What would YOU do if the end was nigh?

[D20ragon]

I've been pondering this for quite some time.
What would the world be like, if all of a sudden every man, woman and child KNEW that in 100 years or so the world would end. Nobody knows how, or why, but it will.
What would happen Culturally? Economically? Politically?
Let's discuss this.

[2E Phoinex]

Pour all our money into the space program and find our salvation in the stars!

Unless by the world ending you mean humanity is absolutely done for... In that case there will be a dichotomy of unspeakable horrors being committed right along side extraordinary displays of humanity. Some people would respond to the end of the world by being even bigger jerks and some would want to spend that time being at peace with each other. Even in the early years If there is no argument over the inevitable doom, people would naturally feel more apathy for long term projects and goals and spend more time indulging in vice, or just enjoying the little things in life. Still there would be some people who wouldn't want to live any other way: they would still go to work everyday and mow their lawns because that is what a life of satisfaction is for them- this of course assumes that the chaotic evil responders haven't killed their boss and set their front yard on fire.

[Avaris]

Depressingly, the real world has quite a good demonstration of this through climate change. We're currently at an early stage, therefore a lot of people just don't care: it doesn't affect them or their weallth, they'll be dead by the time it is truely an issue. Same thing with your 100 year window: most people just won't care. Things will only really become an issue when 50 years are left, and even then only for the young. Most would just live their lives as normal, perhaps feeling a bit of guilt for the next generation.

[Frozen_Feet]

The problem here is that since nobody really knows how or why, no coherent counter-measures can be made at first. Communities and societies will get torn up when some people become irrationally convinced of one potential cause, possibly blaming each other or some irrelevant factor for the impending doom and wasting their lives and resources to stop them or it.

A much smaller portion of humanity will try to uncover just what will end the world. I would probably fall into this group, at least initially. All the while trying to dodge all the crazies. This includes trying my hardest to live through those 100 years just out of morbid curiosity.

A lot of people would, at first, remain indifferent to this revelation, convinced that someone else will solve the problem, or just deciding it doesn't affect them one way or another. In 100 years, most of us will be dead anyway. The closer the events gets, the more chaos will ensue. This might even turn into something of a self-fulfilling prophecy, with a despairing generation convinved of their own destruction going out in an orgy of pointless violence.

[Beelzebub1111]

The people in charge will try and pass it off as a mass halucination, they will start conspiracy theories that it was caused by a secret thought projection project and get the nonexistant technology banned.

You see, no matter what happens the people in charge will do their best to rig things so that they stay in charge and protect the status quo until the very end.