How Many Times Has The World Nearly Ended?

by metatron 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  I'm about to suggest a chilling thought: given that a nuclear war could end the world, how many times have we come within seconds of that happening?

  http://brainbender.blogspot.com/2013/02/20-nuclear-war-near-misses.html

  Here's another incredible thought - if you do a Google search on the subject of near nuclear wars, the lists often come up with completely different near misses. If you don't believe me, try it !

  For example, many lists omit the Petrov incident in which a Soviet officer refused to launch their missiles when their sensors indicated a first strike from the US was in progress ! He guessed that it was a mistake because it didn't involve a huge number of incoming missiles. After it was over, he lost his job !

  Also omitted: Soviet subs had nuclear torpedoes - with local permission to use them, no call to Moscow needed - during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

  Also omitted: the possibility that a rogue Soviet sub deliberately tried to nuke Hawaii. This is the theory of the book "Red Star Rogue". While the details are disputed, there is no denying that something awful happened to the vessel and the US tried to recover it.

  By the way, Mao Tse Tung used to declare that nuclear weapons were just a "paper tiger" and that Communist countries could wipe out the US and then repopulate the earth. That sounds like inviting a nuclear war....

  Do these events have a meaning? There are two answers - 1) it's simply Survivor Bias or the 'Lucky Penny' fallacy - a sort of "Anthropic Principle" for our continued existence - we are here, we survived, so we are able to observe the near misses that didn't kill us.

  or Number 2 - something or someone is protecting us, for reasons we can only guess.

  Is the above a minor concern? Just a passing observation? Well, currently Pakistan seems to think it can launch a first strike on India in 8 seconds, while India has warned the Kashimiris that nuclear war may be soon ( as per the NY Times and UK Guardian)

  Let's tack on Israel vs Iran - and the continued possibility of an accidental launch involving China or the US or Russia. There have been Islamic leaders who have advocated nuclear war against Israel because they feel that Muslims would "win". Keep in mind that the Crusades seem to still be an issue with these nations so do they view the matter in the long term ? and frightening so?

  I think that, at some point, the "Lucky Penny" fallacy fails to explain how we got here or how we continue to survive despite the constant threat of accidents that would end the world.

  Does "somebody up there like us"? That's the question........

  metatron
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  dazed but not confused

  This is what I will be listening to as the world ends.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8vmaj75xzE
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  metatron

  And REM

  'it's the end of the world as we know it

  and I feel fine'

  metatron
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  cptkirk

  I always liked the idea of a license plate that said "L2SWIM"
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  dazed but not confused

  And REM

  'it's the end of the world as we know it

  and I feel fine'

  metatron

  That would be track #2
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  dazed but not confused

  L2SWIM

  Thanks for the idea. I like that....
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  Bobcat

  Metatron:

  I have a copy of the "Red Star Rogue" book. I found it to be a very interesting read.

  Incidentally, the ABC movie, "The Day After," attempted to show (as a sub-plot) something about the 'fail safe' system that was intended to prevent accidental Nuclear War. The safeguards in place worked only as long as events remained calm. Once the fighting begins, all the momentum shifts towards a "use'em or lose'em" type of thinking. We are very fortunate to still be existing as a civilization.

  Also, I wantd to say that, although I don't always reach the same conclusions as you, I enjoy reading your threads very much. They make for some interesting reading.

  Take Care
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  TTWSYF

  Let's see, there was that close call in 1873, then 1917, 1918, 1925, 1932, and who can forget 1975. But that is only according to the WTS. I'm sure more than one JW was expecting [hoping] that 12/21/12 Mayan thing was gonna happen.

  dc
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  jgnat