Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.” Thus spoke Charles M. Schulz, the gentle philosopher disguised as a cartoonist, whose Peanuts characters often carried truths deeper than the laughter they inspired. In these words, he offers us a parable of perspective: that even in the face of despair, we must remember the vastness of the world and the persistence of time. What seems like the end for one may already be the beginning for another. The cycle continues; the dawn rises elsewhere even as the night falls upon us.

The origin of this saying rests in Schulz’s unique gift: the ability to take the ordinary anxieties of life and cloak them in humor, turning fear into wisdom and worry into a smile. To speak of the “end of the world” is to speak of our deepest dread, yet Schulz counters it with the simple reminder that the earth is wide, that the sun is always rising somewhere, and that what feels final is never truly the end. He teaches that perspective dissolves fear, and that by looking beyond ourselves, we find hope in the rhythm of existence.

History bears witness to this truth. Consider the dark hours of World War II, when London was aflame under the Blitz. For those who lived through the thunder of bombs, it must have seemed that the world itself was ending. And yet, even in those hours, the sun was shining on distant lands, children were laughing in quieter fields, and life was carrying on. The persistence of tomorrow, even when today is filled with ruin, became the strength of nations to endure. Thus Schulz’s humor contains the wisdom of resilience: the world is larger than our despair, and tomorrow always arrives.

There is also a profound lesson about the relativity of time. What we call “today” and “tomorrow” are but names we assign to the turning of the earth. For someone across the globe, our tomorrow is already their present. And so it is with hardship and joy: the sorrow of one may already be the healing of another, the ending of one may already be the beginning of the next. Life is not bound to our narrow horizon; it is woven across the earth in countless rhythms of renewal.

Schulz also reminds us not to cling too tightly to fear. How many men waste their lives worrying about catastrophes that never arrive, mourning endings that never come? To live in dread is to surrender the beauty of today. By placing our fears in perspective—by remembering that “it is already tomorrow in Australia”—we free ourselves to live with calmness, humor, and courage. The end, if it comes, will come in its time; but until then, there is still light, laughter, and life.

The lesson for future generations is simple yet profound: cultivate perspective. When troubles weigh heavily upon you, lift your eyes to the wider world. Somewhere, even in your darkest hour, a new day is being born. Remember that hope is not confined to one place or one moment—it is a river that flows continually, circling the globe with the rhythm of sunrise.

Practical actions flow from this teaching. When you feel crushed by anxiety, pause and remember the immensity of the world. When despair tells you the end has come, remind yourself that life continues elsewhere, and it will continue for you as well. Approach hardship with humor, for humor is a shield against despair. Above all, cherish the present while trusting in the coming of tomorrow.

So let Schulz’s words endure not as jest alone, but as comfort: “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.” Carry this wisdom in your heart—that life is wider than your fears, that tomorrow is already alive, and that even when endings loom, beginnings are already unfolding beyond your sight.