2018 in Review: The End of the World
Not long after a few minutes past midnight on New Year, the strong earthquake will trigger global destruction. Violent force tears down skyscrapers and city infrastructure. Subsequently, global flood renders most of the world inhabitable. The great famine plagues the rest of the surviving population and it will be the end of the world as forecast by a forward message sent from my mom to the family group chat yesterday.
This is not the first time I get such a message. I tried, apparently without success, to get my parents to be aware of online hoaxes and fake news and not to spread them to cousins. Time and time again, I still have been greeted with stories about incoming “cosmic storms” which will destroy electronic appliances, about how eating vegetables could be unhealthy and so on.
To be fair to them, these messages about the apocalyptic forecast are just a tip of the long-running tradition origin of which could be traced back to antiquity. In the late 8th Century, Saint Beatus, who was a theologian lived in the area of the north of modern Spain, anticipated the end of the world would happen in 801. His commentary on the Apocalypse was so popular that the text was copied to many versions of illuminated manuscripts dated from 9th to 11th century. As for Hinduism perspective, the earth is now in its last stage, named Kali Yuga, or the era of contention. The first day of Kali Yuga fell on 18 February 3102 BC according to a Sanskrit astrology treatise. Kali Yuga will last 432,000 years after which the world will end. So we still have ample times for preparation. Apocalyptic themes also appear in tribal folklores, for instances, American Indian’s Shunka Sapa.
None of the prediction became true. There were many speculations on the last day of the world. Some were made and reinforced by the plausible situations. Take Beatus for example. During the mid-medieval era, Christians in Iberia peninsula had to compete with growing Islamic influence from Africa. This created the pretext which led most of the Christian community to believe, along with Saint Beatus, that the world was really in the deteriorating state. If anyone still remembers the year 2000 and the apocalypse it may bring, the societal climate at the time (tension in global politics, moral decay, etc.) also framed many people to think the end of the world might be possible. Nevertheless, we’re here at the end of 2018, and the world is still doing fine regardless of whatever courses of events the lady luck throws at it. With all the negative news overwhelming us for an entire year, some part of the population revives the notion of global decay again. I believe we’re all going to do fine as always — technology is progressing, many people are working on pressing issues, be it democracy or poverty or climate change. The world is generally a better place, compared with the past.
But what if they were right? How should I look back and evaluate my life in 2018 if the world is to end at the midnight of New Year? I’ll give this exercise a try.
This year is one of the milestones not only because I’m 30, but also I did try many things for the first time, like camping in Japan, going to Europe to attend a music festival, interviewing for the positions in top tech companies (I didn’t cut it, though), picking up computer science concepts, writing night diary. I did reinstate some of the healthy routines which tremendously improve quality of life such as sleeping at 11 pm sharp, waking up at 6 am sharp — 7 days a week, not missing any single breakfast, practicing Chinese language, reading books, practicing for a full marathon. These are not wasteful efforts even if the world would end soon. I no longer regard discipline, education, and experience as “investments” for a better future. The fact that I enjoy them is already sufficient and I do not care if all of them lead to no better prospect due to any reasons, apocalyptically related or not.
The year 2018 is the one where I saw and heard negative commentaries about me. The unsolicited monikers include “an unsociable imbecile,” “an incapable,” and the likes. But hey, ain’t nobody has times to care about that — the world will explode, and everyone will die anyway! I‘m kidding. Truthfully, even the world will last infinitely I still don’t have much time to care about those feedbacks simply because my life would not be infinite. I would spend time on what I enjoy or with people I love rather than ruminate and argue against those accusations.
Lastly, on the last night of the world, I will take shelter and see if I could be the lucky surviving few. I’ll bring a pack of Saison beer with me because human always needs finer things in life. If I couldn’t make it through the night, I’m thankful still. I’m thankful for everything that had happened, thankful for everyone who crossed paths and made it happen, for better or for worse. Everything is forgiven. For those I had crossed the line, had offended, I’m sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness, too.
Hope everyone’s safe and, if the world doesn’t end (bummer!), see you again in 2019.
