Saturday, April 9, 2011

Apocalypse Anyone?

I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge, but didn’t start until the letter “C” so this is a make-up blog. I do know the alphabet, honestly, I do.

a•poc•a•lypse/əˈpäkəˌlips/Noun
1. The complete final destruction of the world, esp. as described in the biblical book of Revelation.
2. An event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale. More »
Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Answers.com - Merriam-Webster

Apocalypse…the word means different things to different people.




To my mother it means the end of the world, as described in the Bible in the book of Revelations, see numero uno above. She sees the attack on the World Trade Center as the first horse of the apocalypse. She truly believes that Barack Obama getting elected heralded in the second horse…something to do with his views on Israel. Yada, yada, yada. So when she called me to espouse her views on the tsunami, earth quake, and subsequent damage to the nuclear reactors in Japan, I wasn’t surprised to learn that was the third horse. As she has nothing else to talk to me about, figured I’d make her happy and asked when she expects the fourth horse to be coming down the track? Let’s just say that conversation didn’t end on a pleasant note. But hey, it gives her something to pray about…besides my soul.

To me the apocalypse, in some form, is my favorite writing subject. It’s the possibility, of all that havoc and wretchedness. Not saying I buy into the whole four wild horses, I’m more of numero dos option. It opens my mind to describing what a certain place would look like if it actually survived an apocalypse.

The most common in movie themes and literature is the nuclear holocaust. And I’m no different, that’s the exact world I’m building in my current WIP. But I don’t have total devastation, as I don’t believe total devastation is likely. Sure, if every country currently holding nuclear weapons decided to release them against each other in showdown, we’d most definitely have total devastation. But what are the actual chances of that? Man has the innate will to survive. And even the most evil villain alive, with the exception of a certain few, realizes that a nuclear war would take them out as well.

So what do you think? Am I wrong in making part of the planet still inhabitable? According to the definition I suppose I am. Leave me a comment about your thoughts and apocalyptic works.

7 comments:

  1. Oh, this subject is one of my most feared!

    I hate (it's a strong word, I know) films and books where the world comes to an (almost) end. Not because they are necessarily bad stories but because of the fear they fill me with.

    I've tried the Will Smith film (can't remember what it's called, he has a dog in it) twice and gave up after about an hour each time.

    I'd be rubbish at trying to look after myself. Scavenging for food, defending myself from assorted 'baddies' and worrying about the future would all but make me suicidal - and that's the truth!

    I'm quite sure about the totality of apocalypse...don't make it a full one. It's best to keep some part(s) of the world habitable (with shops and warm beds and hair dryers that work) - there has to be hope, after all!

    Having said all that, one of the best books I've ever read was 'Z for Zachariah' by Robert C. O'Brien. It's teen fiction and I read it at school but it's wonderfully written and VERY gripping!

    I'm off to think about fluffy clouds and pink kittens now ;)

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  2. That Will Smith movie is the only major action film about the apocalypse that I love! The others are believable, it's too easy to see the holes in their plots. Plus the backstory in that film is so heart wrenching. You should fast forward to the last bit and watch the end though, no pink and kittens but definitely hope and uplifting.

    Thank you for your comment, going to check out your fluffy clouds and pink kittens now.

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  3. Based on your life experiences it seems like you have a lot of interesting subjects/situations to write about! I agree with you, Lea, I think number 2 is the most realistic scenario. There seems to be a fascination with the subject (just like there is with the origins of humanity.) So you'll definitely have an audience!

    The Will Smith movie you guys mentioned is called "I am Legend." It's based on a 1950's SciFi novel with the same name. There have been several versions of this novel (some focus more than others on the zombie/vampire element, while others on the apocalypse thru disease.)

    Thanks for joining the Sisterhood blog!

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  4. Enjoying your blog! And my life has definitely been interesting. lol

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  5. I love writing about the apocalypse! I'm supposed to do a Spanish project on what I think 2100 will look like and there are definitely zombies involved.

    I really like this post!

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