How will the world end?

[Pigeon]

In church I always just sit and read Revelations because I find it so interesting.

I'm suprised the world hasn't ended already what with the Cold War and everything, we were lucky there and I would be suprised if humanity would be able to survive if we entered a similar stage again. I do think that nuclear war is really high on the list of the ways that world could end. If there ever was to be a third world war then it would almost certainly be the end of humanity.

[Rishiy]

The said:

One Thursday during lunchtime.

I'll be down the pub to ring in the event! ^^;

[Jessica Coconut]

There is a poem I remember that addresses this very issue.

It asks if the world will end in fire or ice. The speaker says that he thinks that it will end in fire, simply because it's an easy, obvious way to end things, but by the end he realises it could very well end in ice too.

Fire represents death and war and killing, and ice represents the Cold War, general mean-spirited-ness of humanity, like a loss of humanity, as in kindness, generousity, etc. Like when humans start giving each other the "cold shoulder".

[The Wanderer]

Then again, the whole 'end of the world' thing could just be another invention of the human mind, where we imagine new fears that could threaten our way of life. (Can't think of a better way to explain it.)

[theunorthodox]

The said:

The whole Greenhouse Effect thing is either a myth, or simply unproven with conclusive evidence. (Yes the world is heating up every year, but for all we know, it could be natural.)

Umm, are you assuming it's a myth or have you actually researched it? Yes, the Earth has periodically heated and cooled over the millenia, but never so severly. Human interference is the only solution. The ocean is rising by an unheard of 2cms per year. It's predicted that the oceans will by about 25cms higher in twenty years and continue to raise ever faster after that. Even though 2cm may not seem like much, it will end up causing a significant amount of land loss especially near low-elevation coastal communities.

Even if the temperature changes were natural, it would still be extremely damaging to human life. About ten thousand years ago, the ocean levels naturally began to overtake most of the land, then freeze into an ice age, and that's why we find fossils of shells up in the mountains of New York.

If the temperature of the earth continues to rise, and non-polar ice caps continue melting, not to mention the water particles expanding from heat, the ocean levels will eventually rise high enough to pretty much every moderatly low-elevation community in the world. Which won't be the end of the world, but the end of humanity. Unless we find some other planet to defile.

The end of the world will be about two or three millions years before the sun goes supernova, while it's in the stage of death where the cooling will be intense enough to freeze all life forms.

[RJ]

Revelations isn't the only book in the Bible with signs of the times. There's a lot of other prophecy if you know where to look.

There's something about the World Wars and planes. There's also something about Sept. 11th if I remember right.

[Orginalcliche]

I don't think it will be the end of the world Unorthadox the world will just become very secluded and we will go back to the dark ages-ish.

[The Wanderer]

The said:

Umm, are you assuming it's a myth or have you actually researched it? Yes, the Earth has periodically heated and cooled over the millenia, but never so severly. Human interference is the only solution. The ocean is rising by an unheard of 2cms per year. It's predicted that the oceans will by about 25cms higher in twenty years and continue to raise ever faster after that. Even though 2cm may not seem like much, it will end up causing a significant amount of land loss especially near low-elevation coastal communities.

Even if the temperature changes were natural, it would still be extremely damaging to human life. About ten thousand years ago, the ocean levels naturally began to overtake most of the land, then freeze into an ice age, and that's why we find fossils of shells up in the mountains of New York.

If the temperature of the earth continues to rise, and non-polar ice caps continue melting, not to mention the water particles expanding from heat, the ocean levels will eventually rise high enough to pretty much every moderatly low-elevation community in the world. Which won't be the end of the world, but the end of humanity. Unless we find some other planet to defile.

The end of the world will be about two or three millions years before the sun goes supernova, while it's in the stage of death where the cooling will be intense enough to freeze all life forms.

I researched this, and found theories that the world temperature undergoes a cycle over the span of time. If this is true, then there is probably nothing we can do to stop it. But, if this is meant to happen, then it is probably for the greater good.

We question the destruction we commit to this planet, yet we do little to nothing to stop it. Perhaps this is why we are so convinced that all of our fates are inevitably sealed.

RJ said:

Revelations isn't the only book in the Bible with signs of the times. There's a lot of other prophecy if you know where to look.

There's something about the World Wars and planes. There's also something about Sept. 11th if I remember right.

Yeah, Kiddo referred to another culture's prophecy of destruction.

In Norse mythology, they speak of the coming of Ragnärok. It is supposed to be a final battle between good and evil, in which the old world will be destroyed, to be replaced by a new world.

You'd be surprised to hear how many prophecies are similar to this.

[Eggz]

I think that one day, there'll be so many inventions to make life easier that there'll be no reason left to live. And that's it. Boom. The end.



I don't know where I'm going with this =P

[matthiasthewarrior]

I think that the world won't actually end because history will repeat itself. I recently read a book called The Transall Saga. This boy is transported through time to a future world. There was a disease where you felt and died as if you had Cholera. That kept everyone so occupied that they forgot what life was. They forgot how to read, write, and even the language. When big nations that had lots of nuclear weapons fell, the weapons were detonated and the earth changed because of all of the chemicals released by the bombs. Thus there was a whole new earth and history was forced to repeat itself.

I do like the greenhouse theory also. I live in Wisconsin and we haven't gotten snow that stayed on the ground for three days yet! You probably think that I'm exagerating but I'm not. By now we have snow on the ground and the sorrounding water is frozen solid.

[Komori]

Coconut said:

There is a poem I remember that addresses this very issue.

It asks if the world will end in fire or ice. The speaker says that he thinks that it will end in fire, simply because it's an easy, obvious way to end things, but by the end he realises it could very well end in ice too.

Yeah, I think I remember that poem. It's by Robert Frost, isn't it?

EDIT: Yeah, I found the poem:

Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

[Jessica Coconut]

Bingo! That's the one. I thought it was longer, but meh. That's it though.

[Minu]

I have some insane theory that might not even begin to happen anyways, but...

We will end up colonizing Mars, and sending people with as little medical problems as possible over. Sooner or later, inbreeding will happen there, making medical problems and disfigurments, and Mars will revert back to its old self. Death to the some billion people on Mars.

In that time, all the people who had more medical problems have continued polluting Earth. Which sooner or later, killed billions of people. Then the people who are left end up inbreeding also, creating even more problems. And they keep polluting and kill everything on Earth! Except for kangaroos.

Yeah... It's really just what happens when hyperactivity meets an essay for English on whether or not we should colonize Mars meets how the world will end.

[theunorthodox]

Snorkled- said:

I don't think it will be the end of the world Unorthadox the world will just become very secluded and we will go back to the dark ages-ish.

You think that the oceans overflowing land, temperatures cold enough to stop time, and the planet being burnt to a crisp in a supernova won't be the end of the Earth? o0

I researched this, and found theories that the world temperature undergoes a cycle over the span of time. If this is true, then there is probably nothing we can do to stop it. But, if this is meant to happen, then it is probably for the greater good.

I'm in college courses about the condition of the earth and possible outcomes. In fact, I just took my final yesterday. Yes, there is a natural cycle of temperature rising and cooling, but it's between time periods of hundreds of thousands of years. We only had one about 8-10 thousand years ago, which means if we're having drastic changes so soon there's got to be something other than Nature contributing to it.
We have proof that gases contribute to many of the problems and changes we're seeing in the planet.

We question the destruction we commit to this planet, yet we do little to nothing to stop it. Perhaps this is why we are so convinced that all of our fates are inevitably sealed.

Not everyone is sitting around on their asses all day. I took a course last semester where I had to come up with a solution to the pollution in the Peconic Estuary. My project idea got fifth in the class, and the project that was chosen is actually being implemented by the Peconic Estuary Program and funded. And I'm also a member of the VHEMT, which is pretty much the solution to all the planet's problems. It's better to at least try to help the planet than giving up and waiting for the end.

[Oily]

The greenhouse effect is real. Like Dox said, the natural temperature changes in the earth are not what is happening now - the gases we produce are actively changing the climate for the worse. Already, ice caps are melting at a faster rate than usual, and bugs have begun to appear in new places due to higher temperatures.

I didn't think the sun was going to go supernova because it's not big enough. Isn't it just going to expand, cool and swallow us up as red giant, then pulsate a few more times, then cool down to a black dwarf?