Why We Shouldn't Use B.C.E. and C.E.

Okay, so looking back through my finalized version of The Wild Shores of Pangea, it seems like I *did* use b.c.e. to describe prehistoric time periods, but in my defense, I was trying to get traditionally published, and I was desperately worried about every little detail needing to be "acceptable" to a publisher or agent. Any little detail could have been a red flag, so I probably didn't take as many chances as I could have. However, now that I'm self-publishing, I can stop worrying about what anyone but my audience thinks! You, the readers, are all that matters. So future books might use b.c. and a.d. instead, although you all might prefer consistency, so... we'll just see.

But why am I against the use of a "secular" version of the era notations, when I myself am a decidedly agnostic man of science? Because when we use those era notations, we are referring to a date so important it changed the course of history, and aside from the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, nothing particularly significant happened that year. So why would that be the starting point of our calendar?

If you want to remove the religious nature of our calendar, you have to accept that we're going to need to pick a different starting date, that actually has a non-religious significance. I've always been partial to the date of the detonation of the first atomic weapon at the Trinity site, because that was the moment we entered the atomic age. It left a significant mark on the entire world, as sedimentary layers following that first test now contain radioisotopes not previously found in nature. It opened the path to an entirely new method of energy production, and producing energy has been the driving force for society for a very long time.

If you believe in UFOs, many people say they're especially drawn to nuclear events, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is one day revealed that the Trinity test was the actual day of First Contact, which is the yet-to-happen date I believe we should reset the calendars. Discovering that we are not alone in the universe will change everything. Period. We will no longer be able to pretend we are the center of the universe. We might (if the aliens are nice) enter an age of exploration where the universe is open to us. Maybe wars on this planet will be a thing of the past, once we learn that it's Humans vs. Aliens rather than Humans vs. Humans, although I wouldn't hold my breath… we're a species drawn to conflict as long as resources (including land) are limited. But hey, maybe we'd be able to colonize other planets, and that extra breathing room might give us a little bit of peace.

So back to my point, "b.c.e." and "c.e." aren't powerful enough to justify using. They're just silly placeholders where people try to pretend religion hasn't had as much of an impact on our society as it has. Until we're willing to stand up and say "This (secular) event was the most important date in our existence. Here is where the current age began," I'm going to keep using good ol' b.c. and a.d., because I don't like living in denial.

Now if only I could convince everyone to stop pretending Pluto isn't a planet...