None of the theorists would have admitted it to themselves...way back then. They certainly wouldn't have published their views to their peers and the world, who would willingly cause a panic and mass paranoia like that? Although, looking back...they had to have known...

Then again, maybe we are all better off for it. I mean, here we are today. Back then, all the doomsayers were saying it was the end, that it was the pinnacle of mankind. They were right on some levels, and entirely wrong on others. Pre-Dawn, it was called by some...Armageddon, Apocalypse, World War...many terms, even genocide.

It helped...

Believe it or not, it helped. That century, the 21^st century...mankind was moving so fast, things seemed to be going so smoothly. Peace had been achieved, somewhat tenuously, but it was still achieved. Though, there was always that looming spark that could ignite the world, humans need that. The human mind simply cannot deal with harmony, with peace. After all, we are territorial predators...our eyes are in front, so we can judge the distance to our prey...so we can kill. No peace in that...not unless we never look at each other, so we cannot judge the distance to each other, so we cannot kill each other...

Ancient America, in all her glory, finally got her last call as the world's police keeper turned enforcer. All the big powers, so full of themselves and drunk on their own accomplishments...for a time they seemed to all step back, together, as one...to marvel at their own magnificence. Irony has a sense of humor...the one time peace could be achieved, even for a short time, was when the world was united in celebration of how they oppressed their enemies and themselves.

Think about it, the world was overflowing...mid-century, 21^st century, the population had boomed to 12 billion...resources we in dire need, the environment was on life support, and not very good support at that. The oceans were returning less and less food every season, wildfires ravaged, freak and massive storms tore the planet apart. Millions died...and tens of millions were born. Like vermin...