It is in constant flux. The past itself doesn't exist, but rather the memory of the past, of which history is the most trustworthy guardian. Therefore, history helps us understand all the diversity and conflict in the present world. Historians are nothing less than the guardians of the future. Bryant clarified that beyond Y2K's being another excuse for a media event, it really does have significance for those of us who are products of Western culture.
Measures suggest conclusion.
We in the Western world measure by the Christian calendar. Some cultures, Buddhist culture, for example, don't look to an apocalyptic end. But in the West, approaching God is in time. Things happen in time. The millennium marks either the last judgment or the beginning of a golden age.