It’s the End of the World, again. (2-26-18)

There have been many “end of the world” predictions throughout the history of mankind. Usually every generation has their own. Some are cultish and suicidal but most are simply people thinking they’ve interpreted some ancient text that means this world, as we know it, will end. Each prediction has a different theory on what will come next, but most are based in doom and gloom. The doom and gloom is mostly just because, as humans, we really can’t understand what will come next. Some predictions tell of doom and gloom simply because it makes money in the news cycles and it’s gets their name out there. With the exception of the suicidal cults (who think they need to kill themselves in order to avoid a worse fate when the world ends), most end days scenarios are based in a proper theory of universal changes that are constantly occurring, even if the predictor isn’t aware of their basis.

The most recent end days prediction, in my lifetime, was December 21st, 2012. For many months before that, an older gentleman on my vanpool was claiming that the world was going to end on that day and he didn’t need to buy Christmas presents for anyone. He is a natural grouch, though, and I wasn’t sure if he actually believed the world would end, or if he was just causing dissention with the other passengers. To this day, I still don’t know if he believed it or not. Regardless of whether or not he was serious, I know there were many actual end days believers around the world that really thought that was it. I never did believe the world would end, but I did believe that things in the universe would change.

Let me give you a brief background, first. This will help explain why I believed what I did. I am a lifelong hardcore Catholic. I believe the bible is the inspired word of Jesus Christ and that the English translations of today are correct in what God meant for us to read and understand. That does not mean that everything in there is literal. The bible is full of literal and metaphorical stories and words. For the purposes of this article, I am focusing on the end of the Gospel of Matthew. I am not an official philosopher or theologian, but consider myself well versed in philosophy and theology.

There are various translations of the bible words, unfortunately, but the English language translation that I read states “20: teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." The last five words, and specifically the last word, is the key. Many “predictors” translated the last word as “world” instead of “age”. That makes a huge difference in what the passage means. If you translate it as “world” and think microscopically about the earth, you would be filled with depression that our lives on earth were going to end. However, the word “age” doesn’t really mean anything, either, unless you consider the earth as a very small part of a much, much bigger world. You need to think macroscopically. If you think of an almost never ending universe, the words “the close of the age” take on a much more positive and exciting meaning.

Let’s back up again to understand this even more. There wasn’t always life on earth, or any planet. The universe did have a beginning but it was billions of years ago. How it got here - big bang or divine intervention – is for another day and another discussion. Either scenario will work for my article, today. Whether the universe is still expanding, or has an end, is also not relevant for the “ending of the age” topic of discussion. So, knowing that the universe is very old, I believe that there have been many “end of the world/age” situations throughout the history of the universe and the history of mankind. There will, also, continue to be changes in our “age” until the universe finally does end, if it does.

So, as a catholic and a human being, I will attempt to explain what exactly “the close of the age” means. There have been many “ages” in the history of the universe and humankind. For the purposes of this article, I will focus on mankind’s ages, only. I don’t know how many ages there have been throughout human history, but if you think about the mental capacity and awareness of humans, there are lots of changes. I believe that each time humans “evolve” it is a changing of an age. This does not mean that humans evolved from fish, apes, or were made in the image of God, which is another discussion. When I say humans “evolved” I mean they - for lack of a better word - became more intelligent. Think of our caveman ancestors who didn’t understand fire to where we are now with technology. Humans have evolved, in how much of our brains we use and how much we are aware of the universe.

Continuing on this theory of man’s brains evolving, I say that man’s awareness of humankind’s universal connection has also evolved. Our universal connection does not mean that humans have a collective intelligence, like ants, but it does mean that what an individual does has a ripple effect on the rest of humanity, even if it’s a very small ripple. As in an ocean, a small ripple can become a big ripple can become a wave. So is every individual human action a ripple on humanity. When each age ends, man’s brains and universal awareness change. I consider these a shift in human consciousness.

Each time humans enter a new age, this shift of consciousness occurs. This shift is not an overnight change nor does it necessarily finish before the next age occurs. This shift is simply, as I said, humans become more aware of the universal connection of all beings and using more of our brains. There are some scientists who believe that humans already use 100% of our brains. If this is true, then I believe with each new age, humans become more aware of the knowledge in our brains and how to use it. For example, our ancestors were only aware of and able to access a certain percentage of their brains, even if all of it was being used. Every time a new age began, humanity became aware of more knowledge, whether it was already in our brains or we began using more of our brains. My shift in consciousness theory works whether humans begin using more of their brains in each age or just become able to access more of the knowledge in their brains.

So, back to the end of the world that occurred on December 21st, 2012. According to my theory, humanity has reached a new age of brain power, universal awareness and a shift in collective consciousness. Forget the news, politics and religion. Those are all divisive. Look around you and notice people and events. I believe that mankind has reached a new global connectivity and global kindness. Of course there are still borders and beliefs but, overall, my perspective is that mankind is behaving kinder and gentler to our neighbors than before 2012. Mankind is in an age where we are more aware that our leaders are imperfect and not as honest as we used to think. We are aware that we can be connected to our fellow humans without the need for leaders. I’m not advocating anarchy, but I believe that humans are reaching out, connecting and learning about others without the filter of people in power, who have an agenda. There will always be universal absolutes in regards to civilized societies but humans can now discuss, see, hear and learn in ways that weren’t available before. The new age that we entered on December 21st, 2012 has reawakened the individual spirit of mankind that had been dormant for the last few generations, while also awakening a new sense of mankind’s universal connection.