T HE AC A D E M IC, T H E A RT I S T, & T H E M AYAN
Lives spent exploring the ins and outs of the end. A P R E P P E R ’S WO RLD
The curiously commonsense culture of disaster preparedness. T HE C H OIC E TO G ROW
Three Minnesotans face what they thought would be their end. 1 FIN MAGAZINE
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FIN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Taylor Selcke ART DIRECTOR Abbey Kleinert WEB EDITOR Jonah Steinmeyer
From the editor
The End…Or a New Beginning? Do me a favor, and close your eyes. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of December? Christmas? Maybe. Snow? Perhaps. How about the apocalypse? My guess is probably not. While many people are currently preoccupied with checking presents off of their shopping lists and stocking their cupboards in preparation for countless family holiday gatherings, we at FIN are turning our minds to Dec. 21, 2012. According to the Mayan calendar, this is the date the world will end—it is also the inspiration behind FIN. We may have created a magazine like no other, but we are certainly not the first to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to interest in this topic. From the movie 2012 to the Dave Matthews Band song “When the World Ends,” our society has always been curious about Doomsday prophecies. But do not jump to conclusions. This is not a magazine about the “inevitable” death of our planet and all of life on Earth. We simply explore the theories that are currently out there, while contemplating what may come next and encouraging our readers to keep an open mind. How might the world end? What do history and science tell us? How will the world react if we are all still standing here on Dec. 22? These are the questions we try to answer in the pages of FIN. While putting FIN together, I have realized that everyone has a different perspective on the end of the world. Some have dedicated their entire lives to studying the event (The Academics, the Artist, and the Mayan; p. 12), while others have found a way to make a profit (Ready, Prep, Go; p. 8). An end has already come for those who have experienced an event so life-altering—such as paralysis or the death of a child— that they did not know if they would survive (The Choice to Grow; p. 26). Eventually, we will all experience the end of our personal world, but none of us can be sure exactly when it will happen. So my question to you is: How would you spend your final day on Earth if you knew everything could come crumbling down tomorrow? Personally, I have always been doubtful of the Mayan prediction, but curious enough to be a little intimidated by it. And despite my skepticism, I will most likely surround myself with family and friends as the clock strikes closer to midnight on Dec. 20…just in case. On the bright side, if the world does in fact end on Dec. 21, at least you will have this magazine to take with you.
MANAGING EDITORS Shayna Chapel Emily Ehlert EDITORIAL Senior Editors Sarah Rose Miller Lacey Kirwan Becca Shrake J.M. Stender Associate Editors Ally Jennrich Allison Mann Katie Wielgos Staff Writer Urmila Ramakrishnan DESIGN Assistant Art Directors Alison Henderson Amelia Kaderabek Holly Sax Staff Photographers Mark Vancleave Shota Fuse WEB Web Art Director Alexa Ball Web Associate Editor Dawn Rau Web Programmer Michael Kyllo-Kittleson Web Blogger Hilary Battey cover images and illustrations by Cole Hoyer-Winfield
Taylor Selcke 2 FIN MAGAZINE
photo by Nancy Kuehn
www.colehw.com
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THE ACADEMICS, THE ARTIST, & THE MAYAN 12 Lives spent exploring the ins and outs of the end.
ART & IMMORTALITY 17
Revisiting humanity’s quest for eternal life.
A PREPPER’S WORLD 18
A look into the curiously commonsense culture of disaster preparedness.
GONE 21
Images of an unpopulated Twin Cities.
THE CHOICE TO GROW 26
Three Minnesotans face what they thought would be their end.
COLLIDE 2 CULTURE & HISTORY
Words from the Wise Knowledge from a nonagenarian. Cinematic Science What’s fact and what’s fiction in Hollywood? The End, La Fin, Das Ende End of the world perspectives from different cultures.
TRANSFORM 6 SCIENCE & TECH
Death of a Great Planet Theories of Earth’s demise. Ready, Prep, Go A wide variety of “survival essentials” fuels today’s commerce of catastrophes. Selecting Against Disease A genetically engineered future.
ALIGN 30 LIFESTYLE
(Un)sustainable An environmental dilemma. T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. Party like there’s no tomorrow. Where Are We Going? A skeptical perspective on the Mayan apocalypse.
RENEW 35 RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
Minding the End How to feel calm in the face of uncertainty. Time Defined The mechanics of the Mayan calendar. End Time Beliefs Exploring the world’s largest religions’ perspectives of our final days.
BEYOND 40
Before We Go Experiences to take with you. FALL 2012
完
ha sikum sfarsit
終了
o fim la fin wakas slutet fine
ةياهنلا
das ende
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TIME LINE 3114 B.C.
Maya researchers believe this is when the Mayan calendar starts, according to the Gregorian calendar.
634 B.C.
Twelve eagles reveal to Romulus a number that represents the lifetime of Rome. The Romans concluded that each eagle represents 10 years, meaning Rome would be destroyed in its 120th year.
People have been predicting the end of the world for well over two millennia. While many theories didn’t sprout until Christianity spread throughout Europe, the idea of end times has dated back to ancient civilizations, such as Rome and the Maya.
1st
century
The first time early Christians believe Jesus will return.
1346
Many Europeans see The Black Plague as a sign of end times as it spreads across Europe.
16731915
Twelve predictions are made by various Christians saying Jesus will return for his second coming.
1806
A hen lays eggs saying, “Christ is coming,” in Leeds, England. As it turns out, someone wrote on the eggs with corrosive ink and put them back inside the hen.
Whether you are religious or scientific, a believer or skeptic, there is a theory for everyone. The timeline on these pages tracks many, but certainly not all, proposed Doomsday scenarios through the centuries; and as the phenomenon has become more commercial over recent years, movies, books, and videogames have extended into our world’s perception of our final days. This timeline is not meant to persuade nor prove anything. These are just facts. What you do with the information is up to you. No one knows for certain when or how the world will end. Maybe it will be millions of years from now, or perhaps you only have until Dec. 21. Either way, enjoy whatever time is left. –DAWN RAU
1910
French astronomer Camille Flammarion predicts that Halley’s Comet will destroy life on Earth. The comet will stir up another scare in 1987.
1925
In the United States, the Bible Student Movement makes its ninth end of the world prediction.
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COLLIDE
Words from the Wise
Knowledge from a nonagenarian.
Venture through St. Paul, Minn., and you might see a petite, salt-and-pepper-haired woman shuffling back and forth from her home and the Lunds grocery store a couple miles up the road. Florence Applebehr, 92, has resided in Minnesota her entire life. After having lived through her fair share of global wars, national crises, and personal struggles, a weekly trip to the grocery store isn’t slowing her down. “For a while it seemed like once one terrifying event concluded another appeared.” These events included the Great Depression, World War II and the rise of Nazi Germany, and the Cuban missile crisis. Each event sparked questions and fears of the world coming to an end. “The missile crisis was frightening because we never knew when the Cubans might actually decide to launch their arsenal,” she says. Applebehr smirks when remembering various drills that took place across the country in schools and work places. “It was a bit of an odd thing,” she says. “People were so afraid of the possibility of the launch but, while terrifying, [it] did not overly upset me,” she says. “I figured, we live in Minnesota, they are not aiming at us—not right away at least.” She recalls being more concerned for the major cities across the
FALL 2012
coasts of the country, like New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. “If an attack had actually been launched and a city bombarded, then I think it would have felt more like the end of the world,” Applebehr says. For Applebehr, seeing and living through some of the most frightening and uncertain events of our time was not enough to drive her toward worrying the world was ending. That came from a much more personal event: her husband dying. “After you are married to someone for [56 years], someone who is your best friend, someone who transforms into your whole world, it is unbearable to think about living without them,” she says. “That was my biggest end of the world.” Applebehr says that, in hindsight, she doesn’t completely understand why more global and mass destructive events didn’t spark a deeper reaction in her, but she believes her location here in Minnesota played a large role in her safety from the world during those times. “What I’ve learned over the years is that terrible things will happen,” she says. “But I’ve found that in the end, things all seem to work out and there is not much of a point in worrying. When it decides it’s done, it’s done. Enjoy what you have when you possess it.” –MICHAEL KYLLO-KITTLESON
1938
1932 White Zombie, which is considered the first full-length zombie film, is released in New York.
Orson Welles performs a Halloween episode called “The War of the Worlds,” which is based off of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel of the same name. Running without commercial breaks, the first 40 minutes are simulated news bulletins about an alien invasion. Many listeners think it is real and panic. Film adaptations are also made in 1953 and 2005.
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If Hollywood had its way, the world would end with an abrupt ice age paired with an alien invasion tossing in an asteroid-Earth collision for good measure.
Cinematic Science
What’s fact and what’s fiction in Hollywood? Countless Doomsday films have hit the box office in recent years, and people have flocked to movie theaters to see their favorite actors survive the end. But how can we separate fact from fiction? Justin Revenaugh, a seismologist and University of Minnesota earth and sciences professor, teaches a course called “Geology and Cinema,” where he distinguishes the facts and falsehoods in movies with catastrophic natural disasters. FIN sat down with the geology expert to discuss the movie 2012. The film is based off the Maya’s prediction that the world will end Dec. 21, 2012, since that day marks the end of the Mayan calendar. Main character Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a science-fiction writer based in Los Angeles, is a divorced man trying to reconnect with his kids by taking them camping in Yellowstone, unaware of the apocalyptic theories circulating the globe. At the national park, Curtis meets Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), a mentally unstable radio host who teaches Curtis about “Earth crust displacement,” a theory that predicts that the Earth’s tectonic plates will
1947
1941 After branching out from the Bible Student Movement, Jehovah’s Witnesses predict the end of the world.
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A spacecraft allegedly crashes near Roswell, N.M., sparking conspiracy theories concerning a government cover-up about the existence of UFOs and aliens. Since then, there have been countless documentaries, books series, and a TV show based on the incident.
1947 The Cold War begins. It is a nuclear standoff between the world’s two superpowers: the United States and Soviet Union. The threat of a nuclear war is perceived as a means to an end. The war ends in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
shift, causing supervolcano Yellowstone to erupt. Frost also explains how the United States government is building ships to save the people who represent, what a government employee in the movie calls, “the perfect gene pool for repopulation chosen by geneticists.” Frost’s theories prove to be correct, at least according to Hollywood. Revenaugh, however, says the displacement theory is false, and Yellowstone is a supervolcano that has erupted in the past, but won’t again anytime soon. While supervolcanoes may be common in geological times, they are pretty rare in human times, he says. In the movie, an American geologist is informed that neutrinos caused from a solar flare are heating up the Earth’s core to a record-high temperature. But Revenaugh says neutrinos pose no threat to the planet because they are particles that pass through the planet constantly. “They’re passing through you right now,” he says. The neutrinos in 2012 increase the temperature of Earth, causing the core to expand and the crust to crack. “[It’s] expanding like if you put jelly in a cupcake and it eventually breaks,” Revenaugh says. But in reality, the core cannot break because it’s surrounded by the mantle, which is ductile (capable of being molded or shaped). Therefore, the crust will not just “tear apart” like it does in the movie, he explains. In 2012, buildings, highways, and people plummet into a gaping hole created by earthquakes, enveloping L.A. entirely. “It’s not a vacuum down there,” Revenaugh says of the portrayal of inner Earth. Actually, Earth shifts and erodes when the plates collide against each other; it does not open. Revenaugh compares the scene to the world opening up to hell, but seems almost offended that “hell” is depicted as the inside of Earth. In reality, the only thing below the crust is more Earth. So when the world ends, do not expect a mixed bag of natural disasters to be the cause. And do not expect to “build Everest-sized arks to survive,” Revenaugh jokes. The glaciers that melt in the movie would not cause sea levels to drastically rise. “It would only rise a couple of meters, so it wouldn’t do that much damage,” he says. As entertaining—or perhaps frightening—as Doomsday films may be, do not forget that the scientists in those movies are actors, and they’re not quite sure what a neutrino is, either. –KATIE WIELGOS
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End of the world perspectives from different cultures.
The End, La Fin, Das Ende E
MEXICO
Experts are fighting to assure the public that the Mayan calendar has not predicted the end of the world. Mexican government archaeologist Alfredo Barrera says that the Maya did make prophecies, but they consisted of events that occurred in their lifetime and not the future, according to The Huffington Post. Archaeologists, anthropologists, and history specialists are trying to rid fears throughout Mexico. Others are taking measures into their own hands. Resorts, for example, are hosting information sessions for tourists about the misinterpretations of the calendar, according to the Rock Hill, S.C., newspaper The Herald.
FRANCE
BOLIVIA
If you believe in extraterrestrials, Bugarach, a small village with a population of about 200, may be able to withstand the coming Armageddon. Some think that a group of aliens residing in a nearby mountain will leave when the world ends and take Bugarach citizens with them. The city is sparking a lot of interest and its small population is predicted to rise immensely before Doomsday, according to the BBC.
The government of this South American country is planning to cut ties with Coca-Cola on Dec. 21, 2012 due to a belief that this day will mark the end of capitalism. Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca says that a new era of equality will begin after the company is banned from Bolivia, according to the news source Zimbio.
BRAZIL
A Ziggurat is being built for those who want to survive Dec. 21 in Brazil. This pyramid-shaped tower is a refuge in the making, according to Globo Repórter. Located in the city of Corguinho, the structure will be able to withstand the predicted apocalypse.
The safe houses are built, companies are making drastic business decisions, and some world leaders warn of the end. Other experts offer comfort, insisting that the Earth is not in its final days. The U.S. is not the only country where both Doomsday believers and doubters are facing the unknown on Dec. 21. Here’s how people in the other parts of the world are reacting. FALL 2012
–ALEXA BALL
IRAN
The country’s Supreme Leader told his people they need to prepare for “end times.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s message refers to the prediction that the Islamic Messiah is coming, as well as the rising global tension from the nation’s possession of nuclear weapons, according to the independent news network WND. Whether it is from weapons of mass destruction or a Muslim savior, leaders have warned the Iranian people that the end is near.
RUSSIA
A man in Russia has built a survival capsule to survive beyond Dec. 21. The capsule can house four people comfortably for up to 40 days. It can withstand lava, float, roll down hills, and land upside down. Creator Evgeny Ubiyko urged the Russian government to obtain as many of these safe houses as possible. Each capsule costs approximately $80,000, according to the news network RT. No purchase from the government has been recorded.
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DEATH OF A
GREAT PLANET Theories of Earth’s demise.
For centuries, scientists have pondered the fate of our planet. Catastrophic events have occurred in the past and will very likely happen again. How and when will “the end” for the Earth occur? We explore the issue from the
Nation: Camping or Catastrophe
Let’s say you’re camping with the family in Yellowstone National Park. You could be perched uncomfortably near the source of destruction for our country. The park is home to the Yellowstone Caldera—a potential supervolcano. Calderas form when the land surrounding a volcano collapses after an eruption. The Earth’s magma continues to percolate, however. When magma rises to the crust from hotspots below, but is unable to break through fissures on the surface, a supervolcano can occur. Mounting pressure can result in a massive eruption, spewing magma and other ejected debris more than 60 miles from the point of origin. “Such an eruption would devastate a large part of the continental U.S.,” says Peter Hudleston, professor of structural geology at the University of Minnesota. (Although many experts believe this is unlikely. See p. 4.) Enormous ash clouds produced by supervolcanoes pose an even bigger threat. The ash can block the sun, causing frigid temperatures and wiping out millions of species. “A Yellowstone eruption would affect the climate, probably producing global cooling by putting large amounts of radiation-reflecting ash in the upper atmosphere,” Hudleston says. “It’s possible that humans might not survive a really huge event.” But Hudleston thinks the odds of life continuing are good. “It’s unlikely that any foreseeable volcanic event would completely wipe out life on Earth, as the past events we know about did not do that.”
World: Running a Fever
Global warming has long been considered a potential cause of death for our planet. “Our best understanding is that we have already locked in major consequences for the way life is currently organized on the Earth,” says professor Lawrence Rudnick, an observational astrophysicist at the U of M. For the last 12 years, Rudnick has taught a “Cosmic Catastrophes” course, which explores threats to our planet and its inhabitants.
our place in the
“My own fascination is with the key role played by catastrophic events for the evolution of life on Earth,” he says. Each major incident—from the formation of the moon to the extinction of dinosaurs to man-made catastrophes—has had bearing on how we live. Those life-altering events continue. For example, he cites today’s global warming and habitat destruction as key contributors to species extinction. Global warming changes precipitation patterns, which can cause devastating storms and hurricanes as the oceans rise in temperature, as well as the loss of crops and livestock from widespread drought. In fact, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently went on record blaming global warming for Hurricane Sandy.
universe.
Though still controversial, a growing body of scientific research seems to indicate real and substantive changes to the climate.
perspectives of our own backyard, our planet, and
The American Geophysical Union claims the average surface temperatures have increased by about 0.6°C from 1956 to 2006. And during a 12-year period from 1994 to 2006, 11 of those years were warmer than any others on record since 1850. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has published similar data. Since 1901, surface temperatures in the U.S. have risen at an average rate of 0.13°F per decade across the lower 48 states. The globe’s average surface temperature has increased almost 1.5°F during the 20th century. Twothirds of this warming has occurred since 1975. On the ground, evidence of global climate change comes in the form of diminished glaciers. Montana’s Glacier National Park is currently home to 25 glaciers, down from 27 in 2010 and 150 in 1910. This current trend is not looking promising for the remaining glaciers. 8 FIN MAGAZINE
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1954 The failed prediction of a flood destroying the Earth by UFO cult Brotherhood of Seven Rays leader Dorothy Martin paves the way for the 1956 book When Prophecy Fails.
1992
1968 Night of the Living Dead is released. The low-budget, independent film sparkes five sequels and two remakes of the original. As of September 2012, it is the second most downloaded film on the Internet.
1984
19871989
The Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain the world is going to end for the third time.
The Rapture is supposed to happen three times during these two years.
British author P.D. James publishes a novel titled Children of Men, in which the human race becomes infertile and the last generation born has reached adulthood. Humanity faces extinction. It is later adapted into a film in 2006.
1995 1994 American broadcaster Harold Camping claims the Rapture will happen this year. When it does not occur, he revises his date five more times.
The first book in the Left Behind series is published. Detailing Christian end times and the Rapture, the series has a total of 16 books. The last installment is published in 2007.
Whether Earth’s end comes from within, by human interference, or from outer space,
NATION
one thing is certain—the planet’s existence is
WORLD
inexorably tied to
COSMOS
our own. There is no real way of knowing how our blue-and-
Cosmos: Crash, Bang, Boom?
green home may die,
The year 2036 could be a devastating one, according to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration study. An asteroid named Apophis is predicted to pass near Earth on April 13, 2029 (yes, this is a Friday). The Earth will essentially deflect the asteroid, but not without effects: the near miss could change our orbit. Seven years later, when Apophis heads toward our planet again, it could collide with cataclysmic results.
but like so many
According to Rudnick, an asteroid must measure 50 to 100 km in size in order to wreak catastrophic destruction. NASA indicates that Apophis is only 240 m, or .270 km, in size. Rudnick says at its current size, Apophis could inflict regional damage but probably would not produce global implications.
simply part of life.
things, living with this uncertainty is
–HILARY BATTEY
Some scientists deem the probability of such a collision to be unlikely, while others scientists are seeking governmental assistance to prepare for this scenario. In 2006, experts on nearEarth objects met in London to discuss the required technology necessary to deflect Apophis. Ideas ranged from rockets to satellites designed to nudge away any asteroid on a crash course with our little piece of the universe.
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Ready, Prep, Go
A wide variety of “survival essentials” fuels today’s commerce of catastrophes.
Cosmic collisions, nuclear meltdowns, killer contagions—all could end life as we know it. Regardless of the scenario, a flood of concern about potential disasters is turning into revenue streams for survival products suppliers. Major events such as Superstorm Sandy, 9/11, and Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis have spawned businesses—and profits—related to preparedness. “We did a year’s worth of sales in two-and-a-half weeks” following the Japan disaster, says Paul Faust, co-founder of 1-800-PREPARE, an emergency products company. Another uptick in business occurred after Superstorm Sandy. “This woke a lot of people up” to preparedness, he says. While you may not know exactly which calamitous event could occur, you are guaranteed to find a wide array of survival essentials available for purchase.
SHELTER: Your apocalyptic abode could be a
crude shelter or a suite in an elaborate underground community. More than 1.8 million YouTube viewers have gleaned DIY tips for converting a standard shipping container into a backyard bunker at a cost of roughly $12,500. For $50,000 per person, more upscale accommodations are available from California-based Terra Vivos. Founder Robert Vicino says his underground lodgings will provide food, water, clothing, fuel, and furnishings for up to 1,000 people for a year. Plans also include wine cellars, hydroponic gardens, and medical facilities. The shelters are designed to withstand pandemics, asteroid collisions, nuclear blasts, biological weapons, and even temporary submersion in water. “Vivos becomes a modern-day fortress where our members are safe,” Vicino says. The company has received 25,000 applications for 6,000 planned spaces. Three facilities are currently underway, one each in Colorado, Indiana, and Nebraska.
FOOD: Foods boasting a 30-year shelf life are
available to stock apocalyptic pantries. One food supplier, Utah-based Augason Farms, touts delivering “delicious peace of mind” through its long-lasting freeze-dried produce, dry bakery and dairy mixes, and flavored meat substitutes. A 30-day emergency kit for one person costs $99, while a four-person, one-year supply retails for $3,745.
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Computer-generated image of Vivos underground shelter’s shared lounge area. Image courtesy of TerraVivos.
WATER: When Michael Pritchard, creator of the
Lifesaver bottle, demonstrates his portable water filtration product, he pours a murky brew of scummy pond water, sewage run-off, decayed plants, and rabbit feces into his bottle. A few pumps of the device activate the nano-filtration process and out comes sterile drinking water. The $189 Lifesaver 6000 processes 6,000 liters of water.
PERSONAL PROTECTION: Weapons top
the shopping lists of many people preparing for catastrophe. The Gerber Apocalypse Kit may bring to mind tiny containers of super-fortified peas. Wrong. Instead, $349 buys a pack of lethal-looking knives, machetes, and hatchets from Oregon-based Gerber, a manufacturer of knives and outdoor gear. The company’s website claims the kit will help mere mortals effectively battle zombies…or cut branches. Perhaps the most powerful tool for preparing for cataclysmic events is something money can’t buy— basic planning. “Start thinking about preparedness,” says Faust. “That’s even more important than getting supplies.” Although it’s a tough lesson, he hopes the Sandy disaster spurs readiness action: “Use this to think about ‘what I’m going to do next time,’ because I guarantee there’s going to be a next time.” –J.M. STENDER
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Selecting Against Disease A genetically engineered future.
should die with a good quality [of life] to the end. Beyond that, if it’s low quality, why extend it with greater longevity?”
Although we may not have control over the end of the world, genetic counseling and selection will give us power to manipulate the quality and extent of individual lives.
Genetics is changing rapidly, but society’s views haven’t caught up with the times. History has a way of staying with us. The term “genetic selection” brings back memories of eugenics, the Holocaust, and science fiction novels of the 1920s. These provoke images of mass exterminations in the quest to create the “perfect human.” The focus of genetics today is to make human life better and more optimal.
In a recent British study, scientists were able to screen for a mutation called BRCA that significantly increases your chances of getting breast cancer. The risk goes from one in 12, for the average person, to seven in 10 for people with this mutation. Screening for and selecting against this mutation could help eliminate breast cancer in future family members who would otherwise carry the faulty mutation and its associated risks.
Though we are far from living without disease, research indicates what’s on the cusp: the completed cancer genome looks at what happens to tumors when they mutate; Cell Free Fetal DNA screens for genetic disease as early as seven weeks into pregnancy; reprogramming adult skin cells back into something called a pluripotent cell, or stem cells; and gender selection, to name a few.
Within the last 10 years, the use of the human genome enabled scientists of all fields to understand the human being in ways beyond our science fiction imaginations. Dr. Ronald Green, a Dartmouth College bioethicist, thinks genetics should be used to increase the quality of life, versus longevity. He describes it like this: Picture a graph with an x-axis, depicting longevity, and the y-axis, representing the current quality of life. It will have a rising and descending hill, with the quality going down as you age. Green sees the graph of the future as a rectangle, where the quality of life stays the same until you die of old age.
1997 The video game Fallout is released for DOS/ Windows. The game’s plot follows a protagonist fighting to survive in the aftermath of a global nuclear war. The war starts as nations fight for control over nonrenewable natural resources.
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Genetic research today is still in its infancy, says Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director for the Center for Genetics and Society. It may still take decades to see physical applications of research presently being done. So when is it time to draw the hypothetical line between innovation and something out of an Aldous Huxley novel? “I have no problem with preventing the births of people who have diseases that are fatal,” Darnovsky says. “Once you start moving into less serious diseases, or even things that don’t have medical implications, I think it’s fair to call it eugenics. It leads to a world of greater inequality, that’s a terrible idea and a dangerous idea.”
“It’s terrible to have a loss of personality, like Alzheimer’s and dementia,” he says. “Women shouldn’t have to live lives with breast cancer. The ideal is that everyone
1997 Thirty-eight followers of Marshall Applewhite and his Heaven’s Gate cult commit mass suicide. They believe their souls are going to board a spacecraft and become “above human.”
1998 God is to appear on Channel 18 on every TV set in America after a 10 a.m. flight arrival on a flying saucer. He is also supposed to look exactly like “The True Way” church’s leader HonMing Chen.
“
–URMILA RAMAKRISHNAN
It’s terrible to have a loss of personality...
”
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“
I breathed a sigh of relief that Hong Kong made it into the 21st century without disaster.
I THINK THE CALENDAR WILL END. WE’LL TURN THE PAGE AND IT WILL BE JAUNARY 2013.
The Mayans,
they talked about this as a time where we come together as a species. If you focus so much on the loss, you will be overwhelmed and discouraged.
IF YOU’RE READY TO SURVIVE SHAMBLING HORDES OF THE UNDEAD, YOU’RE READY TO SURVIVE ANYTHING ELSE..
E v e r y m o r n i n g , I s a y a p r a y e r ... I promi s e d b a c k t h e n a n d I ’ ve never missed.
NATURE LOVES A VACUUM...IF YOU CREATE A SPACE, NATURE IS GOING TO FILL IT.
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&
The Academics, the Artist Lives spent exploring the ins and outs of the end.
By Urmila Ramakrishnan John Watkins walks from his office to the classroom where he teaches apocalyptic literature at the University of Minnesota. He clasps a golden-leafed Mormon Bible while fervently describing what would happen if a global pandemic struck. A passerby glares. Watkins wonders if it’s the Bible, talk of the pandemic, or a combination of the two that was the cause. In spite of the disdain these subjects may bring, Watkins relishes them. Today’s lecture is on the Mormon apocalypse. He leans against the desk in the center of the room in his all-brown tweed suit and strums his fingers as a haunting hymn echoes through the room: guitar and harp strings pluck at simple chords, then a flute chimes in. A woman sings in tribute to the Mormon prophet and church founder Joseph Smith. “Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah. Jesus anointed that prophet at sea. Blessed to all… kings shall extoll him and nations revered. Hail to the prophet ascended to heaven. Traitors and titans will fight him in vain. Mingling with God, he can plan for his reverend. Death cannot conquer the hero again.”
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&
the Mayan
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“
What turns me on about the apocalypse is the way it makes all different social fears, expectations, and longings visible. It makes all those very, very present.
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THE EVERYDAY APOCALYPTICIST
While many people possess a fleeting curiosity about apocalyptic events, others, like Watkins, make it a part of their studies, their work, and their lives. “What turns me on about the apocalypse is the way it makes all different social fears, expectations, and longings visible,” says Watkins. “It makes all those very, very present. So the apocalypse makes all the underlying social tensions agitated and nervous.” Watkins started teaching his end of the world class as a senior seminar for English majors in 1999, at the turn of the millennium. With fears of Y2K percolating in our collective consciousness, he felt it was too good an opportunity to pass up. The only time Watkins was nervous about an apocalypse was when the clock first struck midnight Jan. 1, 2000. “I breathed a sigh of relief that Hong Kong and China made it to the 21st century without disaster.” Watkins’s course centers around four main motifs: ancient scripture and origins of the apocalypse; Elizabethan texts, which often included apocalyptic themes; contemporary evangelicals in America; and global pandemic threats. “We end with the pandemic about the time we hit cold and flu season,” Watkins chuckles.
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THE BEGINNING OF THE END
How does one stumble into studying the apocalypse? Watkins says two routes led him to researching Doomsday. His dissertation was on Elizabethan literature, which heavily concentrates on apocalyptic themes. His exposure to the subject, however, began much earlier than his college days. “I grew up in a non-apocalyptic religious tradition in the middle of the American South, where I was surrounded by apocalyptic believers,” Watkins says. His family was Catholic, while the community was largely evangelical. “It was, for me, a foreign discourse, but it was also one that was all around me. It was like you're living in a multilingual area, and you speak one language, but you also understand the other languages around you. So it was very much an insider-outsider thing. I was an outsider nonapocalypticist surrounded by people that thought apocalyptically.” Watkins says that experience allowed him to understand the apocalypse well, but also to reject it. In December 2012—the month that some predict the world will end—Watkins plans to be in Mexico with his 15-year-old son and partner. He’s not concerned about the prophesized finale. “I think the calendar will end. We’ll turn the page and it will be January 2013,” Watkins says.
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I don’t think the Maya really saw that particular day was going to be the end of the world.
COUNTING ON A NEW BEGINNING Dr. Jose Jaramillo, a film director, has Mayan roots and was born in Mexico. He began studying the Mayan calendar in 1998.
MY MUSE, THE APOCALYPSE
While most people may contemplate the end for the duration of a book or movie, James Berger has dedicated a good portion of his career to studying end of the world situations and how they’re portrayed in film. The Yale University professor finds filmmakers’ interpretations of Doomsday scenarios an interesting reflection of society’s views at different points in history. For example, amid the Cold War fears of the early 1960s, Stanley Kubrik’s film, Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, envisioned a nuclear Armageddon. The 1995 film 12 Monkeys portrayed a man-made virus that caused the end of the human race. Berger first became interested in “the end” in the mid 1980s, when his fascination in action movies coincided with intensification of the Cold War during the Reagan presidency. The dangers facing the United States made the end of the world less of a theory and more of a possibility. “There was a social curiosity on my part to kind of diagnose what was happening to the country at that time,” Berger says of the period. He felt “the sense that something really had ended—that we were living in the wake of this catastrophe.” The feeling grew into a lifelong fascination with apocalyptic content. Difficult experiences in Berger’s youth also shaped his interest. In the book After the End: Representations of Post-Apocalypse, Berger recounts how his only two sisters were mentally disabled, which he says contributed to his knowledge of catastrophe. As for the predicted Dec. 21 end date: “I think absolutely nothing about it. Why should anyone think anything about it? It is bologna. I mean who the [expletive] cares.”
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Jaramillo has directed three movies dedicated to explorations of the Mayan calendar, two of which center the calendar and its links to apocalyptic predictions. “I think the Maya were looking at things much, much bigger than our current society in thinking about time.” His first film, Between Two Worlds, explores the differences between the Gregorian and the Mayan calendars. His second movie, The Alignment Within, chronicles the lives of people who use the calendar as a guide for their everyday living. His latest work focuses on the Mayans’ most sacred calendar. “There are many different calendars of the Mayans, but the most important calendar of all—and this is something that was hidden even among the Maya itself—is the 260-day calendar. We now have access to this sacred calendar.” Jamarillo says the 260-day calendar aligns with the human body’s 260 major joints and bones. It also reflects the natural cycles between the physical and spiritual worlds. In contrast to an end caused by an enormous earthquake, meteorite collision, or global pandemic, he sees the patterns of the Mayan calendar as symbols of stability and renewal. He anticipates transition, not destruction. “We ask the question of why people are afraid of this and other prophecies. They are more concerned about the Mayan prophecies because the Maya were so accurate with their solar eclipse and with the lunar eclipse [calculations], but I think that the most important thing to know, to understand, [is] that Dec. 21, 2012 symbolizes the end of a 5200-year calendar. “I don’t think the Maya really saw that particular day was going to be the end of the world. “The Maya, they talked about that this would be a time where we should be working together as a species. So instead of looking at something negative to happen, we should go and create with our minds and with our thoughts that something good for us is going to happen on Dec. 21, 2012. ”
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BEYOND THE MIND
“Everything physical ends,” says Chad Marsolek, a psychology professor at the U of M. “Not just our lives and the lives of other living things on this planet, but also nations and civilization. Even our planet will end someday, when our sun ends. When we realize this and then hear predictions of the end of the world, it’s an at least somewhat intriguing thing to think about.” To be able to imagine a catastrophic end that may not happen is less daunting than thinking about our actual death, which is unavoidable. It’s a way of coping with the inevitable—a way to joke and cheat death without delving into the reality of it. That’s why artist Cole Hoyer-Winfield finds it interesting. Every seat is filled in the Open Eye Theater in downtown Minneapolis. It’s a Saturday evening in late October. There is a cat, a hippie, a toucan, and three caped, fangless vampires in attendance. Hipsters gather on the floor with a plethora of plush pillows. The lights dim. A cape-clad Hoyer-Winfield appears onstage with the three other Draculas. He places a projector at center stage. A box rests on top of it. A chill fills the air. Double doors open to reveal a screen. The reptilians are coming! As Hoyer-Winfield rotates a lever connected to the wooden box, pictures glide across the screen. His black-and-white drawings narrate a Doomsday chronicle about the Planet X reptilian invasion and a giant meteor hitting the Earth.
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Hoyer-Winfield’s fascination with the end of the world began far from his Minneapolis studio, in Brazil, where strange coincidences ultimately inspired his art. In answer to whether he considers himself a spiritual person, he says, “Yeah, well I am spiritual, but I just sort of make it up. I’ve just had a lot of really weird experiences, like a lot of coincidences that make a lot of sense.” One of those coincidences was meeting his printmaking influence: an 85-year-old hermit-artist who had published a book that HoyerWinfield found mesmerizing. “I was just cruising around used book stores trying to find it. I finally got it [two days before leaving Brazil] and got back to the U.S., and just poured over it for two years.” Hoyer-Winfield later returned to Brazil where he ended up working at a municipal building for printmaking. He and a colleague began to talk about the local artist whose work Hoyer-Winfield had studied. “I was like, man, it would be really cool to meet him, but I don’t have any of his contact information and he doesn’t know me. He’s 85. I don’t know if it would work out.’” The colleague said that the man Hoyer-Winfield was talking about had been in that very building two years ago and published a yellow book, the same inspirational book Hoyer-Winfield bought during his earlier visit. “The studio where I’d ended up completely by chance, out of this whole country, was the one place where a book was made of his work. They gave me his contact information, and I went to Olinda to visit him.”
As Hoyer-Winfield’s story progresses, his voice and the accompanying music get louder and louder. At points, the transparencies shake, lending the pictures a sense of motion and urgency. The world really is going to be taken over by the reptilian-like creatures. …Or is it?
Experiences like this one prompted Hoyer-Winfield to believe that Dec. 21 will bring a spiritual change. He doesn’t envision a dark or catastrophic end like he portrays in his artwork, but predicts that either new souls will be transported through a portal, or our souls will evolve.
Hoyer-Winfield is a block printer. His studio is located in an old building tucked between a restaurant and a picture-framing store in Minneapolis. He sits at the only table in the middle of the room. A wooden carving of a hand emerging from a chaotic background lies next to black-andwhite cards. He hand carves drawings into wooden blocks. The patterns are transferred to paper by a movable press.
The world may or may not end on Dec. 21. If the calendar goes on, these individuals and others like them will continue to weave the apocalypse into their existences, awaiting other end dates with bated breath.
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ART & IMMORTALITY Revisiting humanity’s quest for eternal life.
By Abbey Kleinert
Members of the undead, such as
zombies and vampires, have found their place in popular culture, but the human obsession with immortality can be traced back much further than the modern day Edward and Bella. Some of the most striking examples come in the form of relics from ancient emperors’ tombs in China and the pharoahs’ pyramids in Egypt. One could go as far as to say that our country was founded on the notion of eternal life, since the beginnings of European settlement in the United States coincide with Ponce de Leon’s search for the fountain of youth. While today we stagger around zombie pub crawls and fantasize about vampire romances, there lies a real army of thousands buried underground, seemingly awaiting the dawn of their empire. They are the life-size terracotta warriors that guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. He was a man so obsessed with immortality that he buried himself in an underground kingdom, complete with warriors, servants, and lavish furnishings for the afterlife. Since they were discovered by chance in 1974, millions have visited the site to see the ones that have been unearthed, rebuilt, studied, and shipped around the world. And now they have invaded Minneapolis. The exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts will be showcasing the terracotta warriors until Jan. 20, 2013, exploring the idea of humans’ quest for immortality through the things that we make and own. The notion of taking physical objects of beauty and meaning with us to the afterlife, and how that either lessens the blow of death or helps us prepare for what’s next, is fascinating to say the least.
Drawing by John Beckmann, Stampede Press, from graphic book Here Were Hanged 38 Sioux Indians Dec. 26th, 1862
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Today, people are still talking about Qin Shihuang and the impressive burial and preparation he orchestrated for his afterlife. But the power of the objects he left behind means more to those here now, than it does to the deceased.
Armoured General Qin dynasty (221–06 BCE) Terracotta, high 198 cm, width 71cm, depth 63 cm; weight 250 kg The images are produced with kind permission from the Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum ©Photograph by Xia Juxian and Guo Yan
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A Prepper’s World
A look into the curiously commonsense culture of disaster preparedness.
By Sarah Rose Miller
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When Superstorm Sandy swept in from the Atlantic Ocean in October, government officials seemed ready to deal with the aftermath—a far cry from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when local, state, and federal government stumbled to respond to the devastation in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Even so, Sandy left hundreds of thousands without power for more than a week as temperatures dipped into the 30s, and tens of thousands of residents remained homeless. If Katrina was a primer in government inefficiency, Sandy may be a follow-up lesson in how even when the government is better prepared, people are still vulnerable to the consequences of devastating events.
VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS
Members of the national disaster preparedness advocacy group Zombie Squad have been active on the group’s online forum discussing Sandy and how they are coping with the storm’s effects as they assist others. One member, “jor-el,” writes about helping set up a shelter in Queens and standing guard against looters outside a fire station in the Rockaways. Another forum member who goes by “Pilsung” comments, “Right now we're voices in the wilderness, but for millions who are suffering through Sandy's aftermath we may suddenly seem prescient.” The Zombie Squad is devoted to being able to tackle emergency situations when they arise. As Nicholas O’Bryan, a Minneapolis man who is active in disaster preparedness efforts, puts it, “If you’re ready to survive shambling hordes of the undead, you’re ready to survive anything else.” The squad assists people in disaster situations and conducts blood drives and fundraising for disaster relief charities, but their primary focus is educating people to be prepared for disasters on an individual level, also known as “prepping.” “That’s really all prepping is about, is being prepared,” says “Joe Prepper,” who asked to be called by his prepping alias. Joe looks like your typical downtown suit-and-tie kind of guy, middleaged, at ease as he eats his tater tots and Reuben sandwich. “I am actually a boring guy,” he says. “I drive a computer for a living.” Joe also happens to stock about three months worth of food, is both a Red Cross and a National Rifle Association instructor, and has EMT training. He also has a plan for where he will go outside of the Twin Cities, should the situation ever require it. (In the world of prepping, such a place is known as a bug-out location. If preppers don’t own their own bug-out location, most will at least have a connection to someone who does.) Still on his prepping todo list is acquiring a second language, perhaps Hmong or Somali. In his view, former refugees in Minnesota’s Hmong and Somali communities are likely to have good ideas and resources for surviving in challenging situations because so many of them have faced greater hardships than your average native Minnesotan.
PREP A LITTLE, PREP A LOT
Prepping runs the gamut. “There is no statutory minimum or maximum to call yourself a prepper,” O’Bryan says. There are those who keep a case of meals, ready-to-eat (MREs) and a couple of jugs of water and consider themselves prepared. Others buy land, bury shipping containers for shelter, reserve enough food and water to last a year or more, and stockpile guns and ammunition both for hunting and protection. O’Bryan himself has supplies (“I don’t have a whole room, but I have enough…”) but puts more stock in planning and skills, which he has had ample opportunity to see the value of in his 15 years doing risk assessment for people traveling overseas.
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Most preppers consider numerous scenarios when planning their preps: natural disasters, pandemics, terrorist attacks, an asteroid impact, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), economic collapse—any of which could become reality. O’Bryan says the range of preparedness can be as simple as being equipped for local weather disasters—a practical attitude in Minnesota, where “we’re covered in snow six months of the year and the other six months we’re dodging tornadoes,” as he puts it—to preparing for T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. (The End Of The World As We Know It). Contending with natural disasters—something that most people have already experienced—generally tops the prepping list. A woman who asked to go by “Firefly” recounted multiple weather-related disaster experiences: an ice storm in Milbank, S.D., that knocked out power for more than a week; a tornado when she was living in Ham Lake, Minn., which left her and her three daughters without power for days; and an emergency situation where she was temporarily stranded on an island. These experiences reinforced what, for Firefly, was a natural tendency to be prepared. “I grew up in a fairly poor family, and we always gardened, and my mom did canning,” she recalls.
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It seems a lot of the things that my grandmother taught me are what the prepper groups call prepping. COMING TOGETHER IN THE END
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To Firefly, prepping is both commonsense and communal. She lives in a town of fewer than 5,000 people west of the Twin Cities and hopes that if the SHTF (S*** Hits The Fan) she and her neighbors will work together to support and protect one another. Her wilderness survival knowledge will allow her to teach community members to forage, and she thinks the preacher down the street could be helpful in uniting the community by delivering messages of cooperation. “That’s the intelligent way of looking at it,” she says, though she acknowledges that not all preppers share her view. “There’s a lot of people who look at it as, ‘I’m just gonna hunker down in my own house, point a gun barrel out the door, and, you know, everybody better fend for themselves.’” She says she has quit a number of online prepper groups because of the “extremely deep paranoia.” Luckily there are plenty of online organizations to choose from. One of the largest, the American Prepper Network, boasts more than 23,000 users who discuss everything from how to make your own soap to the best guns for T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. (“Dreamthinker79” advises owning three types of guns: a .22LR rifle for small game, a .308 rifle for large game, and a .357 revolver for self-defense.) The “Homestead Survival” page on Facebook, a popular prepper resource for information on emergency preparedness and self-sufficiency, has nearly 275,000 “likes.” James Wesley Rawles, New York Times bestselling author of the Patriots novel series, writes a survival blog, which claims to receive over 300,000 unique hits per week. Prepper Jack Spirko offers a weekly online radio podcast at his website, the Survival Podcast. His motto? “Helping You Live A Better Life, If Times Get Tough Or Even If They Don’t.”
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CRAZY, CLEVER…OR BOTH?
After Y2K, survivalists (the more common term at the time) became something of a societal joke. “A lot of folks have the misconception about the prepper community that they’re nut jobs, who live in the woods and have 18 children, and cart them around in the school bus,” O’Bryan says. “I would like to thank the National Geographic channel and Doomsday Preppers for that great image,” he laughs. “But these are people who are probably your friends, neighbors….” Disasters such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Fukushima nuclear crisis have sparked a revival in the preparedness movement. While there is still a definite fringe aspect to prepping, and “tin foil hats” (as moderate preppers affectionately term the more paranoid end of the spectrum) abound, preppers can point to numerous mega disasters to underscore that their approach is simply smart and sensible—like buying home insurance. In fact, several government agencies have recommended that average citizens engage in emergency preparedness. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a 204-page guide titled, “Are You Ready?” At the companion website, ready.gov, citizens are encouraged to prepare for natural disasters, pandemics, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined the lurching zombie apocalypse parade with a tongue-in-cheek campaign urging Americans to prepare for an attack of the walking dead, which will conveniently ready them for a pandemic, too. All this has lent prepping a certain legitimacy that it previously lacked.
READY FOR ANYTHING
Whatever group you’re a part of, whatever disasters you’re preparing for, there are certain items that almost every prepper considers essential. Food, water, guns and ammunition, medical supplies, a bug-out location, a bug-out bag…. O’Bryan points to his backpack. “You’ll notice most of the people who talk about their bug-out bag—it’s this huge, military esque backpack,” he says. “This is mine.” He unzips his run-of-the-mill backpack and pulls out a small first aid kit. “If somebody were to get hit by a car out on the street here, I actually have everything I would need until EMS arrives,” he says. Most people fill their bug-out bags with enough food, water, and other resources to survive for 72 hours. O’Bryan also carries his laptop in his bag, because it serves as his everyday tote. “And then, of course, I always carry one of these,” O’Bryan says. He lifts out a Ty Beanie Baby: Ringo, a raccoon. O’Bryan grins, but he is utterly serious. When he went to New Orleans as part of a post-Katrina aid effort, he stopped at a truck stop along the way and bought its entire inventory of stuffed animals. He uses the plush toys to calm children in an emergency. “If you hand this to a child and go, ‘This is my friend and he’s really scared. Will you take care of him for me?’ it gives them something to do, and it gives them a sense of responsibility,” O’Bryan explains. In prepping, it can be the big things (the underground bunker, the shelves full of ammunition) that count . . . or it can be the little things, like a soft brown raccoon.
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GONE By Mark Vancleave
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A c h i l d ’s d e a t h . Pa r a l y s i s. A f a m i l y m u r d e r.
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The Choice to Grow Three Minnesotans face what they thought would be their end.
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By Amelia Kaderabek
The complete loss of something or someone significant is comparable to the world crumbling to an end, and to continue living brings with it a true test of survival. Henry Allen, Michael Degnan, and Jim Lym’s worlds changed in an instant, but through support groups, prayer, and family, each has emerged from the rubble a survivor.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Henry Allen remembers the moment his world ended. It was seven months before his son Cameron passed away, after Henry saw what looked like a giant summer peach sitting in the middle of the 11-year-old’s brain. Cameron had been diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer. He was a child sick from an adult disease, one that typically occurs in Caucasian men over the age of 45. The doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told Henry there was nothing more that medicine could do for his son. But the amount of time left with Cameron wasn’t clear. That felt like the end for Henry. Seven months later, Cameron died. “Losing a child is like losing an eye,” Henry says. “You have a different perspective.” While Cameron was sick, he and Henry talked about starting a support system for parents living in the hospital with their critically ill children. Called the Brain Candy Project (BCP), the organization’s mantra is “no one is alone.” BCP supports parents of children with brain cancer so they can help their children heal. Henry finds he is able to channel his grief from Cameron’s death into service with BCP by trying to make the families staying in hospitals with their children as comfortable as possible. Before Cameron died, he envisioned a Brain Candy Magazine, which he hopes will one day become a reality. Someday he also hopes there will be a Brain Candy credit card for families to use for various hospital and care expenses. “You don’t ever move on from this, you adapt,” he says. “You have to adapt to this new world and navigate as best you can.” FALL 2012
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Henry says his core identity truly changed when Cameron was born. In fact, his birth was a miracle in and of itself since Henry had testicular cancer and faced a 50 percent chance of becoming sterile.
It has been 15 years since his world radically changed, but Degnan has learned a lot about himself and the power of poetry, people, and prayer in his life. “One of the things is that this disability stays with you each day, every morning,” Degnan says.
Henry says that Cameron was also very spiritual. He talked about his own mortality and had a lot of wisdom, sharing his journey through blogs and YouTube videos. His first written blog reassured everybody not to worry and “serves as a great documentation of what’s possible when you have life-changing and worldchanging news,” Henry says.
Degnan used to be a person who got right out of bed in the morning to start his day, but now it takes him longer. Even the most basic tasks like getting out of his car and into his chair demand more energy. It took him some time to fully recognize that he had to factor in extra minutes and even hours to care for himself. “I hadn’t fully accepted what this loss means,” Degnan says.
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Before Cameron’s death, Henry’s world had “blown apart” at various times throughout his life. He survived cancer, went through two marriages—first to a woman, then a man—and grew up in five different countries with a father who was a global diplomat. But these events helped prepare Henry to survive the death of his child. “That was sort of my life rhythm,” he says. “That prepared me in a way to meet challenges and meet change.”
Rather than an ending world, I would maybe describe it as transforming. A transformation.
Today, Henry believes in a community of existence and feels that Cameron is still very much present in the world. “Everybody you see around you is your world,” he says.
A TRANSFORMATION
Dr. Michael Degnan’s world came crashing down July 30, 1997. That’s when the St. Thomas University ethics and philosophy professor fell 30 feet to the ground while painting his house, crushing his spine and fracturing his skull. He was left paralyzed from the diaphragm down.
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During the 30 years Degnan has been married to his wife, 15 of those where spent as what he calls an “ablebodied” person. He’s been a paraplegic for the rest. But the love and support of his wife has been absolutely essential for his healing process through his world change.
In addition, the overwhelming support from his community is a gift Degnan says he feels he can never properly return. “In the world of faith and prayer, community and friendship are so critical,” he says. “That’s a major change in looking at myself.” Although Degnan’s fall ended the life of a major section of his body, he hasn't let it be the end of his world, and has used the experience to learn more about himself. “Rather than an ending world, I would maybe describe it as transforming. A transformation,” he says.
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This transformation began when Degnan recognized the loss he has endured, instead of being overwhelmed and discouraged by it. At first, there was a sense of minimization and loss, and he only focused on what he was able to do, which was comparatively limited compared to his previous world. Degnan’s fall not only diminished his ability to control any voluntary body function below his diaphragm, but also added extra health complications. He remembers once thinking, “Why don’t I just get rid of my legs?” due to always bringing them along and transferring them. “But I’m glad to be whole,” he says.
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Dependency without shame is part of the human condition, and Degnan says realizing this has been absolutely essential for his overall transformation. Prayer saved Degnan and continues to do so. He often recites poetry and prayers he memorized when he spent months on bed rest in both 2005 and 2006. He says one particular prayer every day, relishing in the calming effect of the words and meaning.
“It’s very hard to forgive oneself, and thinking of God helps me,” he says. “I don’t always succeed, I don’t always succeed at this.”
The healing process started after the head of the homicide bureau in St. Paul, Minn., convinced Jim and his family to go to a group called Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) as a support resource.
We’re a tough family and we’ll be able to make it through. We’re not sure how, but we’ll get through.
A UNIFICATION
Jim Lym is the father of a close Irish family made up of one son and four daughters. It’s a family that not only shares a deep love for one another, but also passes it along to anyone else with whom they come in contact. Whenever a guest comes into the Lym’s Shoreview, Minn., home, they are greeted with a hug. They are sent off with the same when they leave. On Jan. 14, 1995, this tight-knit family was unexpectedly torn apart and their world flipped upside down when Jim's only son, Michael, was murdered. Michael was a St. Paul cab driver who worked late-night and weekend shifts. Although the job suited him well—he never got in an accident and made a decent living—he was ready to stop working the late shifts because of the shady characters and other dangers. Before he could quit, he was robbed, shot, and killed on the job at the age of 37. After that devastating event, Jim and his family faced the
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seemingly impossible challenge of returning to their old world. “We’re a tough family and we’ll be able to make it through,” Jim says. “We’re not sure how, but we’ll get through.”
Not only did the group help the Lym family grieve the loss and adapt to their new world, but it was also an invitation to join a community of people who have also experienced the violent loss of somebody close.
The support group clicked with the Lym family completely. “It was almost instant magic,”Jim says. “There were 12 other people who had a murder [affect their lives] and who lived through it and could still laugh. As it turned out, we were hooked.”
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Jim has been the chapter leader of POMC for almost 17 years. There are more than 14,000 people involved with POMC in some way and Jim says the group is incredibly important to his survival and growth. “We’re going to keep it going for as long as we can,” he says. Besides his work with POMC, Jim's healing also includes meeting with murderers in prisons to help them put their actions into perspective. He says he does this service in honor of all the people who were loved and murdered. When Jim speaks with them he says they not only ruined another family, but also their own. Throughout all of Jim's healing and survival, he never forgets his son. “Every morning I say a prayer for Mike,” he says. “I promised back then, and I’ve never missed [a day].”
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ALIGN
[Un]sustainable An environmental dilemma. concern
perception
noise disparity alarm action changing atmosphere
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ALIGN
There seems to be a disparity between government action and public perception about the changing atmosphere. People who are not alarmed by climate change and global warming may actually undermine government and corporate efforts to reduce waste. This stark contrast may have an effect on how the Earth ends.
“Compare climate change to gun control,” says Anthony Leiserowitz, from the Yale Project on Climate Change. Unlike gun control, there isn’t a set organization that takes paper and turns it into action. “Movements like pro-life or anti-immigration are organized,” he says. “The community hasn’t done that with climate change yet.” Researchers from the Yale Project on Climate Change asked 2,008 American adults for their opinions on climate change over the course of five years. The poll showed that the number of people truly concerned about global warming has decreased 5 percent since 2008. “Of the people that were alarmed by global warming, 82 percent hadn’t done anything to control or stop it,” Leiserowitz says. On the other side of the spectrum are projects like the Kyoto Protocol, headed by the United Nations to reduce green house gas emissions. The success of the project cannot be determined yet, a representative of the Green House Gas Data Center says.
Gas emissions from the European Union decreased 10 percent since the project started in 1990. “In the U.S., companies like Waste Management convert landfill waste into renewable energy,” says Julie Ketchum, the director of government affairs for Waste Management. “You’re going to hear two different answers,” Ketchum says about waste reduction over the years. “Overall waste generation has decreased because of the economy. Most of the waste is from stuff you’ve bought. Volumes are down at least 10 percent nationwide.” Combine that answer with the perception study from the Yale Institute, and you’ve got a chasm between concern and action. Could it spur an environmental apocalypse? Probably not. But it is something we should think about. The debate between individual action and organizational policy pushing is something to consider when thinking about Earth’s untimely demise. Most people do acknowledge Mother Nature’s
2000 1999
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During the Y2K scare, people believe a technical bug will crash every computer in the world.
2000 American evangelist, Hal Lindsey, states that Christians will be accepted into heaven by this year.
The Nuwaubian Nation forecasts a “star holocaust,” in which planets will line up and be pulled toward the sun.
changing attitude, with more catastrophic storms and an earlier onset of seasons. That’s not saying that there aren’t climate change cheerleaders rooting for defensive moves. Based on this study and the actions currently being taken, there needs to be more noise. Unlike abortion or voter identification, there aren’t set lobbyists rooting for the Earth. There are no particular individuals affected like there are with same-sex marriage. Changing the perception of an issue is something that happens only with time. Whether humans have contributed to the end of the world is undetermined. It depends on which side of the chain you pull, as with any issue. In the end, human perception is a deciding factor on how the world’s axis continues to tilt and whether the world crumbles like a teetering landfill or stands tall like the Himalayan peaks. — URMILA RAMAKRISHNAN
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ALIGN Games
Play the classic party games with an end of the world twist: Pin the Tail on the Horseman End of the World Charades (use pop culture end of the world movies and books)
Invitations
Send them out early. There may be others who are in your same cynical boat who want to seize the moment by throwing the party to end all parties, so your invite should be the first they receive. When inviting your guests, make it clear that this is not a time to contemplate and fear Dec. 21. Have your guests come ready to party like there’s no tomorrow! Whitepeacock Styled Events owner, Nicole Liwienski, recommends sending shotgun shell invites, which clearly state the memo to come celebrate with an end of the world blast.
Earth Piñata Guess How Many (fill a jar with Sour Patch Kids and have guests guess how many to win)
Dress Code
Because no one truly knows what the end of the world is going to look like, encourage your guests to wear an apocalypse-themed costume of their choice. This can range from an outfit to survive a natural disaster to a zombie. The more open-ended, the better.
T.E.O.T.
Music 1. R.E.M. - “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” 2. Britney Spears - “Till the World Ends” 3. Blondie - “Rapture” 4. Wyclef Jean “Apocalypse” 5. Muse - “Apocalypse Please” 6. The Doors - “The End” 7. Barry McGuire - “Eve of Destruction” 8. AC/DC - “Highway to Hell” 9. Skeeter Davis - “The End of the World” 10. U2 - “Until the End of the World” 11. Jay Sean - “Party Like it’s 2012” 12. Europe - “The Final Countdown” 13. Shaggy - “End of the World (Drink Up)” 14. Def Leppard “Armageddon It” 15. Cranberries “Zombie” 34 FIN MAGAZINE
Survival Ball by the Yes Men theyesmenarervolting.com
Food
Make sure all food is prepared ahead of time. Avoid a mad, lastminute rush, which may end up looking like an apocalyptic-zombiesurvival-of-the-fittest scene as people fight for the last package of dark chocolate. Buy it in bulk because if you get your invitations out early enough, your gathering will most likely be the one everyone attends. Devils on Horseback (Deviled Eggs) Chocolate Volcano Cake Death By Chocolate Cake White chocolate fountain (because, who knows, we might all go to heaven) with pretzels, marshmallows, and fruit for dipping.
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20END12 save the date OF
THE
WORLD
PARTY
ALIGN Decorations
Don’t worry about skimping on the flashy decorations. Who knows how many more end of the world prophecies are coming up, so make this celebration one for the books. Cover the ceiling with helium balloons and cut the strings so they don’t fall in your guests’ faces. This will help create a festive feel. Liwienski suggests placing dry ice in a pair of old gym sneakers around the house, as if someone was just “taken.” Create a survival kit centerpiece for the food table and give it to one lucky guest at the end of the night.
Cocktails
As for other alcoholic beverages, there are many ways to ring in the end times.
DE CEMB E R 2 o
T. W.A.W.K.I. Party like there’s no tomorrow.
If you truly believe the world is coming to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, the best way to spend your last night is by being with those who are near and dear to your heart. However, if you are completely skeptical of the whole thing, why not plan a “The End Of The World As We Know It” (T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I.) party? Whether or not the world actually does end, raise your glass and welcome the stroke of midnight. As Katie Lenz, project manager at Event Lab in Minneapolis, says, “Celebrate like there’s no tomorrow! And don’t sweat the small stuff, just roll with the punches and enjoy yourself.”
Beverages
Be sure to pick up your drink supplies early; otherwise the other skeptics out there will clear out the liquor store before you can say, “Harold Camping.” Serve end of the world-themed drinks.
1 2/3 oz gin 1/3 oz dry vermouth 1 olive
Stir gin and vermouth with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass, add the olive, and serve.
Four Hoursemen shot:
1 part Bourbon whiskey 1 part Tennessee whiskey 1 part Scotch whisky
Beer
1 part Irish whiskey
The Apocalypse – American Strong Ale
Mix them all together and down immediately.
If you want to be fancy and stay true to the end of the world theme, serve a few of these decadent, apocalyptic beers to start off the night. Otherwise, just get a few kegs of Coors Light.
Dry Martini
Lager of DeVINE Destruction – Golden Lager La Fin du Monde (French for “the end of the world”) – Abbey Tripel Shock Top End of the World – Wheat Beer Apocalypse Cow – American Double/Imperial IPA
FALL 2012
Champagne, obviously. —BECCA SHRAKE
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ALIGN
A skeptical perspective on the Mayan apocalypse.
Raised as an active member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Joshua Brose of Bloomington, Minn., once had dreams of becoming a youth minister or pastor. However, during his junior year of college, Brose says he came “to a conclusion that we, as humans, don’t really know much about the supernatural.” By default, he says, he became an atheist. FIN spoke with Brose about his skepticism surrounding the end of the world prediction on Dec. 21 and how he thinks life on Earth will cease to exist…far off into the future, that is.
Q: Why do you feel people need to believe in a catastrophic end of the world?
A: First off, the end of the world is going to be catastrophic however it happens. The demise of the Earth’s entire population is pretty much a catastrophe by definition. The real question is, “Why do people believe they know when the world is going to end?” This question is much more complex, and it depends on the individual. In my opinion, some people believe it because they think it gives them a license to do whatever they feel like without consequences. Others believe it because they have been trained to unconditionally accept the words of their holy books, or of their religious leaders. Still others, I feel, believe it because they think such a belief makes them seem interesting or important.
Q: Do you think it is your atheism that has made you feel it is unnecessary to be preoccupied with the world ending in a catastrophic way?
Joshua Brose contemplating the end of the world predictions. Photo by Shota Fuse Illustration by Alison Henderson
2001
The first recorded zombie walk, now called “The Zombie Parade,” is held in Sacramento, Calif. It is started by Bryna Lovig to promote The Trash Film Orgy’s annual midnight film festival. It has since become an annual event.
2004
Global warming causes a series of natural weather disasters and pushes the world into an ice age in the science fiction film The Day After Tomorrow.
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A: I think we should have a reasonable approach to the end of the world. I don’t think the apocalypse has a specific date, and I am confident that religion doesn’t have any answers for us. However, we live in an age that has nuclear weapons, melting ice caps, and highly effective terrorist regimes. Although I believe the Mayan apocalypse, the coming of Christ, and a final judgment are equally fallacious beliefs, there are still real dangers out there and we need to spend ample time preparing for them.
Q: Speaking of the 2012 Mayan apocalypse, what is your opinion on it?
A: I think that the date is a bad analysis of the Mayan culture and their dating system. While the date is currently supposed to be Dec. 21, 2012, if you actually look at the Mayan dating system, where that calendar would actually end would be somewhere in 8000 AD, so it would be a long time from now. Secondly, Maya believed that time was circular and that ends tend to cycle into beginnings. So basically, when we reach the end of the Mayan calendar, maybe they didn’t believe anything was going to happen. But if they did believe something was going to happen, it would probably be something akin to a new beginning.
Q: How and when do you believe the Earth will end?
A: The most likely thing, in my opinion, is that the sun will explode in billions of years from now and then the Earth will be gone. —ALLISON MANN
2006 An unexplained cataclysmic event turns our world into a post-apocalyptic wasteland in Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road. The story follows a boy and his father, who travel south after realizing they will not be able to survive a harsh winter. The novel is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007.
2009 2012 is released. The end of the world movie makes references to the Mayan calendar. The tagline simply reads, “We were warned.”
RENEW
Minding the End
How to feel calm in the face of uncertainty.
University of Minnesota senior Camille Ristow balances a 20-credit course load with a part-time job, and volunteer work at a local community center. All this would be manageable, she maintains, except that several of her close friends are going through tough times and Ristow finds it hard to let go of the anxiety she feels for them. “Most of my stress comes from me worrying about my friends,” Ristow says. “Usually what happens is, I’m stressing out about my friends and then I don’t do my homework.” Luckily for Ristow, she is learning how to reduce her stress and regain calmness and focus through techniques learned in a course on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
3. Listen to your body. Remember, mindfulness meditation is not about making your mind empty, but about paying attention to your entire body. Try to feel your body as a whole at first, and then do what MBSR practitioners call a “body scan.” Focus your attention on each part of your body, starting from your head and going all the way down to your feet. 4. Breathe. The breath is another important point of focus, especially for beginners, because it’s easy to find your mind wandering elsewhere. Storlie calls breath an “anchor of attention.” If you notice your mind is wandering, focus on your breath to help you to regain your concentration. “The breath is always here in the moment,” Storlie says. “The breath is never in the future or in the past.”
“Meditation means coming to rest; composing the body; going inward and being with self,” says Eric Storlie, a professor at the U of M’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. “Mindfulness meditation is composing the body; sitting still, but giving the same attention to our present, right now.” How does it work? Your mindfulness decreases when, for example, your mind wanders
Meditation means coming to rest; composing the body; going inward and being with self.
”
while driving a car. It increases when you focus on your driving—on the road ahead of you, the sound of the engine, the feel of your hands on the steering wheel. Therefore, mindfulness meditation means that you deliberately focus on your entire body while meditating.
FALL 2012
1. Find a place where you feel at ease. Make sure there is nothing close by that is likely to distract you. (In other words, turn off your cell phone.) 2. Choose a relaxed and comfortable position. There is no strict rule about what posture is appropriate or effective, so you can sit down on the floor or on a chair. But consider finding a position that brings your body to rest.
MBSR is a mindfulness meditation and yoga practice that has been shown to help alleviate mental and physical health problems, from chronic pain to extreme anxiety. Whether you are tense about midterms or relationships, struggling with health issues, or perhaps anxious about the impending Mayan apocalypse, meditation using MBSR techniques can help you cope.
“
While mindfulness meditation requires some lessons to be most effective, that does not mean that you cannot incorporate it into your life right now. Here is a basic guide to get you started:
Tung Le, a chemical engineering graduate from Vietnam, sits cross-legged for his meditation posture.
5. Get additional support. If you want to learn more, you can download free meditation podcasts from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center’s website (marc.ucla.edu), or follow Storlie’s suggestion to join the U of M’s “mindfulness club.”
After nearly two months doing mindfulness meditation on a regular basis, Ristow appreciates its effects on her. “Meditation helps me be in the present,” Ristow says. “Every meditation session, I end up feeling a lot more calm. Through meditation I’ve been learning to not stress out about my friends as much.” –SHOTA FUSE
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TIME
Defined
The mechanics of the Mayan calendar.
The ancient Maya used three different calendars to measure time: the Tzolk’in, the Haab, and the Long Count calendar. A fourth time cycle, called the Calendar Round, was created by combining the Tzolk’in and the Haab.
Tzolk’in + Haab = Calendar Round The Tzolk’in calendar is made up of 13 months, each with 20 days. This calendar may have been used to measure human gestation periods, which are approximately that long, says Phyllis Messenger, president of the Maya Society of Minnesota.
The Haab calendar is made up of months, each with 20 days, plus an additional five days. This calendar, at 365 days, measures a solar year.
The Calendar Round was created to measure more than one year at a time. The Calendar Round combines the Tzolk’in and the Haab, which rotate like gears to create a unique combination of deities each day for 52 years, at which point it realigns, according to Messenger. After the Tzolk’in and Haab realigned, Messenger says, the ancient Maya looked for a promise from the gods that they would receive another 52-year cycle.
LONG COUNT = 13 BAK’TUNS = 5,126 YEARS The Long Count calendar lasts about 5,126 years, running through 13 cycles of 400 years each. Each Long Count year contains only 360 days, unlike the Haab calendar year of 365 days. Dates on the Long Count are recorded very similarly to how we record Gregorian calendar dates today. However instead of having three categories (month/day/year), the Maya Long Count has five.
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20 DAYS = 1 MONTH
KINS = DAYS
18 MONTHS = 1 YEAR
WINALS = MONTHS
20 YEARS = 1 K’ATUN
TUNS = YEARS
20 K’ATUNS = 1 BAK’TUN
K’ATUNS = 20-YEAR-CYCLE
13 BAK’TUNS = 5,126 YEARS
BAK’TUNS = 400-YEAR-CYCLE
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0.0.0.0.0
DEITIES
Each of the 20 days and each of the months is associated with a deity, who is signified with an icon on the calendar. Many of the deities represent animals such as jaguars, monkeys, and serpents, Messenger says.
WHY 13 CYCLES?
The ancient Maya thought the number 13 was important. “Numbers, symbols, and references to gods are very important,” Messenger says. “These symbols were everywhere to reinforce their beliefs, authority, culture, and legitimacy.” Instead of having the last base reach 20, like most of the others, it only reaches 13.
THE LONG COUNT REALIGNS
The 13th cycle will be complete on Dec. 21, 2012, and will read 13.0.0.0.0 and reset at 0.0.0.0.0 on Dec. 22, 2012. Messenger says the ending of this cycle is important because it represents the ending of a very large cycle—one that has lasted over 5,000 years. –HOLLY SAX
Sketch of first day recorded on Mayan Calendar Long Count, displaying unique deity combination. Sketch done by Holly Sax.
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RENEW
End Time Beliefs
Exploring the world’s largest religions’ perspectives of our final days. Part of the appeal of religion has always come from religions’ willingness to offer answers to the most fundamental human questions—why are we here, where did we come from, and what will happen to us when we die? Most faiths try to answer those questions, and then go even further, positing answers to not only the immediate fate of the individual but, ultimately, the fate of all humankind. According to some portrayals, the end will come accompanied by death and destruction, with a final place of being that will be reserved for the pious. Other religions view time as cyclical, therefore each “end” is believed to be followed by a new beginning. Here’s a generalized overview of the end time beliefs of the world’s four largest religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
CHRISTIANITY In his book Maranatha; or, the Lord Cometh, 19th century Presbyterian minister and pre-millenialist James H. Brookes diagrams the Christian end time scenario. According to Brookes’ timeline, the end would look as follows. During the Rapture, all good Christians will be summoned to heaven. This will be followed by a seven-year period, during which all remaining people on Earth will suffer, and the Antichrist will rise to power through political action. Then a battle will take place between Jesus and the Antichrist, in the period known as the Revelation, and there will be judgment of the remaining people. Christians that died during the preceding battle will be summoned to heaven. Following this great battle, the Earth will enjoy a 1,000year period of peace. At the end of the millennium, Satan will return, but Jesus will kill him once and for all. The Final Judgment will see the Book of Life opened, and those whose names are not in it will be sent to a lake of fire. Finally, hell will be destroyed in the Judgment of the Great White Throne, and all those who are meant to go to heaven will be there. In this state of eternity, death and Earth will no longer exist or matter.
ISLAM There are many structural similarities between the end time beliefs of Islam and Christianity. What Christians call the End Times, Muslims know as the Final Hour. Just like in Christianity, Islamic beliefs promote a series of signs relating to the Final Hour, though belief points to only Allah knowing when this will happen. Islam also believes in Jesus and his return to fight the Dajjal (a figure comparable to the Antichrist, who will have one eye and the word Kafir—unbeliever—on his forehead) but they have another very important figure referred to as the Mahdi. There are disputes between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites as to who he is and what his purpose is exactly, but it can safely be said that his main purpose is to help Jesus restore order at the Final Hour.
Belief in the Mahdi has birthed movements know as “mahdism” in which an individual claims to be the Mahdi and sometimes While this is the official version, as depicted in the Bible, religion amasses huge numbers of followers. “It can have political, scholar and director of the University of Minnesota’s religious reformist, and militaristic values,” explains Dr. Iraj Bashiri, a studies department Jeanne Kilde is quick to point out, “The idea of leading scholar of Iranian studies. Iranian president Mahmoud end times is so foreign to most Christians. Most are not interested.” Ahmadinejad has implied in the past that his government is guided According to Kilde, only about 10 percent of Christians put much and supported by the Mahdi. thought into end time beliefs at all, and most certainly don’t expect The final judgment continues thus. Jesus will defeat the Dajjal, the end to come any time soon. then, when Jesus dies, the resurrection will begin. First, an There have been some notable exceptions, however, one of which environmental catastrophe will cause all life to perish, animals was the Millerites. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted and people alike. Once all are equal in death, they will be brought the second coming of Jesus and the start of the end times in before Allah to be judged. People will be separated into two 1844. His followers suffered from what is known as the Great groups, determined by their Book of Deeds, in which everyone’s Disappointment when Jesus failed to arrive. But this did not sins and good deeds have been recorded. Those whose good deeds dissuade many of them, and today the Seventh Day Adventists are outweigh the bad, and who have followed certain tenets, will safely a religious sect consisting of over 16 million members who formed make it across a bridge to heaven, while those who have sinned in from Miller’s teachings. Today most of the Seventh Day Adventists excess will have chains placed upon them and will fall down into still believe that the end times will happen, but they no longer try the fires of hell when they attempt to cross the bridge. Earth will no to predict when. longer be of any consequence. 40 FIN MAGAZINE
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2010 Many people believe that the world should end around this time because the Mayan calendar does not account for leap years. Mayan researchers, however, explain that the Mayan calendar is based off of mathematics, not the solar system, and therefore does not need to include leap years.
2011
2012
Comet Elenin travels past the Earth and is expected to either cause a series of earthquakes and tidal waves, or hit our planet.
The TV series Revolution premieres on NBC in the U.S. The show takes place 15 years after the “Blackout,” where everything on the planet dependent on electricity (including computers, car engines, and batteries) stops working.
2012
2012
Humble, Tex., will be the home of the Day After the End of the World Marathon.
The 2012 phenomenon Includes: Planetary alignment. The end of the Mayan Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. Polar shifts, or geomagnetic reversal. Nuclear war.
20202037 According to deceased astrologer Jeane Dixon, whose previous prediction failed, Jesus will take down the Antichrist, Satan, and the false prophet: the unholy Trinity.
Nibiru or other planetary collision. Alien invasion. A supernova. Zombie apocalypse.
BUDDHISM Like in Hinduism, the Buddhist conception of time is based on cycles, both large and small. In the Buddhist view of the world cycle—after the time of the historical Buddha, who is believed to have lived before 600 BC—teachings were slowly forgotten and the people progressed into a time of increasing degenerateness. Once the world is at its worst, Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, will arrive to renew HINDUISM Buddhist teachings. “I think visions of what life on Earth will be like under Maitreya vary from tradition to tradition,” comments Paul During a tour of the Hindu Temple in Maple Grove, Minn., Rouzer, a professor of Buddhism at the U of M. “At the most extreme, Hindu practitioner Ned Mohan talks about his religion’s view of the end times. “We may be living in end times, but we don’t it seems to be seen as a ‘heaven-on-Earth,’ with no more human suffering at all. At the very least, though, a great era of peace and worry about it,” Mohan says. Hindus’ ideas of time have a lot to do with this attitude, he explains. Hinduism refers to time on calm is predicted.” a cosmic scale that continues forever, in cycles. Rouzer says he has never actually seen writers talk about what will happen after Maitreya departs, since the focus is generally on how The main cycle of time that encompasses everything is called wonderful it will be when he comes. “But theoretically, yes, the world the Kalachakra. Within this main cycle there are four other will pass into darkness once again,” he says. cycles. The first is Satya Yuga, known as the Golden Age or Age of Truth, when people are at their most virtuous and the teachings are followed closely.
As the cycles continue, people become less and less virtuous, until finally, people are only filled with one-quarter of virtue in the fourth cycle. Seeing the poor state of life on Earth, Shiva, the god of destruction, will come and destroy the universe. Creator-god Brahma will then recreate everything and people will start over again in Satya Yuga. Although we are thought to currently be in the fourth cycle—Kali Yuga—there is no great concern among most Hindus, since Kali Yuga lasts 432,000 years. One cycle of Brahma is thought to last 4,320,000 years, so no matter what age we are in, it is not likely that we will see the exact end time. FALL 2012
A person goes through many rebirths in both religions in pursuit of liberation, the ultimate state of being where they reject the concept of life completely. In Hinduism this is known as moksha; in Buddhism it is called nirvana. Once you reach this enlightenment, you will no longer be reborn, instead you will exist peacefully in another realm. Until that point, the cycles of degeneration and renewal, with their periodic “end times,” will continue. End time beliefs have been important throughout history, and have been of special interest to the world’s religions. While differences abound, one thing seems to be constant across religion: as Rouzer succinctly puts it, “Everyone always assumes we are in the crappy period.”
–LACEY KIRWAN
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Experiences to take with you.
BEFORE WE GO
We asked our fellow University of Minnesota students what they want to do before the world ends. Grab a pen and paper and take note, because these were the best responses when students pondered the question: What do you want to do before you kick the bucket—or in this case, before the bucket kicks you?
10. Buy a cabin and live there until the
world ends. 9. Be an extra in a Nick Cage movie. 8. Try every drug there is, maybe twice. 7. Spit in a volcano and watch it sizzle. 6. Hug the president and/or shake his hand.
5. Have a ravishing love affair. 4. Drive 200 miles per hour. 3. Spend a night in the Cinderella suite at Disney World. 2. Go zorbing (bouncing around in a giant hamster wheel). 1. Stop wearing clothes. —ALISON HENDERSON
Just because we may be meeting an inevitable end Dec. 21, doesn’t mean we can’t take full advantage of our remaining days. Here at FIN, we used our best sources to compile lists of timeless things to do, places to see, and books and movies to experience before the end.
Movies to Watch: 1. Boogie Nights (1997)
See & Do: 1. Pyramids in Egypt
Books to read: 1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane
Courtesy of Chris Hewitt, movie critic at the Pioneer Press
Courtesy of Kristi Mackedanz, leisure travel specialist at Travel Leaders
Courtesy of Gary Thaden,
2. Citizen Kane (1941) 3. The Conformist (1970) 4. The Earrings of Madame de... (1953) 5. Finding Nemo (2003)
2. 3. 4. 5.
Whale shark diving in Belize Wine tasting in Italy The Outback in Australia Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef
Austen (1813) 2. The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas (1844) 3. Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle (1902) 4. All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren (1946) 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke (1968)
vice president of the Hennepin County Library Board —ALLY JENNRICH
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I will not speak of the old, decrepid world, Nor the Future world I am raptured by life, I look at my Friends, They’re Crazy But They Nourish great Hopes It’s Between them I Consider the great Reality, The Reality Which is so Enormous We Don’t Wander Far, We go Hand in Hand I will not be the Singer to a woman I will not tell stories I will not speak the whispers of dusk or the landscape seen from my window I won’t Deal Narcotics, Nor suicide notes I won’t run away to an island and I certainly won’t be rescued by angels
TIME IS MY MATERIAL the PRESENT TIME PRESENT COMPANY and the PRESENT LIFE “Maos Dadas” by Carlos Drummond de Andrade FALL 2012
Thank You We would like to extend a thank you to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Elizabeth Larsen, Jeanne Schacht, Scott Dierks, and Wally Swanson. And a special thanks to Dr. Al Tims for backing our design and concept and to the artists Cole Hoyer-Winfield and John Beckmann who graciously let us use their artwork. This publication is made possible by the Milton L. Kaplan Memorial Fund. FIN MAGAZINE 43
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