End of the World - not what you think

So, here we are at December 22. A day after the day many believed the world would come to an end. As with every other predication made of such a calamity - whether by Nostradamus, various religious groups, or other Doomsday pundits - the world-wide angst over the rumoured possibility was all for naught. Or was it?


No, I don't believe some great apocalyptic event is going to befall us any time soon but maybe, just maybe, the world as we have come to know it IS coming to an end. Or at least undergoing some very radical changes. This may not be a bad thing in the end.

Not that long ago, the world was rattled by what became known as the Arab Spring. A few short months later, the Occupy movement swept through much of Europe and North America. Toss in the Euro turmoil and the dethroning of long-serving political leaders like Berlusconi in Italy. In India and parts of Africa, there are increasing calls for improved treatment of women and children. Closer to home, First Nation's rights and environmental concerns are coming to the fore as never before. In Quebec, members serving at all political levels are suddenly being held accountable for gang and mafia-affiliations. And south of the 49th, possibly for the first time in US history, there is serious talk of changing one of the Constitution's most volatile clauses, i.e. the right to bear arms. Meanwhile, in the face of dwindling congregations, various faith groups are grappling with mounting pressure to deal with weighty issues such as the ordination of women, same sex blessings/marriages, and access to safe abortions. The list goes on as calls for change are echoing in other quarters as well.

It seems all around the world, at every political level, every facet of society, citizens are rallying against the status quo. In some cases, people are fed up with totalitarian regimes and oppressive laws and/or the inequality between large portions of the citizenry. I liken the situation to everyone on the planet suddenly taking a role in that old movie Network, and collectively screaming that they are mad as hell and not taking "it" any more - even if they can't find the words to express what "it" is or what specifically is distressing them.

In other cases, there is a sense that if something doesn't change in specific aspects of society, matters will quickly become so skewed in a negative direction that any attempt to remedy things in the future will prove to be too little too late.

I remember reading somewhere some time ago that all of this was predicted via astrology and/or numerology. Perhaps. Whatever, it is interesting that so many people in so many places have hit their tipping point almost simultaneously. If you're more inclined to adhere to the so-called Mayan take, you might not have been as far off as naysayers would like you to believe. Perhaps only the manifestation of "the end" was not what you expected.

To me, the end of the year is more about the advent of something new rather than the termination of something gone before. Although the very number 2013 sounds ominous it might, in fact, prove to be the entry into a happier world for everyone.

Let’s just hope cooler heads prevail. My own included.