"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine."
R.E.M.
In ancient days, the end of the world was to come through a war between the
gods (see Ragnarok or Armageddon).
In the Cold War, the end of the world was to come through nuclear
incineration or, conversely, nuclear winter.
In 1999, the end of the world was to come when our computer-dependent culture
fell apart due to the Y2K bug.
Then there are various short-lived or fringe apocalypses, such as the end of
the world -- the free one, anyway -- coming through creation of a tyrannical
world government with its roots in the UN, NAFTA, the WTO and so forth.
It's pretty clear that visions of the end of the world reflect the societal
fears of the era. So what's the end of the world now?
I already know my opinion -- I'm more interested in yours, and I don't want
to prematurely spin the conversation down a particular path by offering my
views in the starting post. I'll pipe up a little later -- chances are, if
I'm anything close to being "right," several other people will have the same
idea anyway.
So, how does the world end in today's society? For a real challenge, how does
it end in the next generation of this meme?
Patrick Sweeney
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
