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 tactility on the and then imminent millennium and some which seem to have very little to do with the subject. He switches from topic to topic seemingly without governance 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 chew outs well-nigh the fates that different religious groups fear, and how maybe those without faith will be set ahead 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 stand all the predictions of others that he talks close to and concentrates on his own view that essentially nothi ng 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 task 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.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 almost every century since the 1100s has brought increased anxietyat its close. Shortly after stating this, he goes on to describe many events in the past that supp ort 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, it wasnt until the 1290sthat the centuries began to take on the shape they have now for us. He then adds that, not until the 1690s people began to see themselves as products of a given century. From these facts we could conclude that the millennium issue didnt even occur to people until slight than 500 years before it.