Not long ago news of Japan's 7.8 magnitude earthquake broke. That earthquake was subsequently upgraded to 8.8 magnitude just a little later that evening. An upgrade from 7.8 to 8.8 means a difference of 1000x the energy. Subsequently, just after having a late dinner, news broke of the massive tsunami with 10 meter high waves reaching far inland.
My family and I sat wide-eyed and shocked. Suddenly, there were reports that 19 countries were now in the path of an oncoming tsunami, including the entire North American and South American west coast, Australia, and New Zealand.
New Zealand Civil Defense issued a tsunami marine warning at 11:14pm, warning that residents should stay off beaches and out of the water, and avoid going sight-seeing. This would be downgraded though as they gathered more data and the wave dissipated.
It seems all over the world, something is going wrong. We're midway through 2011, but already natural disasters are sweeping the globe at apocalyptic proportions. Is this a normal part of global climate change? Will it all blow over? Did Aristotle and the Mayans have it right? What can we expect next?
Harold Camping's predictions for dooms day came and went, and yet there were actually people who believed him. Again. Camping claims he made a slight miscalculation. The end of the world is actually October 21, according to Camping.
It seems all over the world, something is going wrong. We're midway through 2011, but already natural disasters are sweeping the globe at apocalyptic proportions. Is this a normal part of global climate change? Will it all blow over? Did Aristotle and the Mayans have it right? What can we expect next?
Harold Camping's predictions for dooms day came and went, and yet there were actually people who believed him. Again. Camping claims he made a slight miscalculation. The end of the world is actually October 21, according to Camping.
Earthquakes in China, New Zealand, South America, Japan, Haiti, and all over, volcanos erupting in Italy and Chile, tsunamis in Japan, monstrous tornados tearing through America, immense flash floods in Australia and Brazil, the list goes on. And that still doesn't cover the strange mass deaths of birds and marine life occurring in little pockets around the world either, chiefly blackbirds dying in the US. I can't help but be reminded of The Core (2003) by director John Amiel. Click the link to go right to the bird scene at 6:55 in.
Okay, I'm sorry if I scared you. Honestly, I think the biggest reason we're hearing so many new reports nowadays of bad things happening, is because of the way that information travels. It's instant. If one of my friends has a cup of coffee, be they Auckland or Amsterdam, I'll know about before they've even had a chance for that caramel macchiato to cool down. Thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook and generally the way that information travels in today's world, we are able to have a greater consciousness of the world around us.
In reality, people have been warning of the end of days since probably the beginning of days. As humans, we tend to fear that which we don't understand. The world is changing, but I kind of think it's in a constant state of change – just like us. Storms and earthquakes and comets are scary, because they don't happen everyday. If anything, these disasters are good reminders that our own existence is actually quite fragile, and we should do our best to make the most of it. With so many paths and opportunities in this massive world around us, why be unhappy? It's not the end of the world, so take more risks to find happiness, because you never know.
In reality, people have been warning of the end of days since probably the beginning of days. As humans, we tend to fear that which we don't understand. The world is changing, but I kind of think it's in a constant state of change – just like us. Storms and earthquakes and comets are scary, because they don't happen everyday. If anything, these disasters are good reminders that our own existence is actually quite fragile, and we should do our best to make the most of it. With so many paths and opportunities in this massive world around us, why be unhappy? It's not the end of the world, so take more risks to find happiness, because you never know.
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