Researcher and philosopher Jonathan Zap discussed the surge in apocalyptic predictions and how they relate to the 'Singularity Archetype,' the collective unconscious, and the evolution of humanity. We live in a time when people believe the apocalypse is around the corner, whether coming in 2012 with the end of the Mayan calendar (see his article/podcast Carnival 2012), or as predicted in various other prophecies. Yet, in whatever age people have lived in, they've been predisposed to believe "the end is near." The reason for this, he suggested, is that they have anxiety over their own death. But if everyone is going to die together, this is a more satisfying or comforting notion for the ego to consider than just the death of oneself, he explained.

The Singularity Archetype "is a primordial image of human evolutionary metamorphosis which emerges from the collective unconscious. The Singularity Archetype builds on archetypes of death and rebirth and adds information about the evolutionary potential of both species and individual," Zap writes. He pointed to several images (see below) which show different aspects of the Archetype. The film 2001: A Space Odyssey, for instance, depicts a character's travel through an interdimensional corridor or stargate. "He's basically crossing the event horizon," and experiencing the death of his old form, said Zap, who noted the similarity of this to the way near-death experiences have been described.

In order for humanity to evolve, we need shocks to the system that can be highly disruptive, Zap argued. "The message from the Singularity Archetype is that what looks like the worst thing in the world, may be exactly what is necessary to create a quantum evolutionary jump," he said, adding that this is true on an individual level as well, so that when a dire event happens to a person, it may prove to be a great moment of opportunity.

Current Events Analysis

First hour guest, consultant Craig B. Hulet offered analysis of current events. While he believes an agreement will be reached on the debt ceiling, the economy is going to get worse with increased foreclosures, unemployment, and bankruptcies, as well as rising gas prices. He concurred with reports that suggested bin Laden was not the head of al Qaeda. He didn't mastermind terrorist plots, but was rather an influential zealot, said Hulet.

News segment guest: Jim Berkland