Will the world really end on 21st December 2012

The new year is fast approaching, and a date which has recently caused mass hysteria is within a years reach. Everyone by now knows of the prediction, helped perhaps by the creation of a rather frankly, poor Hollywood movie about it. But what I want to answer in this blog post is my reasoning to why I think nothing will happen on that day.

First of all it is important to ask where this date comes from. Well it comes from the ancient Mesoamerican civilisation of the Maya. The 21/12/12 marks the end of the calendar and the end of a 5,125 year cycle. As a University history student studying the Maya, I do not understand how the ridiculous suggestions that it means the end of the world is nigh comes from this. I mean, there are theories as mad as a long-lost planet returning to the solar system and even alien invasions planned by a secret organisation. Then there is the slightly more logical end of the world possibilities like galactic alignment, a reversal in earths magnetic field and The New Age community claiming that a change, not an end is coming.

First of all may I say that all of these theories are virtually impossible, put down by all scientists everywhere. Expect The New Age theory as they can not really test the Earth or look out into the stars and determine a human spiritual possibility. Even so, if the galaxy does align or the magnetic field does reverse, no one has ever experienced it before so there is in fact, no evidence it would do anything bad.

Doom and Gloom is unfortunately part of human nature, for centuries people have become obsessed with when the world will end. Any sign or hint, or even anything that sounds like a good date, people out there will turn it into an end of the world prediction. People thought the world would end in 1000AD a century after Christ’s birth (although he was most likely born 6 BC). Then there is the whole book of Revelations in the bible, written during the Roman persecution of Christians which explains the whole book.It also does well to explain that the word Revelations and ultimately the word Armageddon actually mean the revealing of something(secret), and not destruction. Then there is the constant calls of ‘Rapture’ meaning some people getting saved and others suffering a chaotic end caused by an apparently all loving God, by men such as Harold Camping. Who as you may recall, just changes the date whenever nothing happens. Yet people still believe him! Madness.

Why are the Maya different in their prediction? You may well end up asking a person who believes the human races story is almost complete. Funnily enough, they will tell you that the Maya were exceptional astronomers and through the way they have decided to interpret them, have decided that they correctly predicted many things in the past. That being said, the Maya were incredibly accurate at astronomy. So, surely if their extremely accurate, and according to people who wish to interpret events in such a way, have successfully predicted many historical events, then they must be right about 2012. But to answer that i would like to mention the most famous of doom prophets … Nostradamus.

Nostradamus too, was great at astronomy. He also achieved (yet again interpreted to suit the needs of the people) many ‘correct’ predictions. People who study his work claim that he prophesied 9/11, Napoleon and Hitler. They claim everything he says is set in stone. However they fail to ever mention that, according to Nostradamus, we have all been dead for 12 years. Yes that’s right! He predicted the world would end in 1999, obviously it did not but yet it did not ruin his reputation. Bringing it back to point then, even if the Mayans were right in some prophecies, this is out of pure luck and interpretation. It is very likely, and i would bet my life on it (as it would not matter if I lost of course) that the Mayans, just like the great Nostradamus, were not exactly spot on.

I would also like to point out that while writing this, I have come across some figures that tell me that the human race has survived well over 150 notable extinction dates. A considerable number of them originating from Harold Camping. So as you can see, absolutely nothing makes this next date 21/12/12 different to 1000AD, 1999AD , 6/6/6 for all the Satanists out there, and of course many different dates to do with random religious nuts like Harold Camping who decide their bored.                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

As you may have realised by now, I do not believe anything will happen on this date next year and, like all previous predictions will fail miserably. This does not however, mean that I do not think the world will end. Of course I do, nothing can last for ever. I just strongly believe that is not possible to predict anything. (Please tell me if you disagree, I would love to hear what you think).

And most of all, I want to get this message across, do not worry about the doom mongers, do not listen to them. After all, if they do by some miracle turn out to be right then at least they can not say ‘I told you so’.

Thank you for reading this, I would like to know if you agree or disagree or if you think I have any facts or theories wrong?

Most of all I wish you a happy new year, hope 2012 is good for you and me!!