Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

pan6467 · 01-15-2005, 01:21 AM

Every generation wants to believe "this is end times". I believe that thinking your in "end times" in some way psychologically allows you to deal with your own mortality. Let's face it, none of us truly want to die and face that great unknown (religion and phlosophies of afterlife aside....) and in some fashion saying it is "end times" allows us to believe that life on Earth will not go on long after us. Religions and governments have always used the fear of "end times" to control the people.

The fact that we hear about all these tragedies and natural disasters is a product of the mass media that spans the globe and can have the story here in minutes instead of days and weeks as in the past or never hearing of it except as folklore and stories passed down as our distant ancestors did.

But through science we also see that events like this have happened throughout the Earth's history.

Are there changes to the Earth and nature? Again that is debateable, for every scientist that says yes, there's a scientist that says the Earth simply goes through cycles (Global Warming is a great example.)

This is known though, never have so many been alive at once on this planet, and yet as much as we claim there are not enough resources for all, the Earth IS supporting us and there are plenty of resources.... it is the greed of man and governments that prevents the resources from being equally distributed. (I dam up a creek on my property to build a lake and it dries up your farmland, it wasn't an act of God but the greed of man that did it..... and that is what is happening throughout the planet.)

I think mankind has many many many years to live on this planet and I believe as history has shown our progeny will live through hard times and good times, seeing evil and greatness. But it is all the balance of things.... Yin and Yang.

Times are tough now, but that I believe is because the news can broadcast far more info in one day about anything than our forefathers got in their lifetime. Perhaps, we have old schoolers, who still believe war and superiority should rule. And, perhaps, because of the media's ability there is a greater mindset to find peace. But I think that is seen also throughout mankind's history.

In the end perhaps 100 years from now our great great grandchildren will be reading about these days and wondering how we could have thought these were such bad days, when they are living in what they believe to be end times.

01-15-2005, 01:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
pan6467 Lennonite Priest Location: Mansfield, Ohio USA	Every generation wants to believe "this is end times". I believe that thinking your in "end times" in some way psychologically allows you to deal with your own mortality. Let's face it, none of us truly want to die and face that great unknown (religion and phlosophies of afterlife aside....) and in some fashion saying it is "end times" allows us to believe that life on Earth will not go on long after us. Religions and governments have always used the fear of "end times" to control the people. The fact that we hear about all these tragedies and natural disasters is a product of the mass media that spans the globe and can have the story here in minutes instead of days and weeks as in the past or never hearing of it except as folklore and stories passed down as our distant ancestors did. But through science we also see that events like this have happened throughout the Earth's history. Are there changes to the Earth and nature? Again that is debateable, for every scientist that says yes, there's a scientist that says the Earth simply goes through cycles (Global Warming is a great example.) This is known though, never have so many been alive at once on this planet, and yet as much as we claim there are not enough resources for all, the Earth IS supporting us and there are plenty of resources.... it is the greed of man and governments that prevents the resources from being equally distributed. (I dam up a creek on my property to build a lake and it dries up your farmland, it wasn't an act of God but the greed of man that did it..... and that is what is happening throughout the planet.) I think mankind has many many many years to live on this planet and I believe as history has shown our progeny will live through hard times and good times, seeing evil and greatness. But it is all the balance of things.... Yin and Yang. Times are tough now, but that I believe is because the news can broadcast far more info in one day about anything than our forefathers got in their lifetime. Perhaps, we have old schoolers, who still believe war and superiority should rule. And, perhaps, because of the media's ability there is a greater mindset to find peace. But I think that is seen also throughout mankind's history. In the end perhaps 100 years from now our great great grandchildren will be reading about these days and wondering how we could have thought these were such bad days, when they are living in what they believe to be end times. __________________ I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"