Brink Porn

Temporal Narcissism

Most of us spend a lifetime waiting for the stars to align; and get through the day by supposing that such alignment might be very, very soon.  (Horizons are appealing because of what we imagine to be just beyond them.)  This seemingly innocuous proclivity can be easily exploited by shrewd operators who know how to push the right psychical buttons.

To wonder what fate holds in store for us is part of the human condition.  Speculation about when “the time has come” is always in the back of our minds; and it is tempting to suppose that it might be ANY DAY NOW.  The notion that better days are ahead–and that a longed-for destiny may even be immanent–helps us sleep at night.  The prospect of possibly being on the brink of something wonderful–a breakthrough, an epiphany–gets us out of bed each morning.  After all, today might be THE DAY.  It is a game we all play with ourselves; as it keeps us going.  We ALL need something to look forward to; and we must believe that it’s not too far off.

But more than immanent culmination (a reckoning that is close at hand), this leads to an abdication of worldly responsibilities beyond one’s own salvation.  Ironically, being obsessed with ONE thing entails apathy about, well, everything else.  “No need to be concerned about the distant future; it’s all in god’s hands.  Sustainability?  Why bother?  God has it all under control.  The End Times are nigh anyway!”

It is thus tempting to believe that one is living at an auspicious moment not just in one’s own life, but in all of human history.  Consequently, one is prone to think that one is serendipitously situated at a pivotal juncture, when a major sea-change is about to occur.  The implication is that “NOW” the stakes are higher than ever before.  Given our primally-hardwired tendency to respond impetuously when seized with a heightened sense of urgency, there are few better ways to get people’s attention that to persuade them that the fate of their eternal soul hangs in the balance, and that the pivotal moment is nigh.  For the impresarios of this theological gimmick  knew that people would be willing to make drastic decisions if they perceive themselves to be in existential duress.

The critical faculties become hamstrung in a panicked mind, to put it mildly.  Hence an artificially-induced sense of urgency is a prime way to manipulate a credulous audience.  This is why every politician likes to say that THIS election is the most consequential of our lifetime, time after time after time.  And it is why we are all tempted to fall for the line, time after time after time.

This is why Francis Fukuyama was inclined to pen his over-eager (and laughably wrong-headed) “The End of History And The Last Man” in the advent of the implosion of the Soviet Union c. 1991. {1}  It was an air of triumphalism that tempted the over-zealous Fukuyama–earnest yet intoxicated–to indulge in the self-satisfying delusion–embraced by many at the time–that the world was teetering on the cusp of history.  Providence had seen fit to bring the Cold War to a glorious culmination, with magnificently capitalist, stentorian United States at the helm.

This conceited view of history is impelled by the ubiquitous urge for self-congratulation–something we all experience whenever we feel our cause vindicated by the course of events.  It is natural for the in-group to suppose that watershed moments are always about “us” and OUR AGENDA; and the rest of the world should therefore take heed.  This is the central conceit of “brink porn”; for fashioning ourselves as the protagonists in history’s pivotal juncture FEEDS this tendency to exalt ourselves.

A charismatic leader who proffers such Brink Porn in a compelling way is sure to capture the attention of those who are disaffected, disoriented, insecure, and–above all–credulous; and so hankering for something that will give them hope.  

The slings and arrows of life–the trials and tribulations we are forces to endure–often makes WORLDLY hope difficult, as the future always looms forebodingly on the horizon, like gathering storm-clouds.  With an ominous worldly future, one is forced to look to what Nietzsche cheekily dubbed “True Worlds”.  When DIS-enchanted, people yearn for a source of RE-enchantment.  A telos gives people a sense of purpose, a sense of DIRECTION, and a kind of reassurance that everything is–as it were–heading somewhere (somewhere that’s worth heading).

This is why new religions tend to crop up during times of turmoil and unrest–the optimal climate for roiling Messianic fervor.  Impresarios of cult activity are quick to exploit the anxieties endemic to this pathos.  It is a gambit to justify their cause when people are highly receptive to flights of fancy.

In case after case, we find that when the moment is ripe, charismatic leaders both thrive off of–and so foment–the mania / hysteria (two sides of the same coin) that characterize the Messianic impulse that fuels their following.  (Note the pattern in “The History Of Exalted Figures”.)

Let’s grant the (obnoxiously narcissistic) supposition that the entire universe exists as a venue for homo sapiens here on this third planet from Sol; and ALSO leave aside the mystery of why the Abrahamic deity bided his time for almost 14 billion years before finally deciding to bring them about.  This is anthropocentrism on steroids.

9:29 in the Koran reminds us how paramount belief in “the Last Day” was for the early Mohammedan movement.  Indeed, this verse indicates that the authors of the Koran deemed such a belief to be a fundamental criterion for their new Faith.  For without an eschatology, they would not have been able to convey a sense of urgency.  Moreover, without a teleological framework, they would not have had the carrots and sticks necessary for motivation.

Our hunger for prophecy goes back thousands of years (discussed forthwith in “Legacy Of Mages”).  The gimmick is the same today as it has been since time immemorial: Be as vague and as provocative as possible, and one will SEEM to be clairvoyant. {2}

Brink-porn works like a charm.  For it is much easier to catch people’s attention when they can be convinced they are on the verge of something spectacular.  One is on the cusp of determining one’s FATE?  Gadzooks!  The thinking goes: It is therefore critical that one play one’s cards right; and all the more pressing that it be done NOW.  A hefty dose of Brink Porn eventually convinces everyone: The day of reckoning is upon us!

This is why it was during the Exilic Period that Judaism was codified by the Hebrew scriveners of Babylon.  And so it went with Pauline Christianity, from its days as a Judaic movement in the Second Temple Period…through its pre-Nicene phase over the course of the next three centuries.  It is clear from his letters that Saul of Tarsus was thoroughly convinced that the End Times were immanent.  Note his admonition to the Romans: “You know what time it is, that it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now that when we first became believers.  The night is far gone, the day is near” (13:11-12).

In the letter to the Hebrews, the opening line states that–in the past–god spoke with ancestors at various times in various ways, but IN THESE LAST DAYS he has spoken via the Christ.  In other words, the Last Days were IMMANENT.

This sense of urgency–predicated, as it is, on the imperiled existence of their eternal soul–persists in the Christian mind to the present day, TWO MILLENNIA LATER.  Islam has followed suit, employing this gimmick to the maximal degree.

And so it went: Saul believed that Christ’s return–to usher in the Day of Judgement–would occur within his lifetime.  This conviction was also made clear by his first letter to the Corinthians 7:28-31, in which he tells his male followers that if they’re not married by now, they shouldn’t even bother going to the trouble of finding a wife.  The apocalypse was nigh–a glorious culmination that we mustn’t miss, and it’s going to happen ANY DAY NOW.  (The “catch”, of course, is that “any day now” is always the case.  We are wont to speculate about what lies just beyond a perpetually receding horizon.)  Even in the original Gospel (that of Mark), it is foretold that the Second Coming is immanent in the opening verse of chapter 9 (also ref. 13:30).  This is echoed in:

• The Gospel of Matthew 16:28
• The Gospel of Luke 9:27
• The first chapter of Luke’s “Acts Of The Apostles” (verses 4-5)

The refrain is: “Hang in there!  For in the end, it’ll all pay off.”  The impression that the End Times were immanent was clearly prevalent amongst the authors of the canonical texts.

There are perverse repercussions to this delusive cosmic view.  Concerns for “akhira” (the afterlife) trump concerns for affairs in THIS (the only real) life.  To the degree that we feel obliged to prep for an imaginary afterlife (to obsess over what Nietzsche called “True Worlds”, a task that is held to be the sine qua non of human existence), the less devoted we will be to the future of the real world.

We are all tempted to posit our own glorious eschaton–a final destination toward which history is inexorably marching.  That is: We are all inclined to indulge in some kind of teleological thinking–be it finding our soul mate (we were destined to be together) or enjoying the spoils that we were denied during our Earthly life.  It is an eschaton that makes it all worthwhile, the ultimate End that justifies everything else.  A Final Cause helps us make sense of anything–and everything–that happens.  Moreover, it helps us orient ourselves in the world; as it gives us something to SHOOT FOR, and thus furnishes us with a sense of a purpose.

Yet as history unfolds, every culmination is revealed to be a mere transition; every climax turns out to be yet another stage along the way.  Along the way to what?  Well, there is no pre-determined course.  The future is not a destination; it is a perpetually-receding horizon.

A dependable system of orientation is extremely useful in that it attenuates the existential vertigo that may otherwise afflict us–precluding the bewildering sense of being lost at sea (what Sartre dubbed “nausea”).  One not only finds ONESELF with a sense of direction; everything in one’s life is given a kind of trajectory.  The world is made to MAKE SENSE. {3}

Life is but a sequence of junctures, each of which holds promise.  So we are chronically inclined to speculate that our destiny lay JUST AROUND THE CORNER…even after having turned the previous corner.  The anticipation keeps us hooked on whatever program offers guidance through this propitious hour.  Those who seek to bait us can take advantage of this impression–the impression of being on the cusp of something momentous.  For, we are notified, THEY will inform us of the crucial move that will lead us to the Promised Land (see my essay, “The Island”).

And so we find the same schtick in the Koran: “Then do they wait, except that the appointed hour should come upon them unexpectedly?  But ALREADY there have come its indications” (47:18).  Behold: We are ON THE CUSP of End Times.  Throughout Islam’s holy book, we are told repeatedly that the appointed hour is near–a point reiterated in 22:6-7, 33:63, and 42:17. {4}

Such alarmist rhetoric not only creates a false sense of urgency; it has the immensely gratifying effect of furnishing believers with a way of MATTERING (or at least feeling like they are a part of something tremendously important).  The message is hard to ignore: This is it!  Things will turn out magnificently for you…IF you play your cards right.  So you better get with the program!

Virtually every charismatic leader has used this schtick since time immemorial.  Indeed, this gimmick is timeless.  It generally takes the form: “A momentous occasion is just around the corner; so we must WATCH OUR STEP…lest we miss our divine calling.”  The key is to convince everyone that they need not wait much longer: “Just hang in there a little bit more; and we’ll make it!”  Such prognostication was in keeping with what we read in the original Gospel–that of Mark: “Verily I say unto you, that there be some who stand here who shall not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of god come with power” (9:1).  The Gospel even begins by announcing that “the kingdom of god is AT HAND” (1:15).  The sentiment is echoed in the Gospel of Matthew, when we are notified that John the Baptist proclaimed that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (3:2).  Meanwhile, JoN himself stated: “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (24:34).  

The immanence of the End Times was reiterated in the first letter of John, which mentions the anti-Christ “who you have heard is coming; and is even now already in the world” (4:2-3).  That’s right: The series of events depicted in the Book of Revelation was believed to have already been set in motion at the time it was written.  Christian fanatics spent the subsequent two millennia waiting for the Second Coming to materialize…even as their scripture clearly stipulated that it was already afoot by the end of the 1st century A.D.  This takes “keeping the dream alive” to stratospheric levels.

The foreboding prognostications in the Book Of Daniel would have undoubtedly served as fodder for self-proclaimed prophets.  Such captivating teleological asseverations could be used–and, indeed, were used–to stoke Messianic fervor throughout the Roman Empire, especially during JoN’s lifetime.  This included events like a giant, horned beast coming from the sea (a take-off on Tiamat…thus betraying the material’s basis in Babylonian myth), lots of fire and destruction, and a great resurrection event.  (There’s also a rock becoming a mountain that covers the entire world…thus betraying the authors’ conception of a flat earth.)  By touting signs of the End Times, the text fuels trepidation.  This is, of course, by design; as an audience in a state of desperation is much easier to manipulate.

The fascination with (purported) harbingers of the End Times continued throughout the Middle Ages–as demonstrated by the “Quindecim Signa Ante Judicium” [“Fifteen Signs Preceding The (Last) Judgement”], which started with seven signs…and then expanded to fifteen (presumably people were looking for more material).  The work was originally composed in Late Antiquity, and seems to have been a spin-off of the Apocalypse of Thomas…which was itself a spin-off of the Book of Revelation (a work of anti-Roman propaganda couched in fantastical eschatology inspired by the Book of Daniel).  Look for omens, and you will find them everywhere.

What we find, then, is an abiding obsession with the fact that the End Times were just around the corner; and that the course of human events was about to come to fruition ANY DAY NOW (read: in OUR OWN time).  This historiographical conceit has tremendous allure.  After all, we want things to–ultimately–be all about US.  That is: WE are perched at the culmination of human history…teetering on the brink of some monumental event, a final reckoning to which everything in OUR history has been building.  Thus: We are center stage.  What’s not to love about THAT?

SENSE OF URGENCY: Everything that has happened in the past comes down to what we do NOW.  So it’s ALL up to us.  Our mission is simply fulfill our destiny…and bring everything to its triumphant conclusion.

So we might ask: According to Mohammedan lore, what sorts of things would augur the End Times?  According to the most vaunted Hadith: The death of MoM himself, an ensuing fitna in Dar al-Islam, and the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem (Bukhari 4/53/401).  All these things came to pass in short order. {5}  In other words: Portents for Judgement Day were events experienced by the Salaf…in the 7th century. {6}

The pathos continued, unabated, for votaries of all three Abrahamic Faiths–as attested by the on-going stream of claimants of Messiah-hood enumerated in “The History Of Exalted Figure”.  When, in 1095, galvanized denizens of Christendom undertook their Holy Crusade, they were convinced the Apocalypse was nigh–demonstrating, yet again, that once people get swept up in the fervor of apocalyptic thinking, it takes on a cultic dimension.  Christendom witnessed this manufactured sense of urgency–even hysteria–on each subsequent Crusade for the next few centuries.  The End Times were–interminably–at hand, it seemed.  The conviction did not diminish as the generations came and went, without the eagerly anticipated eschaton materializing.

And so it went: The apotheosis of human history was always RIGHT NOW; so we must ACT.  Drastic measures are warranted when the culmination of human history might be tomorrow.  Yet along with way, what with the perpetually receding horizon, tomorrow never quite arrives.

This line of thinking–enthralling as it is–helps us believe something quite bewitching: that the future is in the palm of our hands; and–even more reassuring–that Providence is on our side.  Brink Porn indulges all these cravings.  It is no wonder, then, that so many are held in the thrall of captivating narratives that make use of this gimmick.

The psychology here is relatively straight-forward.  We all want to believe that there shall be a “moment of truth”; and we all like to think that it’s just around the corner.  “Any day now!  Just hang in there!”  Moreover, we all want a chance to prove ourselves. And what better way than to show how we’ll fair should an apocalypse befall mankind?

In terms of a collective, the thinking becomes even more hyper-dramatized.  The fate of humanity hinges on what WE do; and–more to the point–what we do NOW.  Thus “we are the chosen” goes from tribal to temporal.  Such magical thinking can be extremely gratifying.  For one gets to assert: “Finally!  The chance for VINDICATION is close at hand.”  Judgement Day is not just an occasion for just deserts; it is an occasion for one’s comeuppance.

Groupthink takes over–replete with mass-mania–and those “taken in” by the narrative are held in its thrall indefinitely.  For the supposition is forever on the verge of being corroborated.  One can relish the anticipation throughout the course of one’s life; and it never wanes.  There is an undeniable appeal to notion that the world is perpetually on the verge of a (final) reckoning; and one will finally–at long last–be able to demonstrate one’s worthiness.

The key, then, is to believe that the appointed hour is near.  It is tremendously gratifying–even invigorating–to be able to say: “It all comes down to THIS!”  This might be called “temporal narcissism”: a present-centric view of history that privileges one’s own epoch in a grand cosmological scheme.  According to this historiographical conceit, the CULMINATION of human history is at hand; and WE shall be the stars of the show.  Such thinking is extremely alluring; yet it easily mutates into hubris.

Making use of this compelling narrative helps us make sense of everything that happens in a world that is often dismaying.  Demagogues have a habit of getting time-tables intimated in scripture to fit one’s own time.  Thus John Calvin (a religious fanatic if one ever existed) referred to the Book of Daniel as “a mirror to the age”; and found in its verses every rationalization he needed.  He did so by–as it were–reading between the lines.  (Interpretation, it turns out, is oftentimes more eisegesis than exegesis; whereby one simply projects the desired meaning onto chimerical subtext.)  “The apotheosis is upon us.  The time is NOW.  We have arrived at our destiny!”

These particular dogma-peddlers were effectively pimps of the apocalypse–currying favor with credulous followers by hawking the eschaton.  The opening verse of (Paul’s letter to the) Hebrews chapter 11 illustrates this.  It defines Faith as “hypostasis” [conviction] in the credence of that which is hoped for.  Faith helps to make the illusory seem real, and so enables those who are delusive to have credibility.

And so it goes: Brink Porn serves as a surefire remedy for despondency.  Indeed, it is an antidote for existential lassitude.  Such a narrative also gives one a sense of direction, of purpose, orienting one in a bewildering world.  Thus it cures even the most severe cases of existential vertigo.  We all yearn for something that we can look forward to; yet with an uncertain future, we have nothing CONCRETE to look forward to.  By positing some glorious event that is certain to happen in the not-too-distant-future, we are given something to get excited about.  In the midst of all that is disheartening, disenchanting, we are given something that will make it all worthwhile.

By seeing things in this (gratuitously provocative) manner, all that happens–whatever it may be–can be seen as a resplendent unfolding of a divine plan.  An unfolding must have a telos; so the plan must culminate in a glorious ESCHATON, bringing all our highest hopes to fruition.  Believing there is a REASON FOR everything makes everything MAKE SENSE.  Knowing how everything will “come to together” and “work itself out” in the end is the ultimate consolation.

Hence the lurid portrayals found in Abrahamic eschatology.  The proposition is very enticing: Rather than tumbling, unbidden, toward an ominous fate; we are marching in lock-step toward a glorious destiny.  For everyone who feels short-changed by their lot in life, they are guaranteed a final SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS–a moment of Truth, when everyone will–FINALLY, at long last–get what’s coming to them.  Even more enticing: This come-uppance is JUST AROUND THE CORNER.  It awaits us…if only we march onward.

And so it goes: Don’t stray from the path; just stick with the plan.  Such a sales-pitch proves quite effective at keeping an audience captivated–which is to say: holding them captive.  What we must keep in mind is that belief often stems from a NEED TO believe.  Believe what?  Well, to believe SOMETHING.  Believing that, no matter how dire things get, something wonderful is held in store for us, is tremendously useful.

Contrived immanence is the key.  There is no better way to capture an audience’s attention than to say: Shit’s about to go down!  And YOU can be a part of it if you’d like.  (But beware; ‘cause it’s gonna be MONUMENTAL, and you don’t want to wind up getting the shaft.)  Keeping the hope alive is the optimal way to keep people “signed up” for the program.

The “catch” is that one sees an existential precipice wherever one looks; and ANYTHING can be seen as corroboration of the supercharged presentiment–no matter how delusive that presentiment ends up being.  Starry-eyed supplicants find themselves “waiting for Godot” on a cosmic level.

The sense that things will soon be finally–at long last–coming to fruition can be entrancing, and irresistible, especially in trying times.  It is what draws people to apocalyptic-ism in all its outrageous forms.  In the 19th century, Joseph Miller recognized this; which is why his following only kept growing each time his prediction of the end of the world proved to be wrong.  When it comes to magical thinking, countervailing evidence is moot.  If anything, countervailing evidence encourages True Believers to all-the-more vociferously cling to their delusion; as believing its veracity becomes increasingly urgent.

A fascinating case-study of this phenomenon was done by Leo Festinger in the early 1950’s when he studied the “Brotherhood of the Seven Rays” (a.k.a. “The Seekers”), an apocalyptic cult in Chicago  that was an offshoot of Scientology founded by the self-proclaimed prophetess, Dorothy Martin (discussed in Festinger’s 1956 book, “When Prophecy Fails”).

Religious zeal is only exacerbated when it meets resistance; as it becomes all-the-more-urgent that it be vindicated.  Ever-more drastic measures are required to sustain the illusion; thereby bolstering the cause.

The key to stoking–and exploiting–neuroses is keeping people eternally on edge; leveraging manufactured neurosis to one’s own advantage.  People who are insecure are far easier to manipulate.  The stratagem is simple: Keep people in a state of high alert in perpetuity.

This is a reminder that mass-mania and mass-hysteria are symbiotic.  As neurosis and false hope are two sides of the same coin.  EITHER can be engineered; and to engineer one typically involves engineering the other.  A perpetual state of anticipation and a perpetual state of un-ease keeps people hooked.  BOTH involved an engineered delusion.  This is how cult leaders like Cotton Mather and William Miller kept their followers even after their apocalyptic predictions kept failing to materialize.  With each iteration, proponents of the delusion will insist: “This time it’s different!”  Just before his death, the founder of the Watchtower Society (Charles Taze Russell) insisted Judgement Day was about to happen.  Jehovah’s Witnesses have been revising the year ever since. {7}

It is easy to convince ourselves that THIS is finally going to be the appointed hour…simply because we are all inclined to temporal narcissism.  Indeed, we all like to think that history is culminating with US.  This is the central conceit of brink-porn, and the primary reason apocalypticism maintains it allure–going back to Hilary of Poitiers c. 365.  From the Joachimites (an apocalyptic Franciscan cult from the 13th century) to New Age aficionados’ quirky readings of the Mayan calendar in 2012, the phenomenon is timeless.

The degree of conviction is almost always proportional to the magnitude of the delusion.  The 2nd-century Christian cleric, Irenaeus of Smyrna was certain that the appointed hour would come in the year 500.  Pope Sylvester II was certain it would be the year 1000.  Anabaptist, Melchior Hoffman was certain it would be in 1533…and when that didn’t come to pass, Jan Matthys was certain it would be the very next year.  Martin Luther proclaimed the appointed hour would be in the year 1600.  And on and on and on.

The rationalizations for such outrageous claims are endless.  During the 17th-century, Jewish mystic, Sabbatai Zevi of Smyrna used the Kabbalah to support his claim that the end of the world was nigh.  Meanwhile, Scottish mathematician, John Napier predicted that the end of the world was nigh with a flourish of arithmetic acrobatics.  People will believe precisely what they are determined to believe; and a charismatic leader need only furnish them with ample rationalizations.  Likewise, people will see only what they want to see.  Thus harbingers of the Last Day can be seen in virtually anything–from foreboding apparitions to the passing of a comet (ref. the zany theories surrounding Hale-Bopp in 1997).  No matter how dire things get, we are encouraged to see events as portending some kind of Valhalla (assuming we sign up for the program on offer).

It is one thing to undertake a mendacious form of manipulation; it is quite another to maintain it in perpetuity, without anyone ever catching on that it is a ruse.  Brink porn enables impresarios to keep followers in line, by perpetually reassuring them: “Don’t worry, any time now.  Just hang in there.”  The trick is to keep false hope alive: “Just stick with it, and you’ll be in for a real big treat!”  Whatever happens, it can be seen as a portent to wonderful things that lie in store for you…IF you play your cards right.

The ultimate incentive is an other-worldly Paradise that nobody can actually see, held in store for True Believers AFTER death; so the claims can never be corroborated.  If the audience is held sufficiently rapt (to wit: captive), this illusion can be sustained indefinitely.  In other words: If implemented with savvy, the jig will never be up.  (I discuss an allegory of this kind of scam in the essay, “The Island”.)

The trap can be exploited in myriad ways.  Indeed, the same psychical mechanisms are at play in the mind of a credulous man at the mercy of his libido, who is assured by a conniving seductress: “I promise, just ONE MORE favor, and maybe you’ll get a chance to take me to bed.”  Such a man–clinging to a thread of hope–can be strung along for all eternity.  Pace the libidinal impulse, similar psychical mechanisms explain this that explain the appeal of brink porn–be it in a religious or political context.

The yearning for a final reckoning is, of course, understandable.  We are ALL eager for ultimate justice to be visited upon–well–EVERYONE, and as soon as possible.  (This is especially so considering so many wonderful things happen to horrible people, while so many horrible things happen to wonderful people.)  So we’d all very much like to think that this comeuppance is just around the corner.  (After all, what good is a final reckoning TO US if it is too far over the horizon?)

The timeless allure of believing in a glorious apotheosis transcends culture.  And so it went with the emergence of the Abrahamic Faith in the 7th century, when Messianism swept through Arabia and became all the rage.  As is explicated in the Addendum, MoM capitalized on the same kind of Messianic fervor that has driven most other apocalyptic movements throughout history.  Once more, True Believers anxiously awaited the moment of Truth to finally arrive.

Generally speaking, most of what one does is predicated on the expectation of a specific outcome; and so suspected outcomes invariably dictate ones behavior.  This is a matter of sheer practicality; and so does not necessarily require a fantastical teleology.  Historicism–especially insofar as it is fixated on a hair-raising eschatology–maps this heuristic to cosmic proportions.  Doing so enables one to translate such thinking to an existential–as well as global socio-political–context.

Hence we find ourselves with two paradigms–diametrically opposed to one another.  Progressives are focused on bringing about a new beginning (that is: moving forward).  Reactionaries, on the other hand, are focused on bringing about an apotheosis (and doing so by harkening back to tales of old).  The idea of re-constructionism is to RESURRECT, which mandates some kind of reversion–that is: a perceived mandate to bring things BACK to the way they (purportedly) used to be.

Such an enterprise requires a tantalizing telos–a destination to be assiduously pursued at the expense of EVERYTHING ELSE.  The aim is to usher in a CULMINATION; so the pursuit becomes–existentially speaking–the sine qua non of human existence.  Anticipation of this impending culmination bestows one with a sense of satisfaction.  For, as it turns out, I MATTER; as I have a role to play in this grand scheme.  The eschaton needs to be brought about, and I can be part of it!  This is fantastic.  How could one possibly turn down such an opportunity?

Pace Karl Marx’s fanciful notion of a worker’s paradise (historicism loves its panaceas!), it is almost exclusively RIGHT-WING thinking that is characterized by utopianism. {24}  The key is to exploit this longing for an (impending) utopia.  This exalted state can take the form of a kingdom of god (à la Augustine) or an anarcho-capitalist Valhalla (à la Ayn Rand).  Thus utopias can be cast in either socio-economic or theologic terms–whatever the occasion warrants.  (See my discussion of a “New Jerusalem” in my essay, “City Of David”.)

Indeed, a compelling narrative vehicle can be tailored to suit one’s predilections.  A sense of urgency (the supposition that THIS is a pivotal juncture in mankind’s history) impels people to act on such expectation–often resorting to fanaticism to ensure the realization of their vision; or even to tolerate the direst of straits with the expectation that it will all be worth it in the end (see “The Island”).  The allure of this cosmic view is plain to see: No matter how dire things might get, we are assured that “it will all be well worth it in the end.”  Credulous flocks, captivated by this narrative, can be strung along indefinitely.  Indeed, such reassurances will keep them at peak truckle in perpetuity.

So long as an enticing eschaton is dangled before the eyes of the credulous, they will be willing to endure any tribulation.  Indeed, a sufficiently compelling telos can be concocted to justify any kind of deprivation or depravity.  It is no coincidence, then, that it is amongst the most fanatical elements of a religion that “brink porn” has the most purchase.  (In Judaism, there is a reason it plays such a prominent role in Revisionist Zionism.  In Christianity, there is a reason it plays such a prominent role in American Dominion-ism.  In Islam, there is a reason it played such a prominent role in Daesh.)  There is a reason we don’t hear such talk from, say, Quakers.

And so it went with William Miller’s prediction of the Rapture in the 1830-40’s, Edgar C. Whisenant’s prophecies in the 1980’s…and most recently, Harold Camping apocalyptic pronouncements, which attracted lots of media attention for about a month, and was promptly forgotten when his appointed day came and went.

By WHY is this “just around the corner” way of stringing people along indefinitely is so incredibly effective?  The neuroscience behind this is relatively straight-forward.  Dopamine rushes are largely about the ANTICIPATION of reward, not about the reward itself.  That is, it is the IMPRESSION of an impending reward that counts.  Even more striking: It is the MAYBE (rather than a certainty) of the anticipation that makes the dopamine secretion go through the roof.  The neurotransmitter spikes when the anticipation stems from the sentiment, “Maybe TODAY will be the day, but I’m not sure…so I better get my act together!”  (Or maybe the day will be TOMORROW.)  This is what keeps people captivated–or, as the case may be, held captive (as illustrated by the parable of “The Island”).

This predilection can be exploited, which is how casinos stay in business; and why people play the lottery.

The “teetering on the precipice” trope is seductive–and oftentimes extremely intoxicating.  It always seems to work because we are always still JUST HUMANS, susceptible to the same ol’ gimmicks of yesteryear–though with new packaging.  It is tempting to place ourselves at the culmination of, well, EVERYTHING.  As we are, by definition, NOW at the point that everything until now has led up to!  For those involved, such a conceit comes off more as lucidity than as hubris.  Who needs to worry about a distant telos–exasperatingly out-of-reach–when we’re just about already there?  Destiny is so much more enticing when it is at our doorstep.  When it comes to fate, there’s no time like the present!

And so it is no surprise that, throughout history, around the world, we encounter the supposition that WE are moving inexorably toward a foreordained destination.  As I show in the next section, eschatological motifs around the world, throughout history, have depicted an End Times that is glorious and exciting; and thus worth looking forward to.

Anyone who claims that we are ON THE CUSP is simply exploiting the penchant for temporal narcissism that we all have. {8}  But such historiographical conceit is not a good thing; it is a surefire way to view one’s place in history in delusional ways.  Today is just another one of the future’s many bygone eras.

History is not a pre-ordained plot-arch; it is an open-ended process that could go any number of ways, depending on our own decisions.  There is no destination; there is only an array of possibilities open to us…regardless of who we are.  That was the case a thousand years ago; and it will be the case a thousand years from now.

Don’t worry; there’s a point to it all; and in the end it’ll all make sense.  Take heart, it will all be worthwhile in the end; just hang in there.  All the necessary planning has been taken care of already; everything has already been figured out.  Trust that everything will eventually work out as it should.  God has everything under control; and won’t forget about you.

God has everything taken care of, and makes no mistakes.  So if things currently aren’t working out for you, you have nobody to blame but yourself.  (Implication: You aren’t pious enough.  Be more subservient!)  And if you curry favor with the powers-that-be, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.  The Church of Latter-Day Saints promises men their own planet…over which they will rule AS A DEITY. (!)  We are all heroes-in-waiting in our own dramatic production, seeking a portent of some glorious destiny so that we might realize our calling.

This isn’t just about giving us something wonderful to look forward to…no matter how grueling life may be.  Visions of an after-death “life” in a nebulous hereafter were designed to allay anxieties about our mortality.  When we encounter anything that brings the (illusory) credence of that psychical / social construct into question, we end up experiencing the very anxiety those constructs were designed to allay.  So we either have to jettison the construct (for what?) or push back against whatever it is that is threatening to undermine it.  (The best work on this issue is Ernst Becker’s “Denial Of Death”.)

The prospect of abandoning the (gilded) dogmatic edifice on which one stands is not an enticing one; especially when one see that one is surrounding by a roiling ocean of uncertainty.  So when one’s sacrosanct beliefs are challenged, one’s dander invariably goes up; and one is more apt to dig in one’s heals than bother with the hard work of critical reflection.  When one’s worldview is in jeopardy, the natural reaction is to circle the wagons and lash out at anything that dares approach.