Since Denmark has been ranked high in “happiest nation” reports, I would ask, “Haven’t these sociologists ever read Hamlet?”
There must be many reasons why doomsday stories are so attractive (unsettlingly so), but here are some of mine. (The following thoughts are a bit undeveloped, but nevertheless, here it is)
Within the context of the end of the world, there’s this notion that nothing really matters anymore. The mundane things we all stress about, spiral over even, becomes meaningless in this new scale. That weight of the expectation of living is completely gone. At the end of *Don’t look up *, the sky is burning and the simple aspects of life become so treasured. Dinner with family. Music. The beauty of humanity is revealed. Same with many sci-fi stories really. When half the world is overrun by zombies, very few people are being overwhelmed by money, troubles of adulthood, and whatever else. Anyways, yes the end of the world is morbid and awful but a bit beautiful too.
Not to mention, many aspects regarding the state of our world right now is quite concerning and maybe the magnification of that into an apocalypic scenario is somewhat relieving? Sometimes it’s better to be able to panic about something substantially big rather than wonder if those lukewarm troubles are worth concerning ourselves about.
That may be a bit too abstract.. anyways