The Smart People's Club was in the news regarding their prognostications on Doomsday. See Relatively Speaking (March 2026). The Hill picked up the theme that month in an opinion piece that encourages, or at least claims, a Chicken Little approach to worldview. It asserts that many Americans "now believe the end is near."
There is some good humor about the word "Armageddon." I like
So what if I don't know what Armageddon means?It's not the end of the world
or
All this drama in the world. Makes me want to watch a nice light movie.You know... Like Armageddon.
Well, that is part of our problem societally; we seemingly can't laugh at much anymore. The Hill does not use "Armageddon" but focuses on "doomsday" and "apocalyptic." The author pokes fun at some societal elements and manages to be insulting and petty in the process.
The piece then turns from poking fun at groups to a contention that the fear of the "end of the world" is now mainstream. The evidence asserted is what phrases are trending on social media and social attitudes of Americans gleaned from polling.
The author focuses on conclusions that "100 million Americans expect the world to end in their lifetime." Their fears are apparently not united or focused. Some fears include "climate change, nuclear war, economic collapse, and artificial intelligence."
Those people are apparently not watching television. The ads I see are more focused on reasonably rare medical conditions that we should all rush to our doctors for. The premise is that we could all do better with our plaque psoriasis, cystic fibrosis, and narcolepsy. That industry says we can all self-diagnose our declining health.
The Hill author argues that in this "sky is falling" mindset, the population might be divided into two groups. One group will "take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them" (Billy Shakespeare, Hamlet, 1599). The second group, he claims, is more fatalistic and less inclined to action in the face of what they perceive is inevitability (think Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh).
The article takes a tack that the pessimists have it right. There are various cited examples of the challenges we face on economic, violence, and technology fronts. He contends people have quit making fun of "the doomsday crowd" and begun googling survivalist thoughts himself.
His expressed fear is not so much that the sky is falling but that there is consequence when people begin to believe that the sky is falling. The article included a poll gauging the extent to which one agrees "with the idea that the end of the world is near." When I took it, the outcome was not so supportive of the author's pessimism.
Nonetheless, perhaps there is some room for discussion? Maybe we could all use some news stories that are actual news? Perhaps there could be benefit from news coverage that features what the service club people are doing to improve communities, and less about the perpetual string of violence that so enamors the media? Are people pessimistic because of the world or merely because their social media, television, and more are pushing persistent messages of negativity and pessimism?
The Hill author concludes that there is danger for us in "point(ing) to the different dashboards flashing red" (the various reasons people express for their anxiety and fears). He concludes that there is a spirit of doom and that this mental attitude could itself be contributing to doom. His exposition of self-fulfilling prophecy is not inspiring or encouraging.
The thinkers in the world, however, will realize that the media is interested in shock value. Social media is designed to drive clicks. There is money in anger and by feeling it, tuning in, and clicking, you are feeding that monkey. There may be great benefit to you and society in simply not participating. Take a walk in the park. Build a Habitat home. Volunteer at a shelter. There is more than good around us. There is greatness. Go be a part of that and see what it does for your outlook.
The end of the world is not imminent. The future will bring change. The fact is, it always has. Ride with that. Get over the change, the pessimism, and the slop delivered daily to your screens. Pessimism and doomsdayism are easy, but neither is healthy nor productive. It's not the end of the world (that is just a movie). You heard it here first.
