By Nick Roettiger
Western Sun staff writer
I’m not exactly sure when or why Western culture suddenly became so sure that the world is going to end in the year 2012, but so far I’ve heard theories about polar shifts, meteorites, giant volcanoes, a plague, a nuclear holocaust, chemical warfare, and the Antichrist.
Yet the most common apocalyptic philosophy I have heard is the one that seems to make the least sense, and it has to do with ancient Mayan astrology. The foundation of this entire rumor seems to be based upon the end of the Mayan Long-Count calendar.
The Mayans kept very precise astrological records, which were supposed to help them prepare for any turning points in their culture and society, so when historians found that the Mayan calendar ended on December 21, 2012, they assumed there was a reason for it.
Though the Mayan culture is known to have been an intellectual one, there is something else we need to keep in mind about their society- it failed! The Mayan culture literally disappeared without a trace, and even the historians are unsure why.
This, in my opinion, takes away any validity Mayan astrology may have had in the first place. Let’s not forget, also, that we’re talking about predictions that were made during a time when people didn’t know where the sun went at night, and mice were thought to spontaneously pop into existence from dusty corners.
Inhabitants of this culture would have soiled themselves if they had ever even seen a horse, but there are people today who honestly see them as a credible source in predicting the end of the world? Astounding.
It seems to me that in all the Chicken Little’s of the world would just stop berating around squalling about how we’re all doomed, and instead promoted a little common sense, this apocalyptic nonsense would subside.
The fact is, nobody really knows when the world is going to end. It could end as your reading this, it could end in 10,000 years, hell it might not even end at all.
In reality, if and when the world does end, chances are there’s absolutely nothing you or I could do about it that’s my theory.
Instead of wasting your time analyzing pre apocalyptic omens from ancient history, kick back, suck down a few margaritas,and enjoy the sunshine. 2012 will be here soon enough, and when it comes, we’ll see just how psychic the Mayans really were.
