The World is Ending.

The world is ending.

Coronavirus has been looming over us since his cruel arrival.

We’ve wasted dangerous amounts of fossil fuels, polluting the thickening air and attacking our planet’s protective shell.

With each advance in technology, we threaten to replace ourselves with a new species of human: one made of ones and zeros, one infinitely more intelligent and as concerned for us as we are for the animals we hunt and torture.

And if, by some chance, this next generation of technological beings does not develop consciousness or free will or the desire to overthrow us all, we may still be replaced by a herd of walking zombies, never looking up from screens, always living in the virtual world and never appreciating the real one.

We are constantly manipulated by politicians and billionares who could, with terrifyingly little effort, destroy our lives.

That is, of course, only if nuclear warfare doesn’t take us out before then.

And while waiting for this inevitable fate of absolute destruction, we can look to world hunger, the Uyghur genocide, child labor, you name it, to prove that our humanity is doomed.

So, it’s safe to say: you’re right. The world is ending.

Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to your childhood when none of these problems existed? Or, Hell, even going back to before the Devilish 2020 made its debut would be nice. Now, we’re stuck with a dying planet occupied with either innocents starving and suffering or villains with their finger itching at the buttons which could kill us all.

So, yes, the world is ending. But, here’s the catch:

The world has been ending since it began.

Before 2020, you were still facing the damnation of our Earth, just through different means than a virus.

During your childhood, though you were shielded from it, there were still echoes of the truth of the end circling round the globe and in your parents’ minds.

While your grandparents were fighting poor fashion choices and a lack of mobile cell phones, they were also fighting the realities of a crashing economy, global warfare, segregation, sexism, homophobia, the list goes on.

In 79 AD, Hellfire rained down from the sky, burying all signs of a lively city in ashes.

A world occupied by magnificent creatures and rich vegetation was demolished by the arrival of a meteoroid.

The world has always been ending. The Romans watched death fights for entertainment. The Mayans practiced human sacrifice. The Celts paraded decapitated heads as trophies. The Mongol Empire killed an estimated 30 million. Slavery has been practiced by ancient Egyptians, Americans, and currently in various areas around the globe.

The world has always been ending. The world has ended countless times since its formation. Where there is a beginning, there is an end. Ending is built into the definition of existence.

Our earth and our race has been beaten and bruised, torn apart and cut up, scattered and broken. We have always thought the world was ending, and we have always been right. What if this fact of impermanence that all humans have faced across generations isn't meant to elicit panic or hatred? What if, instead, this seemingly spirit crushing, mind boggling, heart ripping truth is meant to remind us that we are here and that the gift of being here is not a right, but a privilege?

A good book cannot have infinite pages; a meaningful life cannot have infinite time.

We stand where our ancestors stood as they faced vastly different but equally terrifying end times. That is a privilege. Maybe we’ll get lucky like they did and not have to witness the ultimate finale. I hope this is the case. Either way, we cannot go backwards. There will be more meteorites, more volcanoes, more wicked individuals, more viruses.

But, there will be good things too. This is because during the billions of years the world has been ending, it has not ended yet. With the birth of every individual who will try to destroy us come ten who will fight back. Despite each corrupt politician, citizens remain determined to make their voice heard. Beneath each volcano lies diamonds, on each meteorite rests stardust, in every inch from here to the outermost edges of the galaxy exists a fragment of goodness.

We are bound to the cosmic bloodline of every creature who has sensed doom and lived in spite of this. We are the same as each fiber of the universe which goes on dancing through the cosmos despite its knowledge that this titanic dance floor may soon give way.

This is the contract you signed to exist, and it is beautiful. So, yes, you’re right, the world is ending, and it will keep ending for the rest of your life.

Your challenge is the same presented to every being faced with this fate:

Enjoy the space between ending and end.