The end of the millennium is approaching. Fast. The question is whether this is supposed to mean anything. What should I be feeling? Angst perhaps? A seemingly popular word at present and one I think I can in fact relate to. The earth and its inhabitants, which includes me, is on the brink. Even if the accuracy of the millennial year is in doubt, it doesn't matter. The event has been promoted as big and of some significant consequence and therefore has meaning. It is a populace thing; a collective thought that has become a surrogate event for actual substance. Because really, what does it matter? You can rest assured that 1 January 2000 is going to be remarkably similar to 31 December 1999. I have a sneaking suspicion that come the first morning of the new millennium the sun will rise in the usual place, the sky will still be blue, and the face in the bathroom mirror won't have changed a bit . So why the big deal?

I have an idea as to why the big deal. Let me share it with you. It may in some way seem obvious but only because you will undoubtedly be conceptualising my thought processes as you read.

It's been a shitty century. Death, destruction, mayhem. I suspect there has been the occasional dose of fun, but by golly, which nanosecond was it that I missed. Let's take stock then.. Wars: too many to list. Natural disaster: Tsunami, flood, fire, hurricane, earthquake, drought. Lucky-dip I suppose, but these little irritations just keep on coming. Human catastrophe: starvation, poverty, congestion, disease. No end there either. Fact is, it has been a hectic century. We, as a race, have little to be thankful for. So I have an idea. Is it ludicrous to think that we all just want to get out of this mess, blow this century off and move on? I for one quite like the idea of starting afresh.

Sure I'm kidding myself, but I'm OK with this. Self-deception has its merits, and thinking the world can wipe the slate clean and progress to a new era is pretty attractive. It isn't going to happen, but why not enjoy the sense of hope and novelty when it presents itself. I'm all for it.

So the point is… I don't give two shits about credibility and whether Jesus was born a decade earlier or not. We've been headed toward the 2000-year mark for some time and this in itself has provided an aspect of substance to the event. Let's just go for it. Let's all turn that new leaf with a renewed sense of hope. Let us all be excited and enjoy, if likely only very briefly, the mere prospect of a better world; Let's imagine an end to suffering, violence, hate, tragedy and all those other little nasties that go hand in hand with human existence. Why not? Such a fleeting opportunity for optimism shouldn't be squandered but seized for what it's worth… fake, but a damn good con! I'm prepared to feign naivety for a day or two. Hell, I may even stretch it out to a few weeks.

Expectation is the problem of course. I suspect there will be a fair proportion of the world's population who really believe a time of change is pending. These will be the losers of the moment. They are unfortunately setting themselves up for the mother of all letdowns. In fact, the letdown of the millennium. Then on the other hand are the zealots and lunatics. The end of the world is nigh, etc. There'll for sure be the odd nutter out there, intent of enacting such prophecy, and levelling their best efforts toward exacting the odd barrage of mayhem and destruction. But whatever. Such is life. Some more people in this world are going to suffer at the reality of such madness. It's the toll the world will have to pay for passing through the gates to a brand new era.

Let's just get on with it I say. Viva le millennium. Stuff the doomsayers and let's show a little enthusiasm.

See you all on the other side…

Copyright © Anthony Gibbons 1999.