Knowledge shall be increased, end times prophecies in the information age
There is no doubt we're living in the
information age, and there is no doubt
knowledge shall be increased in the so-called
end of times. It has been doing so steadily (for the average person) since the 20th century, and we have the industrial revolution to thank for that. Prior to the industrial revolution, the average family lived in rural areas working the land, then from the mid 1700's, changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times.
The
Industrial Revolution marked a major turning point in world history; influencing almost every aspect of daily life. The average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. According to WikipediA, in the two centuries following the 1800's, the world's average per capita income increased over tenfold, while the world's population increased over sixfold. Great Britain (as the empire of the day) provided the legal and cultural foundations that enabled entrepreneurs to
pioneer the industrial revolution, and with the transition away from an agricultural-based economy and towards machine-based manufacturing came a great influx of population from the countryside into the towns and cities, which swelled in population.
The 2nd industrial revolution in the mid 1800's, came with
technological and economic progress with the development of steam-powered ships and railways, then later in the 19th century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation. No doubt the Industrial Revolution began an era of per-capita economic growth in newly formed capitalist economies, and economic historians are in agreement that the Industrial Revolution is the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals and plants as many as 10,000 years ago.
With the
evolution of writing that distinguished the earliest civilizations was originally a skill confined to an elite group of officials, priests and scribes, who also studied mathematics and astronomy. As such there was a social divide between the educated and the illiterate, who were forced to work hard as soldiers or peasants (labourers)Although access to education has evolved, overcoming barriers like social status, race and gender, there is still some knowledge coveted by the few.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, education was limited to the priesthood as authorities linked knowledge to decadence, which was believed to be the primary instrument of the fall (I have my own opinions) and for the
common man, education in any form was outlawed and punishable by imprisonment or death. The result...? The 500 year Western European
dark age (a term medieval historians today usually avoid) where holy wars became the only (un) sustainable industry. The resurgence of knowledge (in Europe) was attributed to the
Renaissance and the refinement and spread of the printing press.
Education and the Industrial Revolution
In this new world, the industrial mode of production generated important new requirements for education. First, the effective combination of human workers with machinery required a general knowledge, the workers had to be able to read and write documents that defined work processes and standards. The rather miserable living conditions of the early factory workers (both adults and children)
eventually pushed some factory owners to set up schools to improve living conditions and survival rates of their workers and productivity in their factories.
These changes most directly influenced education which was oriented towards the productive layer of the society. Indirectly, however, the newly acquired capabilities and attitudes also influenced the broader society, as well as education that was oriented towards personal growth and development. As a side-effect, the industrial model of production became the foundation for large scale administration and governance and enabled wider participation of citizens in public life and political processes, facilitating the expansion of the information society and democracy.
By the early 20
th century, the link between productive work and personal development became increasingly loose. Factory work was organized in a way where work tasks typically lacked intrinsic meaning and motive. Work also consumed much of the time that otherwise could have been used for personal growth. Formal education was thus also needed to compensate this decline in opportunities for personal development at work, leading to the emergence of corporate-centric identities and a new concept of human development, where climbing an organizational hierarchy was understood as progress.
Towards the second half of the 20
th century, the educational system was already quite well aligned with the requirements of the Industrial period. This led to a relatively stable state, where advancement equaled parallel expansion in production and education, which has steadily increased into the new millennium.
End of the world and the Book of Revelation
The final book of the New Testament occupies a central part in Christian eschatology (a major branch of study within Christian Theology) is the study of the end of things, whether the end of an individual life,
the end of the age, or the end of the world. the study of the destiny of humankind as it is revealed by the Bible is the primary source for all Christian eschatology studies, a title derived from the first word of the text,
apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation. Again, one has to consider language, as
apokalypsis or apocalypse has come to be defined as the end of the world by war or "
the wrath" of...
I lean more towards unveiling or awakening, which in the age of information is a key component of evolving human consciousness. The worlds many religions have various interpretations which most seem to generally embrace the same pessimistic
view.
With end of days prophecies being part of the
zeitgeist, and being used to oil the machine of progress (capitalism) and seems to be a flame some have moved from fanning to pouring gasoline on an already wildfire (despite the fiscal cliff America is facing as the contemporary world power/empire, the U.S. Congress is adjourning on... you guessed it, December 21st) Who can blame them really? When the signs of something grand for humanity is on the horizon.
Some would look at the above crop circle representation as staged, but if the reader had any idea what it takes to make those sort of impressions (especially this complex) it would make one wonder what the point of it all would be, and if the culprits didn't have better things to spend their time and energy on.
Add to that the popularity of horror genre films (where everything from vampires to...
that's right... zombies) have nearly cornered the market on entertainment, fears/interests in a potential zombie apocalypse have never been higher (perhaps because people love to be frightened) and conspiracy theorists wait with baited breath every time a new form of virus/flu is followed by a new round of international vaccination protocols, just waiting for the time to lock themselves away in their zombie proofed homes and break out the zombie apocalypse survival kits.
some are even prepared to go on a supply run if need be, with the latest in anti zombie super cars (not available till 2014. lol)
The Digital/Knowledge Revolution
Represents an
irreversible shift in the global state of mind; a fundamentally
new world view that encompasses insights from
ancient times through current breakthrough science and technology, disrupting the
established order. According to researchers, there are three major disruptors of the established order – population shifts, resource supply, and
technological developments (like AI), which are producing phenomena never before encountered in the industrial society.
This suggests that the revolution will not flow from the mobilization of new machines; rather it will require a fundamental revamp of the human context in which machines are used. With the expansive use of the PC (personal computer) from the 1980's, and the internet from the 1990's, there is no doubt the access of a multitude of information has been made available to the masses unlike any time before.
Information which used to be confined to the elite few is now being shared with the speed of an Internet search result. Access to information once only available in post secondary and ivy league institutions is rising as quickly as unconventional information. Today, the average person can satisfy their intellectual and mundane curiosities with the click of a mouse. Sharing opinions,
blogging,
liking on social networks and providing status updates has not only caused an explosion of human consciousness and interaction, as we have seen over the last two years it has also helped to organize individuals into groups standing ready to challenge the status quo in ways previous generation never could (Arab spring)
No doubt the
digital/knowledge movement is reshaping how organizations are created, evolve, mature, and evolve or die. It is reshaping how business is done, how economies develop, and how societies prosper.
Mayan Calender and end of days
The increase of knowledge has also engendered many cultural ideologies, with the
end time prophecies growing evermore popular. Discussions regarding the idea of the end of the world has been steadily growing the closer we get to December 21st, which is the date the ancient culture prophesied would be the end of the world.
The idea of the end of days once relegated to the few has become the zeitgeist (spirit of the age or spirit of the time) which is the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought typifying and influencing the culture of a period. It has helped the numerous publications find a home in the recently formed unconventional knowledge section of major book store chains, inspired many televsion shows and feature films (Armageddon, Deep core, Deep impact, and... 2012).
A good example of and end of the world event comes from the movie Apocalypto, where in by the end of the film, the world as the natives knew it arrived at the beginning of the end with the arrival of the conquistadors. Obviously, it was the end in large part of their culture, not of the world.
Here's the problem with end time prophecies. No one can say definitely what the Mayans meant by the end of the world. As language has evolved so has the many meanings of words once simple in ancient times. The Mayans may have been referring to the age (which could be as many as a 5000 + years) or current civilization (6000 - 10,000 years) and as such no one can say for certain they meant the end of human life on earth, all life on earth, or the destruction of the earth itself.
The idea our solar system will be entering into alignment with the centre of the galaxy
and cosmic forces (theorized by some to be the missing link in human evolution) could mean the end of the homo sapiens race by way of an evolutionary leap forward.
Nostradamus Predictions
Nostradamus, was a French
apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book
Les Propheties (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with much of the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.
Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's
quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Nevertheless, occasional commentators have successfully used a process of free interpretation and determined 'twisting' of their words to predict an apparently imminent event (Y2K scare anyone?)
Nostradamus's notorious '1999'
prophecy describes no event that commentators have succeeded in identifying either before or since, other than by dint of twisting the words to fit whichever of the many contradictory happenings they are keen to claim as 'hits'. No quatrain suggests, as is often claimed by books and films on the alleged Mayan Prophecey, that the world will end in
December 2012 (in fact, in his preface to the
Prophecies, Nostradamus himself stated that his prophecies extend 'from now to the year 3797'!)
Y2K?
Despite the hype from various sources, it didn't happen... nuff said.
New models in the information age, at your fingertips
Again, the knowledge revolution is said to represent an irreversible shift in the global state of mind; a fundamentally new world view disrupting the establi
shed order. Again, the three major disruptors of the established order – population shifts, resource supply, and technological developments, which are producing phenomena never before encountered in the industrial society, not flowing from the mobilization of new machines rather requiring a fundamental revamp of the human context in which machines are used.
Is on-line Network Marketing a revamped marketing model?
As a writer and network marketer who's done the research and enjoys the various facets of the industry, I have to say yes. In a previous blog (regarding retirement and financial freedom) I noted that the business of Network Marketing accounts for
93% of the overall market, while on-line Network Marketing only accounts for
3%. Combined with the fact that although the Internet has only been around for 20 years, 2.2 billion people—nearly a third of the planet's 7 billion people now (as of 2012) use the Internet for everything from bill payments to on-line shopping.
Companies are quickly realizing the 20 century model of marketing and advertising is becoming obsolete. Since the economic downturn more and more people are not only
working from home and starting their own business, they're finding they're able to earn double and triple what they used to earn working a regular nine to five (including high paying executive positions) As such, views regarding the (growing) on-line network marketing industry are also changing. MLM courses are actually being offered in post secondary institutions (don't take my word for it, google it for yourself) which to me is a clear indication of it's validity. But you do have to do some research as with everything else, there are pitfalls, there are schemes and scams to be avoided.
With the
Empower Network, as a
global company with representatives on pretty much every continent, numbering in the hundred thousands, we not only teach the secrets network marketers use to get their web pages high rankings on the major search engines, we teach how to use
on-line network marketing to promote small businesses, our affiliates earn
100% commissions and are living the kind of lifestyle they've always dreamed of.
P.S.
Reminder... "No doubt the digital/knowledge movement is reshaping how organizations are created, evolve, mature, and evolve or die. It is reshaping how business is done, how economies develop, and how societies prosper..."
Reminder... "The digital/knowledge movement is characterized by a dispersion of power and by managers/owners who lead by empowering knowledgeable workers to contribute and make decisions (
in this case make money) It's because of Empower Network that I'm learning about this growth industry, started blogging for the first time (and I've been writing for 15 years) did my first vlog, and have begun formulating a stratedgy to promote my novel which is about ready for self publishing.
Want to know more? Go to my site
http://empowernetwork.com/apink/ then click on the banner and watch the free video (with no strings attached) or enter your email here
/theylovetobuy.php?id=apink for more information (from me) on how you can earn 100% income blogging part time.
some point in the future, by which time it’s become a dangerous place devoid of human life. When the father is injured, it's up to the son to complete the mission. The obvious grooming of Smith Junior is ironic considering Will SMith passed on playing the iconic Neo before accepted by Keanu Reeves in the highly stylized and ultra successful The Matrix to continue playing the typical, fictional action hero (Wild Wild West, Bad Boys) not seeing the error of his ways until then wife Jada Pinkette played Niobe in the Matrix sequels.
