Some thoughts on the Millennium
Like most people I enjoyed last New Year, but I just couldn't see it as the start of the New Millennium. Basically this is because our calendar system did not count a year zero, so the first century AD starts with the year 1AD. Therefore every century since then begans at the start of the year 1 of that century....and hence the 21st Century will begin in 2001AD. Many people recognise this, I understand that one person who has spoken out about it is Arthur C. Clarke (maybe for obvious reasons!). I can't believe that it seems to have become accepted usage, even on the BBC, to refer to this year as the first year of the new millennium! The government have actually got around the problem of seeming to be party poopers by delcaring this year to be the millennium year i.e.a year of celebrations to mark the new millennium beginning in 2001 - Tony Blair finds a third way again! :)
We aren't the first age to have found getting this right to be a problem. I found the following quote from the Times in 1799 on the Royal Greenwich Observatory website:
The Times, 26 December 1799
"We have uniformly rejected all letters and declined all discussion upon the question of when the present century ends, as it is one of the most absurd that can engage the public attention, and we are astonished to find it has been the subject of so much dispute, since it appears plain. The present century will not terminate till January 1, 1801, unless it can be made out that 99 are 100... It is a silly, childish discussion, and only exposes the want of brains of those who maintain a contrary opinion to that we have stated"
Presumably there had been some similar discussion in 1799. It's sad to think that despite all our advances, maybe we are living in a society that cares less about getting such things correct than they did in 1799! (Though I don't know the current Times's view on the matter.)
In case you don't know, that means it's:
The other thing I found strange about the whole event was that non Christian cultures also celebrated 2000AD with us. It was nice that they wanted to join in, but I wondered why, it can't have had much meaning for them. For example, it seemed strange for communist China to celebrate 2000 years since Christ's birth with us. I wonder if the West would join in a similar celebration for a non western calendar?
More will follow, but at the moment here are some links:
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