I have been binge watching a new series that I discovered recently called The 100. It tells the story of a post-nuclear apocalypse and how humankind have survived by living on a huge space station called the Ark but as oxygen begins to run out, they decide to test whether Earth is safe to live on again. To do this, they send a 100 of their prisoners to the ground who all happen to be teenagers since any adult who commits a crime is immediately executed. In the Ark, the ‘waste of space’ phrase is taken very literally.
What I have been thinking about is why are we so fascinated with the apocalypse story? When the cold war was being fought, it became a hugely popular genre but why does it still continue till today? Stories of the population being wiped out, Earth being obliterated, humankind battling for survival; all these plots capture the imagination of the people. There seems to be something strangely appealing about the idea of starting afresh. A second chance for humankind. Perhaps it is because there is a sense that we have gone too far to change for the better and we crave an alternative world. We are sick of the constant violence and destruction that occurs around the globe, unchecked.
The ironic thing of course is that every post-apocalyptic novel, movie or TV show has to contain violence. The battle for survival is never peaceful as well as the fact it wouldn’t make any money. However, I can tell you who would love to really start afresh. The promoters of different political ideologies.
I can remember my first politics class in college where we learnt about the different beliefs people have towards human nature. We had different scenarios and were asked to suggest what would humans do and what their core nature really is. Of course, this hypothetical thinking is not much use as nowhere in this world can we get a true picture of human nature that would convince everyone. The argument that external factors affect human nature will always exist. There may be utterly pure and kind people but then there are completely cruel ones as well. I guess that is why these post-apocalypse stories are so popular. Throw humans into a situation where they can start afresh and see what happens. Of course this is all a certain person’s perspective, whether it is the playwright, the author, the scriptwriter or the director.
To get a true picture, we would need a real apocalypse and I am pretty sure we do not want that. So let’s get back to watching The 100.
Until Next Time
A Worried Student
A WORRIED STUDENT 
Why this interest now in our cultures? Because recently we’ve seen unbridled destruction of human lives as hasn’t been seen in a thousand years. TV and other media have been exploited by these terrorist groups as never before. Both the Bible and the Koran depict such destruction of our Earth. However, in the Bible it states that we can change our basic-born sin nature’s resulting punishment. John 3:16 is one of the verses that shows God’s caring and love for His human beings. Forgiveness is freely available from our Lord and Maker. People are running around like chickens with their heads cut off because they have no hope of peace and forgiveness. Therefore, they kill others who don’t agree with them. Want to start afresh? Privately, speak to the God who made the heavens and earth. I’ll share more with you when you’re ready. Hugs from Momma Dorsey.
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True, the real way of starting afresh is to look to our inner selves but I guess that doesn’t appeal much to people as it takes time and effort. Instead people seek a quick fix to everything.
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I think another possible reason for the apocalypse fascination would be that we want to in some way experience a world where our current laws, conventions, and statuses are non-existant. In that kind of world you can really make yourself what you’d want to be, be that a hero, a villain, or the super bad*ss hermit who’s just plain awesome. You can choose to try to hold on to your morals, or just let them go and do as you please.
There’s a certain appeal to utter chaos. And let’s face it, we love to see disaster.
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Haha that’s true. What would you like to be in that type of world? 😛
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Not sure. I think it would depend on the situation, but I think it would be cool to play the role of a wanderer. Maybe being a bit of a hero as I go.
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Ahah the adventuring life beckons!
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OHHHH I just started watching The 100 because I finished Lost. It’s awesome but I’m only on the second episode.
I’ve been thinking about the apocalypse too. Like, how would SCHOOL DESKS prevent a nuclear fallout? Come on.
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You’ll love watching the rest of the episodes, trust me.
Haha well that was just propaganda back in the 1960s to make sure people do not get toooo scared. It was like, don’t worry we are having a nuclear war but you carry on being good by going to school, we will protect you.
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I just finished watching the second season of The 100. A very addictive series I must say. I am also attracted to apocalyptic stories. I have seen many movies and TV programs, such as The Walking Dead, Revolution, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and many more. I think we are attracted to whatever shows an alternate view of our world. We are so bored with our current state of existence, that we crave for something different (and violent). We don’t usually want to face reality, so we create our own reality through stories that depict the world ending “as we know it.” It may gives us hope for something new. But it also keeps us away from what is in front of us.
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