Brian Zheng, Period 7, 1/8/24

Brian Zheng Period 7 Modern Mythology 2024 1/8/24 Research Paper - The Human Obsession with Apocalypse For centuries, humans have pondered over the topic of “The Apocalypse”. The Norse’s Ragnarok, Bible’s Book of Revelation, or the story of Noah’s Ark, it seems the idea of the end of the world looms throughout history. With increasing new technology, contemporary media, and global catastrophes, apocalypticism remains relevant to the modern world. In 1947, after nuclear weapons were revealed to the public, the prospect of the arms race from the Soviet Union against the United States led the Bulletin to create the Doomsday clock, a design which warns the public on how imminent the end is. In recent years, COVID-19, the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli humanitarian crisis, wildfires, earthquakes, and many other disasters have edged the clock closer to midnight. Within 2023, the Doomsday clock had ticked to 90 seconds to midnight, unprecedented in the 76 years from when the clock was created. Interest over the apocalypse has only amplified over the last few years. According to studyfinds.org, 71.2% of Americans surveyed said that they had no faith in the U.S. government in preventing doomsday and that the end may even happen within their lifetime. Around a third of Americans surveyed from Finder.com, have prepared for a doomsday event. The dystopian genre in literature and media has risen over the years, depicting a pessimistic view of the future, warning about the many possible outcomes of the world. Though the end of the world may see like such a dark and bleak notion, it can also be seen as a device of catharsis. Through the class study over Bible stories and Norse’s myths, we find these stories to be inspired by the hardships the creators of these stories faced. In turn these stories inspire modern depictions of the apocalypse. However, we also notice a pattern emerges among these stories, where upon the vast destruction alway lead to a rebirth, or a rejuvenation of the world, borne back to a paradise. Life being a cycle, where one end creates a beginning.