There were critics of the destructive forces within civilization far before those forces approached their terminus. There was talk of ecological crisis and the "end" of civilization in the 60's and 70's, and there was talk of a terminal crisis of economy, state, and human nature in general in the 30's and 40's before that. There are also the many waves of Christian anticipation of the 2nd coming, and a slew of other waves in various mystical and political traditions. Fervor arises alongside the apocalyptic moon and then abates again, the moon slipping from sight, only to come back around and arise again. Waves of nausea.
With each pass the prophets of an era - though perhaps proven wrong temporally given a literal reading - have grasped the contours of a more dispersed, uneven, ragged, and boundless eschaton in their own way. Or they have apprehended the root forces giving shape to those contours.
Today the shelf appears ever closer. Yet how many waves are to pass until the dawn of the true terminus, and the cold hard bedrock? Terminus and bedrock for whom?
