Why people want the world to end

If you think about it for a minute or two, you can easily understand why some people are drawn to the belief that the world is going to end soon. There's been a lot said about the proliferation of billboards and other forms of announcement concerning the imminence of judgment day (next Saturday!), and about the gullibility of people, some of whom have spent their life savings to spread the word.

But in all that I've read about them, I haven't seen anything about the attractiveness of the idea.

Life is challenging, especially in a bad economy. There's a lot to worry about. So what could bring more relief of all the stress and anxiety over life's troubles than the belief that it will all be over soon? For these people, there's no more need to be concerned about keeping the job they have, or about finding one if they're unemployed. There's no need to worry about paying the mortgage, or getting the kids through college. All of that and more gets wiped away in their certainty that, in just a few more days, they'll be taken away from all of life's badness, transported to heaven, and taken care of for the rest of eternity.

And when that day comes and they're still here, and the troubles of life are still here, what will they do then? They will keep the faith and hope for the world's end to come another day. Because it's a nice idea.

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