Why the World Doesn't End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss

by Michael Meade

Starting with the sense that the contemporary world is uncertain and fragmented, troubled with tragedy and fraught with inauthenticity, mythologist Meade seeks for hints of renewal amidst the rattling and the rubble. At a time when people expect the world to come to an end because of global warming or nuclear nightmares, at the hand of wrathful deities or the prediction of ancient calendars, Meade offers surprising tales of renewal as well as an in-depth treatise on the psychology and mythology of the end of an era. In place of simple apocalyptic scenarios, the author follows a knowing thread back to ancient notions of apocalypsis as a liminal period marking the passage between one era and the next. Apocalypsis involves eruptions in nature and disruptions of culture, but also makes possible revelations of a unifying principle and guiding force in each life. Apocalypsis uncovers the hidden unity that connects all of life; but only after the surface of life cracks and the expected patterns fail. He describes a time of indeterminate length when people face the choice of assisting with the renewal of the world or falling under the spell of collective anxieties and doomsday predictions.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2012

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfect to read at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. It manages to cover concepts of the apocalypse and the most difficult things humans can face while being incredibly hopeful and inspiring. I want everyone I know to read this book now.

[Gregory Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent examination of the human journey we take part in, and how it is described in myth and story. To give you a sense of the book, here's a short quote from Chapter 6 - the Gift of Life, page 122: "Having a genuine vision of one's life requires and open heart as well as an open mind. Some might argue that the heart and eye are completely separate organs and shouldn't be confused. One receives impressions of light and movement; the other, deeply encased in the body is there to pump blood. Yet there are organs within organs. The mind can operate anywhere in the body and a blind person can often see many things clearly. There is a heart within the heart that holds a deeper capacity for vision. There is an eye in the heart that sees beauty and envisions things that cannot be proven by logic or be simply explained or easily understood. The eye within has its own sense of purpose and direction, just as the heart has its own thoughts that began long before the mud body formed and all the kicking and crying started. The heart is a subtle organ that mythically remains connected to the Heart of Heaven as well as to the Heart of the Earth. The eye of the heart is shaped for seeing the mysteries of life and love and for sighting new ways for making both. "
Michael Meade is one of my favorite story/myth-tellers and I was hoping for more tales (hence the 4 star), but still a wonderful read.