Why individuals are obsessed with trying to predict when the end of the world happens is beyond me.
What would we gain from this knowledge? Rather than trying to predict doomsday, we should all try and ensure that we finish our time on earth without regret so that when our time comes we will be at peace and ready for whatever happens.
Richie McCaw has re-signed with the NZRU for another four years, and must have considered his options and made a decision based on the "no regrets" mantra.
He could have played out the end of his rugby career overseas with some club and been one of the many gladiators bought and sold for the purposes of entertaining the masses.
Or, as the case has been, he could have stayed in New Zealand in a lifestyle he enjoys and with an organisation he trusts and knows.
At 30 years of age, he has matured as a fine leader. The Crusaders, All Blacks and NZRU can only benefit from the wealth of experience he has now gained in this respect. He has plenty more to give (and learn) in this capacity.
As a player, on the other hand, is he fast approaching the "over the hill and past it" category? As a committed elite athlete with good management systems around him, McCaw will be able to squeeze another couple of years out of his body but considering his high work rate and flanker role, the NZRU may want to invest in the strapping tape industry and ensure a fine medical team is on hand in the next four years.
The NZRU knows it is taking a risk signing him on for four years in terms of his body, but the mind and the man come with the body and so far it has been a package worth investing in.
There are out-clauses for both parties in terms of a sabbatical option for McCaw, and the option of parting ways if he is not consistently up to All Black standard.
Dan Carter also has flexibility in his contract and the NZRU will be busy negotiating with Sonny Bill Williams to see if it can snare him for a little longer as well.
Are flexible contracts the only way the NZRU can compete with wealthy overseas clubs in terms of retaining elite-level players, or should it go back to playing hard ball?
Is the NZRU being too soft in its approach with these players or does it have no alternative?Whether we like it or not, rugby union has gone professional and global, and in a global marketplace different rules apply.
Loyalty is rare and the bigger the carrot the more enticing it is for players to switch allegiance. No-one would expect the players to consider their options and take the less appealing one.
As the NZRU has demonstrated, the carrot, however, doesn't have to always come down to dollars and cents offered. There are creative ways of encouraging players to stay.
The lifestyle, family ties, great provincial and super rugby environments, the culture, sabbatical options, third-party sponsorship, opportunities to participate in other sporting codes, and the chance to be a part of a powerful global brand can keep big name players here on our soil.
But only certain players will be able to negotiate with the NZRU in such a loose manner.
These are players who are icons in their own right. Their brand is highly recognisable and appealing to sponsors and rugby stakeholders because of their playing ability, leadership, personality, and overall package.
Other players will struggle in negotiations because they don't have such a great record on and/or off the field, and they lack the same appeal to a wide audience.
These players will have to live off the scraps the NZRU has left over after negotiations with the superstars have come to an end.
Either that, or accept deals from overseas clubs. At least both options provide food on the table - which will either be meat and three veg, or coq au vin.
In these times of economic uncertainty, dithering between two job opportunities is not such a bad predicament to be in.
Ultimately players, their agents, their families, and the organisations involved need to make decisions that they will not regret, and that is all we can ask for at the end of the day: living life to the full and without regret.
