I know that some people never go through that period, you know- the one where you watch dystopian movies from the eighties, lock yourself indoors, consider buying gold, and think that the world is on the verge of collapse after reading too many conspiracy theory websites. The people who never go through that phase might consider themselves fortunate. Nothing is as alienating as questioning everything that your whole life has its foundation upon, and for that I commend those who do trespass that blocked off and foreign territory. They are expanding the scope of their thinking, and really for once, living in and becoming a part of today's mythos. And by mythos I mean the symbols that these people align themselves with: the rapture & apocalypse, the reptilian politicians, the chemical trails in the sky produced by a government that desires a lethargic populace, the Mayan calendar/2012/transformative thinkers, anarcho-primitivism, & neo-paganism. These people have taken the first steps in what may be considered a new direction. The paradigm that we were born and raised in is definitely changing, and these people on the outskirts are on the forefront of this change. But, the people who stop at the "end of the world" bracing themselves for disaster and criticizing the current affairs, but which remain immobilized, are in fact just as stagnate as those who never experience this dystopian romance.
These people, on the brink of "the end of the world" are in fact at a point which signifies the end of their old life- that of ignorance, and the beginning of a world where they have to take responsibility for their decisions. Some would say, what is more frightening than knowing that the world is going to end? and to those questioners, I would reply, Nothing is more frightening that realizing the world is not going to end- realizing that I have to live in this world while knowing the truth about this world, and being forced to act within this world. Isn't it easier to wait for a messiah and pretend to be righteous, than to realize that we still have a role to play, that we are still active members within this reality?
What saddens me is that the potentiality expressed by these people to seek the "truth" is then quelled by their willingness to choose one answer or another, and then become just as blind as they were before, in an attempt to mete some sort of justification for their lack of action. Nietzsche refers to this as "a return to piousness" which hinders the growth needed to make the philosopher into a superman. At this point they are no longer on the path- they have sidestepped into another nonthinking realm, instead of creating a dialectical progression, the "truther" simply enacts out another polarity in thought. Since they cannot take responsibility for reality, they leave it up to the "rapture" to cleanse the world. It is too much to alter their own behaviors, and much easier to come to a simplistic conclusion of reality, e.g.: "We have killed mother earth- so now mother earth will strike back," instead of "We have really hurt the environment, so we need to change our actions and behaviors, in order to hamper the damage that is being done." This synthesis is what is needed to allow for the growth that mankind so badly needs. I am saddened watching those on the forefront of philosophical thought slide back into dualistic thinking. We need to go beyond that as a society, instead of dragging our feet through old doctrines and symbolism-
for those of you who are religious, please do not take offense- this blog is directed at fundamentalist thinking and more extreme behavior- e.g.: buying guns, stocking up, waiting for the apocalypse, chewing your fingernails, and severe distrust and loathing towards human kind. For many people the world would be easier to contemplate if it was about to end. It is easier to prepare for a sudden tumultuous disaster where we can easily become "heroes" than to live day to day and enact that same "heroic vision".
In my opinion, the apocalypse is supposed to be a metaphor for our own psyche, in which we undergo an alchemical transformation that makes us into new beings. This can best be summarized by the Judgement Card in the tarot. Tarot is supposed to symbolize stages of development within our psyche- it is not meant to be interpreted as magical- the symbols that the tarot represent are universal and therefore powerful archetypes that can have "magical" effects upon our consciousness.
"With Fire as its ruling element, Judgement is about rebirth and resurrection. The idea of Judgement Day is that the dead rise, their sins are forgiven, and they move onto heaven. The Judgement card is similar in that it asks us to resurrect the past, forgive it, and let it go. There are wounds from the past that we never let heal, sins we've committed that we refuse to forgive, bad habits we haven't the courage to lose. Judgement advises us to finally face these, recognize that the past is past, and put them to rest, absolutely and irrevocably.
The reader can tell the querent that they need to forgive or be forgiven, do something they've been putting off, or have the courage to finally end something that isn't good for them. It is time to move on."
-excerpt taken from http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/judgement.shtml
Evolution past the personal apocalypse is what we need to create the world that we want to live in. Those in the midst of the personal apocalypse are on the verge of a new philosophy, if they would just open their eyes and realize that with knowledge lies the potentiality to achieve to greater things than they would have ever been able to dream of. The Personal Apocalypse is simply a time to "revalue all values" and leave behind those which do not work. Take the next step, and find yourself within a new world, with a new paradigm- one that is not created by fear or loathing.
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