The End is Here

Death approaches. That much is certain. The idea, it seems, is to cram as much in before the bastard gets to you. Of course, there are more things to know than you possibly can; of course, there are more places to go than you ever possibly will; of course, there are more people to meet, and books to read, and paintings to ironically ponder, and rides to ride than life’s brevity will allow for. There is not much time. The end is nye. Today B’ak’tun is complete; the fourth and final cycle of Mayan lore draws to a close. I have lived eighteen years, every minute spent in deep introspection. I have looked within. Found the answers. They are mine.

I suppose that now is the time we must get serious. The clock is ticking, ticking, ticking toward our demise, and the Lord’s work is yet to be done.

If you are reading this, it is probably just the beginning. Perhaps the sky has not yet fallen; perhaps the power is still on, but rest assured, the gears of renewal are turning. I can write whatever I want here; soon it will not matter.

Cynics abound. Poor fools, ignorant to what awaits them! Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps you don’t buy this “myth,” this “delusion.” Perhaps you think it is all a fairy tale, that this world is all roses and ice cream. What is the basis of your thoughts? From what foundations have you conjured up your philosophy? Will they still remain when all else is in ruin and despair? Reflect! For your bets have been made and soon it will be too late to hedge them. It is not long before your fate, thank heavens, is out of your hands.

But for now, you have control, and in that you can take some solace. It is time to plan, prepare, take the fruitless endeavors of the past and meld them and manipulate them into a future where you’ll have a fighting chance.

Some of these failed undertakings will be less conducive to survival than others. Were these worth it? Were they rewarding per se? Time is not as abundant as it once was. It speeds you toward your doom; there is no stopping it. How do you now feel about all those lost hours spent on Sporcle and Reddit? Do the experiences give you warmth, comfort, fulfillment? Will they help you stave off imminent death?

No. Of course not. All that matters now is your gumption and willpower. The primal instincts will, after a 14,000-year respite, again be primary. When everything is down to the wire, they’re all you’ve got.

It all ends today. Your past, your future, your present. These things most personal will be lost, smoke winding through the air. Fighting, though futile, will at least give you something to do. The Mayans fought, and they fought well. Their Eagle Warriors were agile; their Plumed Archers shot arrows straight and true. They were the premier civilization in the “Age of Empires: The Conquerors” expansion pack. What conquerors they then must be, that today they no longer remain.

The conqueror conquered. A new conqueror is anointed. The great cycle. If transitivity holds, would that make us, the last, the greatest conquerors of them all?

Did we win?

It is on such matters that we must unapologetically ruminate as apocalypse, whatever form it may take, descends down upon us. Don’t doubt, don’t succumb to delusion. Accept what was handed to you and wield it like a sword. The world is ending today, and the futility of denial is vastly more potent than the futility of hanging on when little remains to hang on to.

Will yourself to hang on for as long as you can. It will soon be every man for himself; the bonds of camaraderie that you’ve worked so hard to build will fracture and crumble like the bridges and the skyscrapers that will soon be of old. Much time has passed since you began reading. The world’s end approaches. Ride into the storm. Have no regrets.