Dreams of Millennium :: essays research papers fc

In his 1996 report, Dreams of millennium: a report from a culture on the brink, Mark Kingwell discusses a spectrum of topics some of which touch on the then imminent millennium and some which seem to have very little to do with the subject. He switches from topic to topic seemingly without organization or connection. The book, although relatively lengthy, does not seem to come to any conclusions. Kingwell discusses several issues that he believes will become more problematic in the future and he discusses the millennium, as these problems will shape it. He talks about the fates that different religious group’s fear, and how maybe those without faith will be further mistrustful and disbelieving. Kingwells discussions of Armageddon reveal his own lack of fear; he does not seem to fear the future as a millennium, but as something else. Kingwell seems to reject all the predictions of others that he talks about and concentrates on his own view that essentially nothing will really change because of the millennium. He talks about all kinds of people in groups and how they will react as the new age approaches. He cannot predict their fate, but he does a good job of clarifying how they have prepared. Mr. Kingwell talks of how in hundreds of years past, people believed in superstition, spirits, and psychic abilities. The author new watches as society turns back down that road. Unfortunately, Kingwell seems to talk at length about everything for an end result of nothing. His arguments and facts are well thought out and researched, but they do not clarify any explanations about the preparation for the millennium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To capture Kingwells work in a small space is difficult. With his long and drawn out explanations of why millennium is, for many, the beginning of the end, Kingw3ell states that â€Å"almost every century since the 1100’s has†¦ brought increased anxiety†¦at its close.† Shortly after stating this, he goes on to describe many events in the past that support this statement. He talks of calendars and their significance in the past and relates them to those of today. For example Kingwell tells us that, â€Å"it wasn’t until the 1290’s†¦that the centuries began to take on the shape they have now for us.† He then adds that, â€Å"not until the 1690’s †¦people began to see themselves as products of a given century.† From these facts we could conclude that the millennium issue didn’t even occur to people until less than 500 years before it.