[Gi Ha-young's Night Flight] 100 Seconds Before Earth's End... Will the Apocalypse Really Come?

'How Does the End of Humanity Come?'
From Past Religious Perspectives
to Scientific and Technological Analyses
Exploring Various Doomsday Theories
Solutions to Prevent the End, Including Minimizing Climate Anomalies and Natural Disasters

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] "100 seconds to doomsday." Last month, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) announced that the Doomsday Clock had been moved to 100 seconds to midnight. This is the closest to doomsday since the clock was created in 1947. It is 20 seconds closer than one year ago, when it was set at 2 minutes. The Doomsday Clock conceptually represents how much time remains until humanity faces its end due to nuclear threats and climate change. The time is decided by the BAS board after consulting various figures, including 13 Nobel laureates. The Doomsday Clock started at 7 minutes to midnight in 1947.

How Does the End of Humanity Come? analyzes the reality of such doomsday theories. It introduces various doomsday theories that swept through different eras, from the Renaissance’s greatest prophet Nostradamus (1503?1566) to the Millennium Bug "Y2K" that was feared before the year 2000. In modern society, the scope of doomsday theories is expanding. It is no longer just a matter of religion or prophecy; hypotheses are emerging that the Earth will inevitably be destroyed due to war, terrorism, astronomical theories, and scientific-technological factors.

Especially during transitions from one era to another, doomsday discourse spreads rapidly. This is because doomsday is both the end of a familiar world and the beginning of a new one. Since the dawn of humanity, people’s anxieties about doomsday have repeatedly risen and fallen. The year 1999 is a representative example. Fears that computers would fail to recognize the year in the new millennium approached as fears of global financial market collapse and malfunctions of advanced military weapons. However, humanity safely welcomed the new millennium.

Composed of six chapters, this book covers not only past popular doomsday theories but also doomsdays caused by science, nature, and humans, as well as the end times due to religious and moral decay. The author delves into the irony of humanity anxiously thinking about doomsday, perhaps without realizing that we ourselves may be causing it. Although the origin of doomsday theories is religious, the author analyzes that if the Earth’s end actually comes, it is more likely to stem from scientific technology, abnormal weather, political-economic hegemony struggles, and ethical and moral decay.

Ultimately, the author concludes that no one knows whether doomsday will actually come to the Earth. One thing is certain: the timing of doomsday can be hastened or delayed depending on how we live each day. In other words, the responsibility for doomsday lies with humanity.

The author also proposes solutions to prevent the Earth’s doomsday. Scientific technology should be developed in ways beneficial to humans, and efforts to minimize damage from abnormal weather and natural disasters through preemptive measures must be strengthened. Furthermore, the author argues that international conflicts and discord, which cause war and terrorism, should be resolved or alleviated, and efforts to restore and enhance morality and ethics should be intensified.

These solutions seem so obvious that they may feel discouraging. However, this does not diminish the merit of this book, which organizes and analyzes the grand discourse of doomsday in an accessible way. In these days when the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading worldwide, this book offers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of society and the global community beyond the individual. The book points out that there are signals that could bring the Earth’s doomsday faster than pandemics like COVID-19, which humanity may be overlooking due to being busy with daily survival.

"Doomsday theories send humanity the following message: Do not let doomsday come to this Earth that we live on and will pass down to future generations! Protect the Earth. To do so, think about the future and thoroughly prepare in advance! Love the present that will never come again, and live happily enjoying it with the people around you whom you love!"

How Does the End of Humanity Come? / Written by Lee Cheol-hwan / Saebit / 15,000 KRW