How To Paint: 2012

I predict that on this day four years from now, a fair amount of people will be confused that we made it through to 2013.

I like to paint, so I like to speak in painting metaphors. Now, to paint an accurate portrait, you're first supposed to squint so that you can't see very well and then get a sense of the basic shapes in front of you. Since I wear glasses with a strong prescription, I like to start by removing my glasses and blocking in large, basic shapes.

Think of these paragraphs as a blurry, fleshy brownish-purple undertone shape at the beginning of a portrait:

Throughout human history, different groups have predicted different dates of apocalypse. None of them have come true. Just nine years ago, everyone was worked up over techie rumors about computers not "carrying over" that would cause worldwide chaos (and didn't).

What I see is an underdeveloped/strange view of death (dissatisfaction with Judeo-Christian answers leading to unsettled atheism sort of thing) at a time when uncertainty is running super high, not to mention that the Baby Boomers are the first generation of "self-obsession." So all of these things mix around to create the unconscious wish that when I die, the world dies with me. But that's weird to say, so it's better to find others who confirm my belief that the world will stop with me. Granted, lots of people predict upcoming doom-- but haven't we been taught by now to be skeptical of ideas that work all-too-nicely as grand narratives?

Plus, I'm inclined to believe that the Ego, as opposed to the Self -- not rigidly distinct things but rather the tendency to think of yourself as a separate entity instead of sensing the Veil of Maya-- I'm inclined to think that the Ego is who speaks when we're frenzied about an apocalypse. (Sidenote: My thoughts come from a million different places and are sometimes contradictory and it's all fine in the pursuit of clarity. I sort of borrowed "Ego/Self" terms from Eckhart Tolle and adapted them to my needs.) But I think that along the gradation of selfhood,, it's the illusory side that's getting anxious over 2012. Which isn't to say that we won't fuck ourselves up collectively in some giant death-instinct self-fulfilling prophecy, because if the Germans taught us anything it's that all bets are off. Nevertheless, my point is that the "end of the world" that's approaching doesn't have to be an extinction of human lives per se.

On the other hand, optimistic people who I suppose would represent the Self in this model predict an enormous elevation in consciousness in 2012-- cosmic forces coming to a "ready" Earth. Some say it will be the Singularity -- exponential increase to changes occurring at an infinite level. On this matter, I will wait to speak.

Furthermore, with regard to ecological crises, it seems that preditions like these are used as excuses for inaction, and constitute a slippery slope to radical Christians giving Israelis weapons to bring the Second Coming of Christ.

What do others think?