Is it cringe to think the world is ending?

Existential fear is nothing new, and frankly — it’s a little cringe.

From the perceived threat of a second ice age in the 1970s, to the panic of Y2k, to the Plague of Justinian in 541 AD, there has always been the nagging terror of The End.

Today, we see the effects of climate change growing more dire each year, imminent democratic collapse, the raging war against poor and nonwhite humans, senseless violence, disgusting inequalities in wealth, and an inexcusable blocking of access to basic needs — all while approaching the second anniversary of a global pandemic. To any reasonable person, the current state of things certainly seems apocalyptic.

What’s worse is our reaction to these societal shortcomings. We see people, particularly younger generations, forgoing traditional work for creative endeavors and passion projects, rejecting savings accounts and stock investments in favor of splurging on brunch and tattoos, buying crypto, and tweeting with reckless abandon as the perceived End looms near. However, this type of carefree living, borne of dread and terror, is pretty cringe.

Think about those aforementioned cultural anxieties — the ice age, the computer thing, and that plague. Think about how those people must have felt. I’m sure it was pretty scary, and I’m sure they all thought the world was ending. While everyone handles this sort of fear differently, whether you “party like it’s 1999” or opt for doomsday preparation, every option is equally embarrassing (although that Prince song is pretty good). It’s hard to imagine anything more mortifying than eating Hormel chili straight from the can for years because you spent all of your money (besides what’s tied up in rare coins) on all that chili in 1999. Why did you ever think you would need that much chili? Think about those people in 1976 who bought a bunch of winter coats, only for those particular coats to go out of style by 1983. Take these examples as a warning — and think about how you’re going to feel about yourself in thirty years, if the world doesn’t end or humans don’t go extinct, looking back on the time you tweeted “fuck it the world is ending I’m getting Cheesecake Factory delivery again.” Pretty fucking cringe if you ask me.

Now, this piece is not intended to dispute whether or not the world is ending, because it definitely is. The goal of this is to inspire you to reflect on how embarrassing it is that we are all acting like the world is ending. So so embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as writing this whole piece for no real reason.

But anyways, fuck it the world is ending I’m getting Cheesecake Factory delivery again.