Once again, it seems that all which came before our intelligent selves was ignorant and invalid.
Photo: Ralph Buckley
Unless you’ve had your head under a rock, you’ve probably heard the world is supposed to end in 2012 (my apologies to those with rocks atop their heads).
Yep, according to many of the great minds throughout history, Nostradamus, the Mayans, the History Channel, it’s all gonna come tumbling down 12/22/2012. Damn, just three days before I turn 34. Oh, wait, maybe that’s a good thing.
Well, everyone from NASA to National Geographic to this guy is out to debunk this “myth.” All it takes is a much-hyped movie coming out on Friday for everyone and their mom to have their say.
So Discovery News got in on the action with the Top 10 Reasons Why the World Won’t End in 2012. The author, Ray Villard, rationalized some of the most common theories, including:
- The Earth’s magnetic field will reverse: “Don’t hold your breath. The last field reversal happened nearly 800,000 years ago. Fred Flintstone and our other ancestor cavemen survived.”
- The Earth’s rotation axis will tip: “An object the size of Mars would have to hit Earth to transfer enough momentum to knock us out of kilter. But Mars-sized protoplanets were kicked into interstellar space over 4 billion years ago. The solar system doesn’t make ‘planets-gone-wild’ anymore.”
- The Sun will align with the galactic equator on the winter solstice: “So what? These are simply coordinates in the sky. It has no physical reality any more than the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue at Times Square influences the geology of Manhattan Island.”
Ok, points taken, though arrogantly made. But what kills me is the smuggie, smug, smugness of statements like these:
Apparently the Mayans knew something about the heavens we don’t…our multi-billion dollar telescopes, space probes, and 6,000 professional astronomers somehow just can’t keep up with the mystic knowledge of an ancient superstitious culture.
Once again, we know so much more than those who came before us, right? Right.
Breaking it Down
Let me start off by saying that I don’t believe the world will end in 2012 with any sort of a bang. But I think there are some worthy arguments worth putting forward.
First of all, we don’t know for sure that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012; we might be the only ones assuming because their calendar ends, it means the end of us. But, they did predict certain things with accuracy, such as eclipses.
Second, who said these predictions didn’t include the possibility of human-induced disasters? Yes, global warming is real (ahem), and might go further than any North-South Pole flip-flop. Don’t forget the economic meltdown. Plus, some believe WWIII is on it’s way, with 9/11 as the kick-off and Nostradamus’ accurate prediction of events.
We will undergo a radical shift in consciousness, one which we have been building up to the last few years.
Third, and most important to me, is that many believe 2012 won’t be the end of the world, but the end of the world as we know it. Which essentially means we will undergo a radical shift in consciousness, one which we have been building up to the last few years. What this means exactly is up for debate, but mostly includes the idea that humans will start being nice to humans. Imagine that.
Let’s just hope the consciousness shift comes before the nuclear button is pushed (or another 2012 movie makes it to the screen).
What do you think about the predictions – and their debunkers – around 2012? Share your thoughts below.
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When I was at Chichen Itza (second time I mentioned this today, weird), the guide told us the Mayans believed 2012 actually meant the end of a world of darkness, and a shift into the world of lightness. I’ll just go with this positive theory, thanks.
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Oooh, that quote is annoying. Every single day, our billion dollar equipment and professional, educated scientists prove something not necessarily new, but rather something that mystics stated centuries ago. I’m not knocking science at all, I think it’s an amazing field filled with people that do incredible work – but I think that the level that people like, for example, the Mayans, were in touch with themselves and the earth back then gave them a greater natural understanding and knowledge than we sometimes have today.
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Christine, you’re a Christmas baby?
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Hal, you busted me.
Ok, I gave it away.
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Personally, I’m hoping for a shift in consciousness. Actually, I’m hoping that the “end of the world” will be hyped up beyond belief. And when it doesn’t happen, I harbor a secret hope that on that day, people will finally see the futility of doomsday prophesies and other such things. And maybe with all the superstition looking a little lackluster, we might be able to move towards a more rational world.
It’s about as likely as doomsday itself, but a girl can hope.
(Last year, I was talking to a friend about how the prophesy was actually that the world as we know it would end, not the whole world, and he said, “Yeah, it might end up being something like the Cubs winning the World Series in 2012.”)
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Cool to see an article about this on Matador!
I vote for radical shift in consciousness ; )
Never really understood what the “end of the world” means, anyway. Beyond the planet being completely destroyed, which I guess won’t happen till the sun explodes, surely all end of the world scenarios mean, “end of the world as we know it.” It’s a human conceit to believe that we could destroy the world. Make it uninhabitable, sure…but actually destroy it?
Having said this, I also can’t really envision what a radical shift in world consciousness would mean. Sounds painful, and potentially destructive.
Two related side notes:
Didn’t Terence McKenna’s theory of novelty max out in 2012, too? (Not that I’m endorsing it, mind.)
Egypt has its presidential “elections” in 2011. Now there’s an event to usher in the apocalypse…
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Really interesting. It’s like the Y2K fever all over again.
Just thought I would let you know that you have made it into the Top 50 Travel Blogs. Congratulations!
I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
Regards,
Amar
GapYearEscape.com↵ -
I couldn’t tell you how many times in my life I have had to hear about nostradamus predictions and the end of the world. It seems about every 5-7 years someone comes up with this, we’re all still here and will be in 2013. Anyone remember the millenium ?
If nostradamus were a gambler he’d be dead broke by now.
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yes i think Terence McKenna’s end date was around a year or a few months away the 2012 date but when he found out about the Mayan date he moved his to fit theirs. you have to admit though its a bit strange how he came up with that theory… it was some weird mathematical equation that he discovered in the i-ching, which is one of the oldest books i think? so its pretty much the same scenario the Mayans predicted. maybe the mayans and the chinese were best buddies back in the day?
anyway Ian Lundberg did a great lecture on the whole subject of our consciousness shifting which is on youtube: The mayan calendar goes North. Its three hours long and really slow but definitely worth it, probably the best explanation ive heard about all this 2012 mularchy and some really interesting things about our own calendar too;)
but i think endorsing some of Terence McKenna wouldn’t be a bad idea these days. yea the theory is probably a bit faaaaar out for most people but at least he something positive things to say about the whole situation, and many other things too. Its alllll just hum drum these days…
and yes, im voting for the radical shift in consciousness too. Sweet!Thats two votes so far…anybody else?↵ -
er…that message was supposed to be in reply to nick but i must not have hit the reply link properly…just so you know
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Thanks Dave (sorry for late reply). I’ve just tracked down those youtube vids (by Ian Xel Lungold) … I’ll try to settle in over the next few days, and see if I can get through them before 2012!
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Your third reason sounds a bit like the plot to the Symbol lol.
But I agree with you nonetheless.
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Thank you, exactly reminds me of the Y2K hype.
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