sixwordstories | (no subject)

[Sherlock raises an eyebrow.]

Of course it will... someday. All things that have a beginning have an end.

That's true, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen this year, as some people seem to believe.

This year? What do you mean people think it will happen this year.

[Sherlock forgets the Earth goes around the Sun, Armageddon is hardly something that influences his case work, so he's 'deleted it.']

Well, it seems a cycle in an ancient mayan calendar is ending this year, which for some reason makes people believe that all sorts of crazy things are going to happen. None of them particularly good for our poor little planet. Never heard of that?

*Julian would be envious if he knew. Sometimes it's really less irritating to be oblivious of certain things.*

Boring. And more to the point: Does it matter? There's nothing we can do to stop it if it is going to happen, so why worry about it?

Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell the last dude who was worried about a planet crashing into ours, too. Aside from the fact that it's most unlikely.

I just don't get what makes people want to believe all kind of nonsense.

Oh, destruction of everything is always likely. No, that's not what's unbelievable. What is, is when anyone thinks there's anything they can do about it.

You think the sudden destruction of our world is likely? Why?

It's obvious, isn't it? We're dangling out there in space. The only thing keeping the Earth from falling or crashing into other objects is the force of gravity if the objects surrounding it. But if something bigger were to move any of those other objects, Earth would move as well and then "bye-bye Earth"!

If there were an object that could effect our whole solar system in such a drastic way, we'd know long, long before it came close to Earth. It would distort the planets' orbits and anything else on its way. There's no way it could sneak up on us.

[His reply is almost reflective.]

Depends if they know what to look for... and people are idiots, so I presume they don't....

I agree that some people are, but those don't become astronomers. Really, there are so many telescopes, we are observing the sky every night ... something like that would be noticed.

[He rubs his temples.]

You don't get it. Even if it were noticed. It would be too late. There would be nothing we could do about it anyway.

Oh, I do get that, I'm not the one who's worried. But still, this is one of the most unlikely ways to die.

For you, perhaps. As to the mass-extinction of the entire planet? It is more plausible.

Maybe. But even if that's what will lead to the extinction of the human race eventually, it is not going to happen this year.

As far as science can tell us... no.

[But he's not ruling it out entirely. Stranger things have happened.]

Well, in that respect, I'm going to trust science. After all, it's accurate more often than ancient prophecies or calendars. Why, what do you think is going to happen?

Perhaps. Or maybe we've just convinced ourselves of that because it's easier to have hope if you don't know when the world will end.

Me? I don't care. As I've said, in the grand scheme it doesn't matter.

My trust is based more on the fact that this is what we have observed so far. No prophecy has ever turned out to be true, or it has been so vague that it could have predicted anything.

Wouldn't you want to know, though?

No. What would be the point in knowing?

[Sherlock is confused.]

Mh ... you could use the remaining time to do things you've always wanted to do. To say goodbye to people. Things like that.

That sounds as exciting as breathing.

[Which is to say boring.]

Well, why should it be? I suppose the end of the world afterwards is exciting enough. Besides, I think breathing is a really great thing. I like it.

Afterwards? There is no afterwards. Once the end has happened there's nothing left. And breathing is highly overrated.