Opinion Archive

What to Make of Apocalypticism

March 11, 2009

Apocalypticism is the belief that civilization, as we know it, is hurtling to its own demise. When mixed with religious faith, the implication is that the Apocalypse brings about a "cleansing", which paves the way for the coming of a Messiah. This means that there are a lot of people out there rooting for our collective End.

Rather than abating after the birth of the new millennium (a popular "end of the world" date), apocalypticism has remained strong, influencing how we react to actual events. Evangelical Christians, for example, believe that Jewish rule over the Holy Land is a prerequisite for the return of Christ. This makes their support for Israel absolute and puts the electoral heft of 17 million Americans behind policies that are more antagonistic towards Palestinians than would be the case without apocalypticism.

In Mexico, legend has it that apocalypticism was a key factor in Aztec passivity during the Spanish conquest. According to this analysis, Emperor Moctezuma sought to apease Cortés and his men, instead of defeating them, because their arrival at the end of one of their 52-year historical "cycles" meant that their civilization was supposed to die. The completion of the 13th cycle in the Maya calendar on the 21st of December, 2012, is the next apocalyptic date which is feeding speculation among New Age and Native American believers (and film makers).

The current global economic slowdown is feeding financial apocalypticism. It is this irrational fear that has assets trading at less than their book value. For some, the meltdown questions the very basis of the capitalist materialism that underlies the global economic order and presages doom.

So, is the world going to Hell in a handbasket? In the grand scheme of things, yes. This planet is rocketing through the Milky Way at 495,000 miles per hour and, as anyone who has ever felt an earthquake can attest, the ground is not as solid as we think. Further, there is always the possibility of a fool getting his finger on the nuclear button (remember that we were about to fight World War III over a backward Caribbean island in the 1960s). But, except for the weird calendar coincidence when the Spanish took Tenochtitlan, apocalypticism has always been wrong.

Nevertheless, at the risk of falling into the "Repent, for the end is nigh!" cliché, apocalypticism can give us an opportunity to examine our priorities. Independently of asteriods and plutonium, we are all guaranteed to die sometime relatively soon. It is said that internalizing this knowledge, instead of just intellectualizing it, can radically improve one's life. If this means that we are more humane towards all living things and more intelligent in our stewardship of the planet, then so much the better. So, even for those of us who view superstition with super-suspicion, a little apocalypticism (in the form of awareness of our assured demise) can be a good thing.

Unsung triumphs

One of the unfortunate side effects of the media's obsession with reporting only stories related to poverty (migration) and violence with respect to Mexico is that our achievements are overlooked. This is pernicious not only from the point of view of Mexico's image, but also as a source of potential solutions for problems in the rest of the world.

One recent case in point has been the impressive success that Mexico City has had with its air pollution problem. The number of days with "poor quality" air has declined by over 90% in the past 15 years. This is thanks to a combination of monitoring, a policy of relocating factories outside the city, the proliferation of catalytic converters in automobiles and other policies, such as the "day without a car" initiative. Many of these solutions were developed and implemented right here and could serve as an excellent test-case for cities like Beijing, which now tops the charts in terms of poor air quality.

Another example of effective problem solving seems to be the repairs that have been done to the "emisor central" ("central tunnel"). This incredible piece of engineering has been the main channel through which the city gets rid of its effluent and rain water. Because Mexico City is constantly sinking (over 30 feet from 1900-2000), the tunnels had been bent and broken. The city was in danger of massive catastrophic flooding. This week local officials announced that the danger is over and that the complete repair of this key piece of infrastructure will be done in time for the rainy season. The last time Mexico pulled off a significant hydraulics and levelling project, stabilizing the entire Metropolitan Cathedral, some of the technologies and learnings were applied to help Venice stay affloat.

For the latest thought-provoking article by Agustin Barrios Gomez please go to our Opinion Column page

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