Believe me, it'll happen.

I was watching Eragon this morning (terrible movie, I choose David Spade and Sean Connery in Dragonheart over that..well I guess it did have Jeremy Irons) and I realized that something was curious about the phrase "Prophesy Fortells" or "Legends Say."

Of course since I am Christian, my beliefs are in a monotheistic creationism by God.

But if we put aside my religious beliefs which people would claim bias, the idea that humans believe in prophecy and legends is fascinating. Where did this theory come from that there is a divine truth that dictates what will come to pass?

Most easily referenced would be ancient civilizations who believed in a higher being. God, the Olympians, The Mayan Gods, the Asian Gods, are all deities supposedly created by the people and according to atheists, are the manifestation of the weak human mind (you think y'all so special). By saying "there will be a time" means that they understood time was a limitless idea, unfathomable by the human brain. How far does time go? How long ago did time begin? Is this the present? By the idea of time, we came with the idea of future. Things shall come and things shall pass. So were prophecies and legends the creation of people's desires from the suffering that is humanity? Is it simply a story that they told themselves to help them go to sleep in a terrible world? How was an entire globe of different civilizations able to come to the same conclusion that there was a defined future of things that will come. We say that time is uncertain for we don't know what will happen because of the numerous variables that combine to lead us to infinite results.

Then according to religions, there must be a divine being(s) who know time or rather transcend it and bestows its knowledge to the people. God sent his prophets to his people. The Greeks listened to the mystical powers of the Oracle at Delphi. The Mayans supposedly thought the world would end on 2012.

Many stories of old tell of legends. Why, movies today use the idea of a gifted being to save the rest. Star Wars by George Lucas has Luke Skywalker as "A New Hope" that was foretold by the predecessors of the Jedi Council. Heck, even Dragonball Z had prophecies that Bardok could tell. How were humans able to believe in what someone was saying?

Coming back to the point, humanity has always been telling stories. Whether for fun or for religious purposes, the idea that a future will come is what drives the human race to keep on living. A business man can look forward to his kids growing up and himself retiring comfortably. A child works toward a future to achieve their dreams. It is plausible to say, that people of old, too weak to do anything themselves, believed that someone would come, or some event would pass that would ease their suffering. But what of prophecies of drought, famine, and death? Why would a race that desires survival foretell of disaster? Man understands the vague concept of time. Past, present, future. Man understands that in order to grow, trials must be overcome. Man is born, lives, and dies. This is the natural course of man. People understood that the heart of man was wicked and filtered that into the concept. We do not know how we're going to die. We may fall from a ledge, be shot, or just cease to exist. This leads me to think of a circle.

Why a circle?

The ancient Chinese believed that the Emperor was called by heaven to take the throne. A mandate from the heavens. When a new emperor arose, it was a cycle. A emperor rose to serve the purpose of the Heavens and to serve it's people. When the Emperor did not serve the citizens well, disaster came and a new Emperor arose. (By the way, I started singing the Circle of Life at this point.)

The circle loops. There will be life and death. There will be good and bad. Dark times shall come and a hero shall arrive to save the day. (Hopefully in green clothing and an annoying fairy following.) The concept of prophecies and that something we deem will come to pass in an uncertain future, often at an uncertain time, is intriguing. Simply that these legends and prophecies continue on from human faith and the idea that we are able to pass on our beliefs and cultures to others is simply the foundations of civilizations.

So how does one understand why people were able to speak of a future? I believe that it was human faith, the undying spirit within us attempting to be happy and fulfill our desires. My beliefs lead me to believe that God already knows everything that was, is, and is to come. Human faith that there will be another day and perhaps they have a reason and a mission is what I believe drove the people to dream big.