For these students, many things (from a number of sources) point to the end of the world
Artwork on the Shiva the Lord display
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and most of us seem to be doing fine.
A group of ACC students took the time on Nov. 3 to create presentation boards of various cultures’ mythologies on the subject. The students presented their research of these mythologies to anyone who dared ask how the world would cease to exist, according to a few different ideologies.
The students’ presentations included mythological lore from Norse mythology, the Japanese and the Persians, to name a few. Each presentation was very informative as these students had a firm grasp on how the world would soon be at an end in accordance with their chosen mythology.
All presentations were interesting. Some content included the Buddhist end of planet, which involved an end to civilization as well as an end to the physical world. This included Buddha’s Sermon of the Seven Suns which details the effective destruction of our planet by means of various suns that will appear, with each one more devastating than the last. We can only hope his cataclysmic clairvoyance was incorrect.
Other apocalyptic events included Ragnarok, which details great battles which result in the end of various gods, natural disasters and the ultimate submersion of the world in water. If you’ve seen the television show Vikings on the History Channel, maybe you’re familiar with this tale of war and destruction.
Other ideologies like Persian Zoroastrianism bore close resemblance to prominent religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
These mythologies all appeared to have one dominant idea in common: humanity must shape up.
Humanity’s arrogance, evil, abuse of power or technology as well obsession with material items adds up to an imminent end under the mythologies of these cultures.
Another noteworthy theory presented here was that civilization as well as the Earth itself are caught in an endless cycle of suffering and rebirth. We will perhaps never truly reach enlightenment or Nirvana or Valhalla because we’re just insignificant parasites walking the infinite path to untimely extinction.
Whether the apocalypse or the general misconduct of humanity is worrisome to you, one thing appears to be true here: The end is nigh! Or is it?
Jake Tharan is a second year journalism student at ACC. He is the current Entertainment Editor for the Arapahoe Pinnacle, having contributed as a music critic and reporter in the past. Heavy metal is his aural pleasure, but he...
Savannah Putman is a second-year Journalism student at ACC and plans to enroll in a four-year university in the Denver area. As a Colorado transplant, she is enthralled with the enriching culture and sense of community that Colorado...
Trotter • Nov 9, 2015 at 10:23 am
Jake–another great article. My favorite line: “We can only hope his cataclysmic clairvoyance was incorrect.”
Though I REALLY wanted to attend this event, I could not, so your article was the 2nd best thing to actually being there. Kudos to the students for such thoughtful presentations.