This time it was different. As I lay there for a few moments, I looked at my window suspiciously trying to make out if the eschatological event I had just dreamt about had come to pass or not. Eschatology, for those who don't know, is described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ""The department of theological science concerned with ‘the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell’." In other words, an eschatological event is an apocalyptic event. I just prefer the term eschatological since apocalyptic usually brings to mind images from Armageddon (the movie about the meteorite/comet/whatever it was hurling towards Earth that is stopped by a rag-tag group of oil miners led by Bruce Willis....as much as I like Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, if you're going to watch a movie about a meteor hurling towards Earth, I would suggest the much better directed and crafted and more scientifically accurate Deep Impact. It also happens to be the only major disaster blockbuster film directed by a woman. Ever.). The thing about Eschatology though, is that it doesn't always revolve around a massive worldwide apocalypse. It can be about your own death. Although last night's dream fits more into the first category than the second.
I think that this particular eschatological dream can be attributed to a number of factors: (1) Eschatology has been on my brain lately, (2) I was highly stressed out last night and was therefore bound to have a stressful dream, and (3) I think I am getting sick with the same awful thing my roommate has and my body is fighting very very hard not to get sick (been chewing em vitamin c tablets like candy....not really of course, but I have remembered to take them regularly which is an achievement for me).
So now for explanations on those factors:
(1) Eschatology on the brain: It is 2012. Period. I have a bizarre interest in (and as a result a vast vault of useless knowledge) about paranormal and unexplained phenomena. I'm Scully and Mulder rolled into one (you can definitely tell I've been watching WAY too many episodes of the X-files) - I have Mulder's willingness to believe, but Scully's unwavering scientific skepticism. I've done my homework on the 2012 Mayan issue, and unlike many other of the phenomena I've investigated, I've firmly decided with those that think that those who buy into the whole "the Mayans predicted the apocalypse" theory are kind of ignorant dumbasses for a lack for a better word. Mostly because looking at the end of the Mayan calendar and arriving at the conclusion that because the cycle ends, the world would end is like if some alien identity found one of our own paper calendars and decided that the world would end on December 31st (or January 31st of the following year) because that's where that particular calendar ended. Great job guys. You found the end of a calendar. Woopdeedoo. Indeed the 13th B'ak'tun does end this year on December 21st, but that only means that we'll be starting the 14th B'ak'tun on the 22nd. Admittedly, we are entering a new era. And there might be some spiritual changes or whatnot, but Mayan records never reference any sort of eschatological event happening on that date. In fact, the Mayan's perspective on time is cyclical rather than linear (like us) so it marks a beginning just as much as it marks an end. However, while I do believe the whole Mayan Apocalypse theory is a bunch of nonsensical crap, my mind cannot help but going into the what if questioning of things. This happened to me back in 1999 when everyone was making a fuzz about the Millennium and all the eschatological events that were supposed to happen then. I was pretty sure they wouldn't happen, but what if they did? It doesn't help either that I watched part of
"Doomsday Preppers" on The History Channel the other day and thought to myself that while most of these people are kind of nuts, having a Bug-Out-Bag or an INCH (I'm Never Coming Home) bag is a good idea no matter if I'm expecting the apocalypse or just an earthquake. I realized it might be a good idea to know how to navigate myself out of Brooklyn in the case of an emergency. I found myself wishing I had paid more attention to S and J when they explained knots to me (although I'm sure that if I asked, they'd be more than happy to oblige in a knot-teaching session, right?). I also realized that my survival skills in general are close to terrible (I can successfully survive in a mountain, oddly enough - I guess wilderness camp as a child was a good idea?) and it might be a good idea to correct that. All in all, my conclusion was that in terms of physicality, I might not be in the best shape to survive Armageddon, or even an emergency. I mean, I don't even own a first aid kit, which I know is really really bad. And that's just been swimming around my mind of something to do.
(2) Me being highly stressed. I gotta admit that sadly, stress is my natural state of mind. And yes, I haven't been exercising regularly and maybe this dream is a sign that I should...and that I should probably keep a careful eye on my eating habits since the stress has been messing up my stomach pH.
(3) Getting sick: It' a sign that spring is around the corner when the dust starts bothering me again. Combine that with a very very sick roommate, asthma, and a messed-up stomach, and it makes for an unpleasant cocktail right there.
As for the eschatological dream itself, it is looking more and more ridiculous as the hours go by. And by ridiculous I mean it belongs as a scene in the film "The Day After Tomorrow" (one of my guilty pleasures) since it involved NYC being buried under a sudden violent blizzard of snow. I think it really just is an indication that I should just go for a jog much more often than I currently do. Goddamed stress.
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