03/30/2026
[*Note: some algorithmic/dark science issue with my first version so I'm reposting]
Myth, The Apocalypse and Yoga
I have a 22-year-old son. Recently we were talking about his generation’s perspective on the future. He told me that so many of his friends, since they were kids, have heard that the world is ending – that they are the “last generation.” He said that he knows quite a few people who have chosen to ignore the future and live it up; they just want to dance, even if the world is burning, because who knows how long the fun will last?
The apocalypse used to be confined to the domain of evangelical “End Times” theology, but lately it seems to have jumped the fence and become a mainstream narrative. Plenty of people who are not even remotely religious buy into it. With climate anxiety, the AI takeover, geopolitics, conspiracy theories, wars, and a flailing economy, it’s pretty much a dumpster fire out there, so it’s not surprising many feel certain the apocalypse is looming.
Joseph Campbell often spoke about how myths are masks of the transcendent, that stories help us navigate the joys, sorrows, pain, pleasure, and worries of being alive by invoking something mystical. But the apocalypse isn’t the only myth – there are many others, and if you only focus on destructive end-times stories, you miss out on the power of constructive myths about resilience, forgiveness, re-birth, growth, regeneration, and renewal.
Have you heard about what’s happened at Chernobyl? The area that was abandoned after the 1986 disaster has become an accidental nature reserve, teeming with life — plants, trees, wolves, elk, and bears. Yeah, it’s polluted, and no one should be living there, but nature is regenerating itself. And life, yeah, sure, it’s fragile, but it’s also very determined; its dharma is to regenerate.
The apocalypse is a myth, and a very strong one currently. But Indian cosmology doesn’t see history as a straight line ending with a jump off a cliff; its myths describe history as cyclical, progressing through eras, or yugas. Satya Yuga is the age of truth and enlightenment; Treta Yuga, the age of declining morality; Dvāpara Yuga, the age of materialism and power; and Kali Yuga, the age of ignorance and discord.
It’s not terribly surprising that we’re in the era of Kali Yuga right now – an era of great strife, ignorance, and confusion, but not an apocalypse – a painfully necessary step on the way to truth.
When you doom scroll, the algorithm feeds you more doom to scroll, which can make it seem like there’s no hope and increase feelings of helplessness, fear, and confusion.
It’s avidyā, and avidyā is a huge, sucking hole – but one that can be countered by minimizing the hopeless habits, seeking supportive community (satsaunga), and engaging in sincere practice (sadhana or abhyāsa).
I’m not saying that we should ignore the challenges out there or spiritually bypass the bad things that are happening, but catastrophizing isn’t helpful either. Instead, the opportunity is to acknowledge that there’s some serious, world-changing sh*t going down and stay informed, but not obsessed. And then, take some time away from the screen, do some yoga, take a walk, get out in nature, and put whatever glimpse of hope you have into action. Do something, big or small, to make the world a better place, and remember that things always change.
Deciding to reject apocalyptic thinking is a way to reclaim a sense of empowerment and agency. It’s a way to stop anticipating the end and start living in the present. No one knows how any of what’s going on right now is going to shake out, but yoga practice is a way to stay grounded, maintain an open mind and heart, and help others do the same.
Maybe what we’re going through is a time in which old ideas, ways, and myths need to die out, that mother earth is doing some clean up. And maybe what’s coming next is something much more human - that's what I'm choosing to focus on these days.
