Will the World End Tomorrow?

There is currently a doomsday prophesy that proclaims that the world will begin a severe downward spiral starting tomorrow, Saturday May 21.  According to the beliefs of this one group of individuals, believers will be absorbed into heaven tomorrow with all none-believers doomed to suffer through plagues, wars, famine, earthquakes, tsunamis and more over the next 5 months till the world finally ends in October.  This group, following the prophesy of Harold Camping and his mathematical calculations that the world will end 7000 years after Noah's flood, are putting everything aside, warning the world, and preparing for tomorrow.  Personally, I don't believe that the world is going to end tomorrow or that it start on a path of self-destruction over the next few months.  If you look at the last few decades, we have already been experiencing a lot of what has been prophesied to happen, more earthquakes, more wars across the world, famine and drought affecting millions of people in poor regions of the world, and disbelief in God growing amongst more and more people.  I guess what I don't understand the most is why people are putting everything aside to await one specific day to be absorbed into heaven.  If they have led good, wholesome lives, then it shouldn't matter what they are doing at that specific moment when the world ends.  Furthermore, the world has been around for billions of years longer than the 7000 years since Noah's flood so why would the earth all of a sudden self destruct and demolish everything? 

There have been a slew of doomsday prophesies throughout the ages, most circling around times that are troublesome both economically, environmentally, and politically.  In fact, this is not the first time that Mr. Harold Camping predicted that the world was going to end.  Originally, he set the date for sometime back in 1994, yet reneged after doing better "calculations".  Are we living in troublesome times?  Absolutely, but that should give people more reason to lead by example, live wholesome lives, and show how living that wholesome life can improve the overall quality of life itself.  Perhaps the more troublesome aspect of this new doomsday prophesy is how it is fracturing families.  In preparing for one day of "rapture" when all believers will be absorbed into heaven, many families have members who have quit their jobs, stopped saving money, and in general, let things go to the wayside all in preparation for this one day.  Wouldn't it make more sense, based upon the fact that Camping was wrong once already to keep your job (especially in this recession), save more money for your family that they might need during the world's supposed self destruction, and keep on living?   I know, their argument would be that since they won't be here after tomorrow, why bother?  If you are Christian, and you do follow the Bible, believers will not be absorbed into heaven.  True believers will endure suffering as will every other person on earth and will be tested to in a variety of ways to prove that they are followers.  And by the way, who proclaimed that this Camping is a prophet?  This man was a civil-engineer turned self-taught Biblical scholar.  Now, he may be right, and if he is, then so be it, but I don't buy it.

So what do the rest of us do?  I guess if Mr. Camping is correct, we will have to suffer for the next five months as the world is upheaved and all hell breaks loose.  If they are wrong, we should still look to improve our own lives, help others in need, and turn to our community for strength and assistance.  It is true that more and more people do not believe in a God or Heaven or anthing spiritual anymore.  For whatever reason, whether it is losing faith or just an a growing acceptance that God does not exist, many people are turning towards society as their guide to living a good life.  If society really had something to teach us about living a good life, then we would all get regular botox injections, follow the Jersey Shore as some sort of wholesome life to lead, and pray to that almighty box called a TV sitting in our living rooms.   Ok, maybe that is a little extreme, but still, we can learn more of what not to do from society and the news than what to actually do.  What we should all do is spend more time with our family, regardless of whether or not the world is going to end and work on our relationships with others.  Our family and friends are the driving force behind who we are and how well we do in this world.  In order for us to flourish, we need to invest in the relationships that we already have and work on building new ones.  Human interaction is what drives humanity.  In this day and age of cellphones, texting, emails and the like, we too often get pushed away from human interaction and spend time alone, absorbed in ourselves.  Today, tonight, whenever, turn off the TV and work on your relationship with a family member or friend.  Actually talk to them, have a conversation, and see how their life is going, what concerns they have, what is troubling them, and see if you can help them out at all.  Regardless of wether or not the world will end tomorrow, we must all sieze the day and live every moment to the fullest!