There has been a surge in 2012 doomsday predictions within the last four years. From books and history channel specials to religious groups and popular news stations, the rumors are out.

All of this began with the discovery of the Mayan calendar predicting the end of days. The Mayan calendar is extremely detailed and complex. Even though the Mayans mysteriously abandoned their homes in Mexico thousands of years ago, their calendar continues right up to our present day.

The Mayan Indians began their civilization occupying the eastern third of Mesoamerica, primarily the Yucatan Peninsula. They had an elaborate form of writing, an advanced political system, and were masters at art, science, architecture and, most notably, astronomy. The Mayans planned their days by the stars, built their temples to mark important dates and to worship sky gods, and made predictions for future events by gazing at the heavens. The Mayans then formed a long count calendar that is said to end on December 21, 2012.

According to the Popol Vuh, a compilation of the creation accounts of the K’iche’ Maya of the Colonial-era highlands, the gods first created three failed worlds, followed by a successful fourth world in which humanity was placed. In the Maya Long Count, the previous world ended after 13 b’ak’tuns, or roughly 5,125 years.

The Long Count’s “zero date” was set at a point in the past marking the end of the third world and the beginning of the current one, which corresponds to 11 August 3114 BC. This means that the fourth world will also have reached the end of its 13th b’ak’tun, or Mayan date 13.0.0.0.0, on 21 December 2012. On this date the next Armageddon is said to take place.

Many have said that there will be a natural disaster, such as a pole shift, solar flares, meteors, or a black hole that will suck up the earth. Others say that the planetary alignment will open a portal to an alien race. The more positive skeptics are hoping that this date will not be the end of the world, but the end of an era, the start of a utopian society and a change in human consciences. With so many ideas running around, it’s difficult to make sense of it all.

My thought is that perhaps peoples obsession with end of the world and mass change theories, stems from a human need for positive change. Perhaps a majority of the population wants to believe we will discover the meaning of life, or some significant detail about our existence within a doomsday event. We are all from different cultures, religious backgrounds, and beliefs. We may all share the same fear. Fear of death, fear of the unknown, but can share a common hope in humanity.

There have been dozens of end of the world predictions through out history. Remember when we all thought the world would end when the ball dropped in 2000, starting Y2K? The problem is, not only do these expectations create mass terror, but the extreme believers will take drastic measures for these predictions. Mass suicides have been repetitively conducted throughout history pertaining to doomsday prophecies. 

I, personally, like the idea of a shift in human thought. Perhaps aliens will appear and change our understanding of this world forever, perhaps we will perish in global warming, or perhaps we will wake up to another day where nothing has changed. There is one overarching fact in these predictions: we truly cannot know when the end will come.

You could roll out of bed, hit your head, and there’s your doomsday. The important thing is to live as if every day is December 21, 2012. Spend more time with family, tell someone you love them, do something for you, accomplish a goal, spend time living in the moment, make amends, forgive, and live.

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