How Paranoia Damages the Zeitgeist

You'll probably recall the movie that came out several years ago, subtly entitled "2012". It was a glossy and explosive romp through the last days of our civilization, and it saw popularity at the box office. If you ask me, it was in part this movie's release that instigated an attitude of sensationalism toward our annihilation. Misinterpretations, exaggerations, and a general jumping to conclusions have created an entire movement preaching the end of days. Be it by comet, solar storms, war, or a Mayan cleansing, the media has assured us that we are soon to be no more. Credibility is assured by the world's best pseudoscientists.

The dictionary defines the Zeitgeist as,"the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era". Currently, I see a Zeitgeist of fear. Fear of war, fear of the end, fear of strangers in the street. "You're right to be scared,"say so many,"there are a multitude of things that could kill you right now." The 2012 phenomenon is fuel on the fire, providing an event for the frightened and the manipulative to attribute their brand of apocalypse to.

Here's the thing; no unit of time is guaranteed to you. You are not entitled to anything at all. In fact, just about anything could end your life any instant, and the universe as a whole wouldn't bat an eyelash. So, being that you could be gone tomorrow by any means, why worry about it? Should it not be considered wasted energy and time to harbor presentiment for something over which nobody has control? Instead of pointless trepidation, each of us should work toward a decent world. A world where, when the end finally comes, we can be at peace with the people we have been and the zeitgeist we have contributed towards.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html