"The day has arrived" syndrome

Originally posted by AceWombat04
I understood the intent of your other topic, TC. My post in it, to which you responded, was directed at others on the site who tend to view skepticism as Hollywood often portrays it. As I said in the post, "the mean old, colsed minded scientist who dashes the dreams of the idealistic believer protagonist." In my younger years I was a staunch believer in many things, and I always carried around that sort of, "I'm a believer, I'm not one of those darn skeptics who refuse to believe in anything," attitude. So I know some harbor such feelings, and I have seen them displayed.

My only real personal concern re: 2012 at the moment, given several recent topics on ATS about mental illness, depression, etc. is whether the failure of any of these things to happen (if it turns out that way) will provoke deep disillusionment in others. As someone who lost or had disrupted many of his personal beliefs as a younger man, I know how devastating that kind of disillusionment can be, and how long it can take to recover from and build a new, viable worldview from their ashes. Many might scoff and say, "It was a silly belief to begin with, just get over it," while others will even go so far as to say, "they deserve their disillusionment." But I can assure you that there are at least some people in the world so invested both emotionally and even materially in this supposed phenomenon that its failure to produce any tangible change in their lives or the state of the world would result in deep, painful disillusionment.

I think, as members of a conspiracy theory and other fringe topic themed website, we should give some extra thought this winter - especially since this time of year can tend to provoke depression regardless - to being that much kinder and more empathetic to our fellow users around the 21st of next month. I can envision some bad scenarios playing out if people that disillusioned get dog piled on by gleeful naysayers and "told you so"-ers. There are civil ways to acknowledge that a prediction has failed to come to fruition, analytical, fact-archiving ways, and then there are cruel ways. I have seen a lot of both in my time here on ATS over the years.

Peace.

edit on 11/25/2012 by AceWombat04 because: Typo

That was unexpected. Someone who actually condones that we not crucify these people for their disillusionment, but rather help them try to get past it in a kind and understanding manor. Kudos to you kind sir/madam!

It always seems that whenever I see ATS start to build up with cynical people with not much to contribute besides the usual snide remarks, a person with compassion and sincerity shows up to break that trend. So, as my faith in a good chunk of ATS begins to slip away, a few good eggs pull it back up from the depths. I believe that for every 100 or so cynics, just one person such as you can counteract the damage they do.

I find that you must be rather intelligent to display such care for the impact that the collapse of some folks illusions can have on their physique and to take the time to spread the word that we should not ridicule these people, but rather to help them understand through logic and reasoning that life will go on.

Sorry I cant muster something more profound to say, but I really had to point out how important people like you are in times like this. I consider it like a candle in the darkness that brings light to even the most despairing of places.

Glad that you had the words to convey what I wanted to say but just didn't have the illustrative skills to present. So, once again, thank you very much, and keep up the.......um, Humanity.

Originally posted by Shirak
(Double post)... not sure why I double-posted

I think one cause of double-posting is holding down the key too long when entering the post, so that the fact gets registered twice.

Originally posted by AceWombat04
There are civil ways to acknowledge that a prediction has failed to come to fruition, analytical, fact-archiving ways, and then there are cruel ways. I have seen a lot of both in my time here on ATS over the years.

A fair point.
And also it's probably more constructive to give warning before the event, while there is still time for people to reflect, than to give critical comments when it's all over.

We could even make a start now on the kind of analysis that needs to be done.
Possible lessons to be learned in the internet age?-
Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
Don't use You-tube videos as sources of information, thus critically reducing the time you've got available for finding balancing information elsewhere.
Don't be too hasty to jump on band-wagons...

Originally posted by DISRAELI

Originally posted by AceWombat04
There are civil ways to acknowledge that a prediction has failed to come to fruition, analytical, fact-archiving ways, and then there are cruel ways. I have seen a lot of both in my time here on ATS over the years.

A fair point.
And also it's probably more constructive to give warning before the event, while there is still time for people to reflect, than to give critical comments when it's all over.

We could even make a start now on the kind of analysis that needs to be done.
Possible lessons to be learned in the internet age?-
Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
Don't use You-tube videos as sources of information, thus critically reducing the time you've got available for finding balancing information elsewhere.
Don't be too hasty to jump on band-wagons...

I think that's not a bad idea, but I think we have to be incredibly delicate in how we engage with people over something as central to their lives as their beliefs. Look at the topic in my signature, "Taking things with a grain of salt." I worded that topic as respectfully, civilly, and compassionately as I knew how to. Yet people seemed to react to it very defensively, which brought home to me how central these beliefs can be for some people (as is, of course, their prerogative; I don't want to disabuse anyone of their beliefs.)

Some people are so persuaded and have such conviction about 2012 (among other things,) that even politely suggesting that they consider alternative possibilities can cause them pain and offense, and then that pain turns into anger. (Which, lest we forget, is what anger really is anyway, at least in my experience/opinion.)

I think there are people who would consider what you're saying, and people who under no circumstances would consider that their beliefs might be erroneous. So despite our best efforts and intentions, come December 21, 2012, there are still inevitably going to be people - if nothing happens - who believed up to the last moment and are then completely disillusioned. Maybe even totally lost. (I hope no one interprets that choice of words as condescension. I'm speaking from personal experience, not condescension. I have been disillusioned to the point of feeling completely lost and purposeless before.) Hence my primary concern being those "after the fact" people.

But an ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of care, I agree. It's just that it's been tried so many times on ATS, with the best of intentions. My topic is just one example among a sea of others that all ended essentially the same way. I think it's in the disillusionment that some people would be receptive to talking, but it's also then that they may need the most compassion from others.

Peace.

reply to post by DISRAELI


Like a fetus in the womb, maybe this time period is a gestation of hope and expectation that can never be pointedly identified.? Like when baking bread bread ,you look in the oven with the light on and try to determine when the loaf is finished.
People want a time table to convince them an event has occurred ,although if we need a "date" to determine the arrival of said event, then we might be so blinded to change that it's moot to point out.
I told someone his hair is really growing or grown since last time we have seen each other ,but said " oh, I haven't noticed,and certainly don't feel it growing" perhaps the language we use to pronounce transition is inadequate .
Is it an "event " or a "process" ? Aahh, who cares !

reply to post by Xzorter

In that case the choosing of a date is something artificial.
A symptom, perhaps, of impatience.

OK, the "day " is about to arrive, or has already arrived in some parts of the world.
Based on my observations of previous "predicted" days, i suggested that believers in the prediction might be keeping thier heads down on the day itself, not even waiting for the end of the day vefore effectively giving up.
In fact, in the case of people expecting "doom", the disappearance seems to have started already.

"Nibiru" has been one of the earliest candidates to drop out of the race, caught out by the fact that arriving on the due date would have demanded a long and detectable approach time.
Those media offering to televise the apocalypse are looking upwards for a falling asteroid, but they don't count as believers.

Similarly, "Timewave Zero" has been reduced, as far as ATS is concerned, to a single hobbyist who doesn't actually take seriously what it implies. This is rather surprising, given that this "calculation" was what started the whole movement off in the first place. That was the launching of the band-wagon which the other belief systams hace been joining.

"11;11" has made a late re-entry, controlling speculationabout the actual time of the event.
This leads to the absurd result that the Mayan calendar is supposed to be the only calendar in human history that comes to an end in the middle of the morning. The excuse given is "Nobody knows what time the calendar started off". Yes, but even so; surely all calendar systems open at the beginning of the first day and close at the end of the last day, no matter how those beginnings and ends are defined?

Apart from that, it seems that the pattern I observed does apply, but perhaps only in the case of expected "public" events.
Those who are expecting something more subjective (i.e. the "ascension" movement) are still going strong, and there is no sign that they are going to keep their heads down along with the others.

I think I can claim that my semi-prediction has been half fulfilled.
My suggestion, based on previous observations of similar events, was that believers in the event would go quiet on the day itself, or even sooner.
That expectation seems to have been fulfilled, as far as I can tell, in the case of those expecting some sort of "public" event, whether Nibiru, asteroid falling, pole shift, Disclosure, or even Timewave Zero.
All these have been keeping their heads down for some time now.
Howver, I failed to anticipate that the pattern would not apply to the believers in more subjective events, like "ascension", who are putting up a very stubborn rear-guard action.