End of an Era And the Beginning of Another

Eschatological idea of apocalypse is a very common way to see the end of the world, especially in the religious context. Apocalypse is not seen only disastrous, terrible, and as a negative thing, but rather as an emergence of a new better world.

It was argued that the date 21 December 2012 did not mean an end of the world for the Mayan, but an end of an old era and a beginning of a new era. A new era of humanity would be a step into the light; it would mean a greater awareness and more positive times. Also, for New Age movement the present time is a milestone for spiritual growth, not so much the end of the world as we know it. Many other cultural structures see the apocalypse in a positive light, for example, Christianity and Scandinavian mythology, latter of which has influenced by a doctrine of the Day of Judgment in the myth of Ragnarök, some scientists say. According to these cultural patterns of thought there is not evil after the apocalypse, instead life is eternal peace and harmony.

Some people are of the opinion that when the apocalypse comes the world is facing disasters. With the destruction of the world the Hopi Indians associate earthquakes, sea level rise and the sun heating up. Merlin is even interpreted to have foretold nuclear accident and congenital anomalies. The Bible has similar predictions. The myth of Ragnarök tells that a god named Loki has an army of the dead and monsters to help him to destroy the world. In most religions the apocalypse is a bad thing for the infidels only, as in Hinduism, in which a god named Kalki, while riding on a white horse, saves or destroys people depending on their lived lives.

Apocalyptic writings describe the mysteries…