I know it’s a little late, and I know it’s a little cliche, but I still think someone should say it. We made it. We beat 2012. The apocalypse came and went, and we’re still here. We should all pat ourselves on the back.
All joking aside, I still think that this whole apocalypse phenomenon is pretty interesting. I don’t think anyone here actually bought into the whole craze. I’d like to think no one did, though we all know that’s not true.
But our fascination with death, with the end of the world, speaks volumes to where we are as a people. Things feel like they’re falling apart. Things feel like they’re worse than ever.
But here’s the thing. Thing’s aren’t worse than ever. They’re not perfect, I have no illusions about that, but overall, things are pretty good. But at the same time, it seems like everyone is becoming more and more cynical.
Well, seeing as I’m an eighty year old man at heart, I blame the internet, at least in part. Nowadays, if you have something to complain about, you can go online and do it with a massive audience. Pretty soon, you’ve got people agreeing with you, and you’re all agreeing with each other, and you’re all convincing each other that you’re so wrong about this thing being bad that you all start convincing each other that it’s even worse.
Just look at the recent announcement of the XBox 1. When Microsoft announced their new console last week, the reception was bad, to say the least. People flocked to the internet, complaining that it was the worst thing since, oh, I don’t know, unsliced bread.
Now, I agree that it’s not perfect, and that they could’ve handled it better, but it’s not that bad. It has a few flaws, but the way people are talking about it, you’d think that microsoft announced their plan to exterminate the gamers. The world isn’t going to end because of a new XBox.
So, you think to yourself, what am I recommending that we do? Do I think they should just shut off the internet? In short, yes. But, I know that’s unrealistic, and good God, I’m far too addicted myself for it to be a viable solution. But I do think that people should be more conscious of not jumping on bandwagons, that we should all be a little more critical before declaring something the worst thing ever.
Now, there are some events this past year that were really terrible. Events that I don’t blame for making people a little more cynical. The Sandy Hook massacre is easily one of the worst things to happen in my lifetime. The Boston Bombings and their immediate aftermath were terrifying. These recent tornadoes in Oklahoma are absolutely awful. I can see why people think that everything is becoming more and more awful. For awhile, it really seemed that way
But once again, the world simply isn’t ending. The one thing all these events have in common is the overwhelming outpour of support being offered to the victims and their families. Most people are still willing to help, because the fact is, there are still a lot more good people in this world than there seems. While it would be nice if people could come together without some kind of tragedy, the fact that we still do gives me hope. Humanity is still okay.
So c’mon, cut down on that cynicism. Smile a little, enjoy the summer, and go off to school next year with an attitude that could rival the pep club. And for those of you reading this and calling it cliched garbage, well, clearly you haven’t been reading closely enough, cause you’re being pretty cynical yourself. Sure, the world may not end if you scowl, but it’ll be a little nicer if you smile.