way.
Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I do my best.
And thanks finally for the comments. Nice to know someone’s reading and to get the chance to have a bit of dialogue about whatever I’ve written.
I think we learned that in Spanish class in the 5th grade…. and it was the day before my birthday, Nini! If its just a big change, which makes a lot of since because everything seems to have a bigger impact when something changes than if we all died. Besides, whatever greater power created us has to have something to do to keep us busy, then these changes are on lots of levels.
Like, a break up or a change in pay, those impacts can be just as great but on a more individual level…
Fine! Make me use my brain! Now I have to go write. >.
Umm.. that is the day before your birthday! As for circles, you’re a circle. It makes since. I always thought that anything apocolypse related would be death to all. Of course, I’ve been reading the bible lately, too. About the schizo-person-disorder, what qualifications are these? Maybe I should have Heather tested.
But back to the point, reading it from your point of view as a Great Change, these changes happen all over the world all the time. Whether its the death of a local official in a small, unknown country or the events of 9/11, these events impact a community, individuals, nations, and so on. Though reading through your links and thinking about what you’ve said, you drive a hard point.
Which makes me think of the Dinosaurs and how they were around a lot longer than humans have been and there are still a few species but even the strongest died out. Maybe you’re onto something. I better get to church.
Nini
Many cultures have apocalyptic stories (though I think the Norse ideas beat everyone else’s for sheer destruction) so it’s something that seems to be inherent in human thought that we expect an end to come. That tendency probably comes from the fact that we are, after all, mortal beings (our physical bodies at least).
What I expect will be like those sort of changes that happen all the time, only on a larger scale and, taking Simi’s term, on a lot of or all levels. Could be the events in the Bible, could be an asteroid colliding with the earth, could be global warming finally causing some major change in how we live (the next post may actually be on that subject). Whatever happens, I expect it will affect everyone in a short period of time (and I do have some thoughts on what will happen, but don’t want to put them out there just yet). Just as a quick “what if” taking the ripples I mentioned, extrapolating forward, using number of deaths as a scale, gives 4.8 million.
I do also think that we make the world around us and so it is us bringing the Change about. The more it’s thought about the more it grows. And personally I’m not fearing it or thinking of it as a terrible thing. It will be a period of reinvention and rebirth and recreation.
I forgot to mention. Schizotypal Personality Disorder. I first came across it via one of those online quizzes and scored high in it. I just read the brief description they gave at the time and moved on. Before mentioning it here though I looked up the wikipedia entry and realized that, sure enough, I match up with all nine of the criteria significantly enough that I expect I do “have” the disorder.
Having never been to anyone whose profession begins with the letters “psy” though it’s just a case of armchair psychology. I also don’t believe in a lot of what that whole field has to say anyway though.
Something that all this reminded me of was the HORRIBLE christian mini-series that struck fear into my head. My mom’s side of the family are your “normal” Southern Baptist and my mom’s oldest sister is a missionarey. (And I mean she is headed, if not already, the mother of Martyrdom.) I mean, the woman told me that since I had a child out of wedlock, we were both going to hell. Since I personally believe you only go where you put yourself, that’s really not an issue. Well, this “series” was about revelations and done in the seveties. Well, anyone who refused to give themsleves over to Satan got their heads chopped off but they turned into angels, boarded a UFO, and became angels. It was dark, terrifying, and I was only 4 so I think it scarred me for life.
Alas, just recently, she sent us a new tape mostly done in CG with this guy playing Jesus that kinda looks… well, I’m not going into that. Anyhoo, I think on a realistic scale, things aren’t always bad. Change can be a good thing. Look at WW2. I know it wasn’t the best of times but a lot of good things came out of it. Excluding the Baby Boomers, the economy went up, there was some great novels during that time period and even someof my favorite animes came out during that time period.
From Chaos and what not. As for psychological what nots, I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder about 2 years ago. Funny thing is, doctor after doctor put me on all this medication and crap, which only made me worse. Once day, I stop taking it and go for a walk. Excercise and a healthier diet have helped things. So, I kinda agree on some levels about the whole field.
Heh, and about the Schizo thingy, just about everyone I know, including me, matches the criteria. Those who don’t, well, they’re the ones that I think are insane. Funny, huh?
Me! >^.^
Heh…. The hand picture is awesome. Its all blurry when I try to make it bigger though… Darned Apple! Can I borrow it for my Typo class? i wanna use it for my ink project due next week. I think this class is actually about inking than fonts. Anyhoo, just let me know if I can ink it?
Heather
Please please please please please please please
Here’s the address where you can get the full size (640×480) version, in case you’re using a smaller version:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=11139633&context=set-223756&size=o
And here’s the link for the license it (and all my daily photos) are posted under:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
Basically, you can do whatever you want with them, you just have to give credit to me for the original and can’t make money off of them.
Thank you! All credit to you, no problem and no money. Thank you! You’re wonderful to do this. Thanks again.
if any of you come to a close answer please write me at my email address im just curios about what you have to say and im very interested in what is going to happen.
my email is alberto_brjs@yahoo.com please write