begins and ends

Did, as some predicted, the world end today?

I mean, did it happen and I missed it?

If it had ended, how would I know?

Intellectually adroit people may sniff and snort, but I'm not sniffing and snorting at such credulous prophecies, which are usually premised on the idea that the end of the world would mean that I am going to end and wouldn't that be a scary pity?

More seriously, what basis would I have for judging. As far as I can figure out, I have no previous experience on which to judge either the ending or beginning of anything. Intellectually and emotionally, maybe, but not really.

Are the graveyards nothing but upscale kaffeeklatsches where people lie around and say, "I'm dead?" Does the newborn lie in a roomful of hospital bassinets and remark to the next kid over, "I'm alive" or "I began a couple of hours ago?"

What began when and what ended when and who could possibly know it?

Maybe someone else has a better handle on all this "beginning" and "ending" stuff, but I'm not part of that loop.

Let me know if the world ended, will you?

Or didn't ... I'd be interested in that too.