Posted on 07/02/2012 3:12:30 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Would you want to survive the end of civilization?
Let's say the end of the world as we know it is coming — but someone offers you a priceless spot in their guaranteed-to-be-safe bunker, so you can be one of the chosen few who rebuilds the Earth. Would you want to survive, and emerge into the post-apocalyptic wasteland? Would the positives of playing a role in a new society outweigh the loss of creature comforts? Or would you rather just go out with the majority of the human race? I wouldn't last long in a Mad Max-style world — the most complex thing I can do to my car is replace its refrigerant. I'd probably die in the first couple of months — or once my glasses broke, whichever came first.
But what if the new world resembled ours, just a little more rugged and difficult? Would you enjoy the opportunity to rebuild society? Here are a few of the positives and negatives associated with a civilization changing event to help you decide.
The Negatives
Your new world lacks the creature comforts of today - no electricity, no communication, no instant access to a plethora of information. Hell, the information that lies in your head likely carries little value.
If you have read any of the 99 issues of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, you know that surviving in a new world with few skills amidst packs of zombies and dangerous people is no way to live. Thankfully, the end of the world as we know it probably wouldn't include flesh-eating zombies. The end of civilization, however, would bring with it a lack of communication, resources, and lead to immense amounts of unbearable drama, due to fear, hunger, and power grabs.
Do you want to live in a situation where every day includes a dangerous search for food, your nights involve defensive formations to protect those in your community, and you never know what the next moment will bring?
This type of vicious world definitely has its extremes. The bad times would cease over time as groups of people join together to reform civilization, but he birth pains of this new civilization will be severe. Would you want a part in the new world?
The Positives
What if the end of civilization leaves you in a reasonably safe place, amongst family and friends? The television show Jericho explored such a scenario. An independent community relied on itself to survive, with scant information about the outside world. In this case, it might be fun to start things over — maintain a background set of laws to maintain order, but re-create society in your image. This view might be a tad bit on the optimistic side, but it's a possibility.
Your new life will lack a number of the meaningless stresses of today — no e-mail to check, no presentations to give, no centuries old baggage stemming from geopolitical conflicts. The slate is wiped clean — why not take advantage of the positives inherent in a second chance?
Your Decision
Would you want to survive a devastating event that turns society on its head? The role you play in the rebuilding process might be a large one — how do you weigh the pros and cons?
Why not both?
Ending civilization seems a small price to pay...
“With my luck the only survivors would be myself and Rachel Maddow, Roseanne or Michelle Obama.”
I will keep my XD-45 and several full mags just in case...or maybe the roll of the dice will give us Raquel, Jenna, and that ‘girl next door’...
There is a great book on the end of civilization called THE EARTH ABIDES written in the 40s. Worthwhile read. Spans generations. Not a zombie book. Thoughtful.
Hey, she’s sturdy, she can carry lots of firewood.
Sounds like Huffman, TX.
I interpret the actual destruction of the world by fire coming many millennia after the second coming of Christ.
As for a description of the end of the thousand year period ( and these could be interpreted as prophetic years ) AFTER the second coming of Christ, start here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20&version=KJV
I loved that book.
I thought this was the end of civilization.
What I mean to say is that God, through the Christian’s New Testament, said that the Earth would be destroyed by fire?
I believe this is the verse they are thinking of.
2 Peter 3:10-13
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Could it be a massive lightning storm of unparalleled proportions? How about a solar storm hitting the Earth?
It looks like the “day of God” and this massive firestorm are on the same day. Correct me if I am wrong.
Where families and neighbors stick together, civilization doesn’t end. Where they don’t, it does.
Katrina was a good example of both cases. New Orleans where people went crazy and it looked like Mad Maxx, and the rest of the gulf coast where people stuck together.
If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
It could be or perhaps something far worse: the sun expanding, collision between the earth and a large asteroid and etc.
Don't confuse the "end of the world" which comes millennia after the second coming of Christ - according to Revelation and other Bible scripture. That's not to say some of the above doesn't occur during the period of tribulation.
Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."
You're a rocket scientist; don't take my word for it, continue your own research! :)
So how do the Christians interpret what the “day of God” means?
Try ALAS BABYLON, also a great book about survival in the aftermath. I found the part about salt to be pretty good.
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