Halfway between Blog & Oblivion

In 5 days, the world will End.
A powerful statement, even if it isn't true. For the last year or two, there has been this mad disparity between these End-is-Nye mad-folk screaming for the end of the world. And the quiet humf and muffles of disbelief from people who know the difference between logic and hysteria.
But . . . I am thinking about it. Because this post is exactly halfway between when I started blogging and the 21st of December [the supposed day of the Mayan 2012 Apocalypse]. It's a curious notion.
And also now is as good a time as any to say that, on that date, this blog will stop for a moment, as I'm going to enjoy the holidays with my family. So for a while there, we will have reached an end.
  "But wait a moment!" I hear you say, "How can the Absurd Word Nerd talk about the End of the World? The first Word of the Day was END, he's not using the word again already!"
No, I'm not. Because this isn't about the end of the world. This is about that moment in between. Because the world ISN'T going to end, but when it doesn't, we'll be left in a different place altogether. Y'see. The Word of the Day, is 'PRECIPICE' . . .

Precipice /'presəpəs/ n. 1. a cliff with a vertical, near-vertical, or overhanging face over the edge. 2. a situation of great danger.

Have you ever looked over the edge of a really tall cliff, or building, and realized that, with the simplest mistake, you would fall all the way down?
I'm of course not talking about suicide. No, suicide is for idiots - a long term solution to a short term problem - is what my Dad always says, and I believe it. No, I am talking about that moment when you are standing on the edge and just realize how close you have come to the end. That is what I am talking about today. Because that is what I believe we are doing with all this Mayan Apocalypse nonsense.
After all, it's happened before.
If any of you remember the year 2000, you should understand. A lot of people believed that the coming of the year 2000 was the end of us. Because we'd never seen a number that big on our calender, and it seemed long enough, we called it the end, perchance even the Rapture, because someone said "The Bible told me SO!".
Most people ignored such claims. Then some computer tech realized that some computers were only set with calendars to the year 1999. And he didn't know how they'd react with the incremental digit. Then the concept was more widespread.
Dubbed 'Y2K' we foresaw technology dooming us all. Of course, we all know what happened. Not a damn thing. The computers didn't shut down or take over the world, the trains still ran on time (well, as much as they did before) and the world kept turning.
But why would people fall for these dumb claims? Are we just stupid?
Or are we looking for something.

When we think about these moments, where the world ends or society collapses. We start to think about what we've done. What we've changed in our lives. And what we wanted to do.
These moments give us a chance to see who we are. Because when we look at the end, when we look over that precipice. I believe that we're looking at our reflection.

I also believe this is why the Zombie Apocalypse is such a popular idea. It's the same notion, but turned up to 11.
Sure, it's horrific. But that's the point. The world has ended. But . . . if you were lucky enough to survive that event, you can't keep living life as it once was. You have to live to survive. And can you do that? Can you do what needs to be done to survive?
Can you be a hero? Is that who you are?
Or are you fodder. Meat. Just another zombie.

The concept of these apocalypses is all the same. Everything has ended, so did you finish what you started?A lot of people feel they haven't, and all they want is some grand wake-up call. And an apocalypse provides that. A grand-scale near-death experience for the entire population, from which we are hoping for some grand epiphany. And that's where our fault lies.
Because I believe, when the 21st of December comes, all that will happen is that all of those people who didn't change, will start dreaming up the next apocalypse.
So, do yourself a favour: Take a look at yourself. Look at all you've done and what you haven't done, and think about what the end would mean for you. Then, when you walk away from that precipice, start planning. I always wanted to be a writer. And I constantly bitched and moaned about how hard it was. But the thing is, being a writer isn't easy. You have to Plan, Structure, Learn, Read & of course, practice writing every day. And that's what I am doing now.
So if you want to write your story; or own your own business; win that girl's heart; buy that car; earn those millions or even just lose that weight . . .
If you want to live your dreams, you have to wake up first.
That way, when the next apocalypse comes round and people scream:
  "We're all gonna DIE!" you can scoff and say,
  "Will you shut up? I'm busy trying to live my life."