Even If the World Were to End Tomorrow

by Reuben Chow

In many aspects, life is full of uncertainty.

There is the possibility of many things going wrong in the flash of an eye. One’s health could suddenly take a dip, financial problems could crop up, one could lose his or her job, relationships could fall apart, and accidents could happen. And then there is always some talk somewhere or other of the impending end of the world.

One theory, based on the Mayan calendar, is that the world is going to end in December 2012. That’s very soon.

How would the end of the world arriving in the not-too-distant future affect the way you live your life? How would it impact the world?

If indeed the world is going to end soon, should we just stop planning and building for the future and begin living the present in a more gung ho fashion?

Why don’t we all stop working? Why bother to save up? Why take the effort to shop for, buy and do up a new house? Why start families? Imagine giving birth to a child who only lives for a few months or weeks. Why bother to build a career, or to continue with one’s education?

One thing’s for sure – human civilization is going to go haywire if enough people really believed that the world was ending soon and began living carelessly.

The more telling question is on an individual level. For those who are truly concerned about the possibility of the world ending soon, and are not sure how to scope their personal lives accordingly, there are two things which you should note.

Firstly, for any of us, once we die, the world has ended, for us. It doesn’t even require the entire world to end for our lives to be affected. So, in reality, while the world could end for us anytime, we continue to live our lives, and we carry on building for the future.

Another point is a verse I once heard before. It goes – even if the world should end tomorrow, we should still plant apple trees today.

Indeed. Nobody knows what exactly is going to happen tomorrow, and the future is a big mystery. But what we have is today, and today, we should continue to sow seeds – seeds of our future, seeds for our children to harvest, seeds of our careers and families, seeds of healthy relationships, seeds of our physical health, seeds of our personal growth, and most definitely, seeds of love.

Let’s plant more apple trees today!

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