2012: The End of The World?

[Rosa D.]

This is a very disturbing subject for me, but I wanted to post about it anyways.

Metaphysical predictions

"2012 is sometimes claimed to be a great year of spiritual transformation (or apocalypse). Many esoteric sources interpret the completion of the thirteenth B'ak'tun cycle in the Long Count of the Maya calendar (which occurs on December 21 by the most widely held correlation) to mean there will be a major change in world order."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012#Metaphysical_predictions

I can't help but fear what might be in our future, but I always convince myself that nothing will happen. I just wanted to see what everyone else thinks of this whole 2012 thing.

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

I'm going to lose sleep after posting that... :'(

[Oni]

The last time that some one told me when the end of the world was comming I asked if I could resirve a front row seat and if i could get pop corn too.

[Goman Fox]

I read somewhere that what the Mayan prediction was based on was like, an alignment of the Earth, Sun, and center of the Milky Way or something, which they believed was supposed to bring a new age or something.  I also read somewhere that they predicted four other "new ages" that never resulted in the destruction of the Earth or anything like that.

Not like that's gonna help put you at ease though, 'cause even if the world wont be destroyed like some people believe, there could still be some big change.  I wouldn't bet on it though, with all the other predictions that have been made like that by other cultures that never came true.

One thing I noticed in that link you gave that kinda bothered me was the suggestion of a magnetic field reversal.  I read about that in a magazine a few years ago and, well, it was quickly added to my list of irrational fears.  I hear that when that happens (since it's happened a few times in Earth's lifespan so far) the magnetic field gets weak for a period of a few hundred years, which leaves the planet really vulnerable to radiation from the sun.  Kinda worried that vulnerability would lead to killing off life on the planet, but I'm not sure if that's a bit excessive and something I should even actually worry about.  Still a scary thought though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal

Wikipedia says that there's no evidence of biological extinctions because of a magnetic reversal, and  Homo erectus and their ancestors survived a few magnetic reversals, so maybe "killing life on earth" may be a bit of an exagerrated field.  Although they do say that because of our dependence on electricty may end up being inconvenienced by a field reversal.  Of course, Wikipedia also says they predict the next one to happen between 3000-4000AD. <.<  I dunno.  It's something that's been kinda interesting to think about for me anyways, even if it wont happen in my lifetime.

[TheGuardianAngel]

The way I see it Revelation is part of the future that is to take place. Where its the end. But should we be afraid of this? No we shouldnt because if you are afraid of it then you need to remember, If god was to leave us to die he would have left us long time ago, but instead he is here with us, Do not fear the end for where god is going to bring you is far more better then here. Heaven is your home, When Jesus comes do not look back but walk with him. Its kinda hard to say when the end of the world will happen cause we are very unasure of things but it could be. not saying it isnt or saying it is. I am just saying dont fear for what is to come but be proud of where you are to go. If you love god and jesus and gave them your love and soul then you are already safe. I do not fear because I am going to be going to heaven with my heavenly father and my saviour and king Jesus Christ.

[vapor]

I thought the world came to a screeching halt when the year 2000 hit..

this isn't purgatory?

just when are they going to get this end of the world thing right.

2012 Mayan calender ends! so must the world!

I will tell you what happened to the Mayan calender.

The Mayan mathematicians  were spending years and years calculating  out and then double checking the complex calculations, decided they had what 3000+ years  figured out.  hey they could take a few years off. the next thing you know...Bam their civilization collapses so they had a few other things on their mind. and never got around to laying out the rest of time.

Never the less
all my loans come due in 2013


holding my breath
vapor

[ancdruid]

Yay!  It's the end of the world as we know it....and I feel fine!  I'm all for 2012 being the end of this world and the beginning of something else!  But it's not just the Mayan calendar, there are other things that point to 2012.  Here's a link to some Papal prophecies, that basically said, an Irish bishop in 1139 had a vision of all the Popes.  And this one is the next to last of all of them.  This pope is supposed to reign for 7 years which means he'll die in 2012.  The pope that follows him will call himself Peter.  There hasn't been a Pope named Peter since the first pope, the Apostle Peter.  This is supposed to be the last Pope.  So, I think if Benedict kicks the bucket in 2012, well, you know that there's a shift happening.  Atleast for me, that's how I'll know that things are moving in that direction.   

http://www.crystalinks.com/papalprophecies.html

Now the question is what will happen?  Return of Christ and the unveiling of all the trials and tribulations of Revelation???  Will we have a major shift in consciousness?  Age of Aquarius style peace, love and happiness?  War, disease, destruction of human race?  I doubt it. 

We can only hope that what occurs is that man finally understands his/her/our place in the universe and learns to accept and embrace it.  Either way, it's the end of the world as we know it.....and I feel fine.

[Northtrax]

I'm going to survive, if I possibly can.
Calamities happen, and people die.  Some die because they get killed outright.  Others...
A way of life is a lot can be a lot more fragile than the people who practice it, and a severe setback that shakes enough confidence can kill a civilization without actually wiping out the population.

-That's the danger.
Thousands of people out of their minds with terror because they see a big enough disaster to THINK the world's ending.  Picture what would happen if no food got delivered to your city for the next three weeks. 
Some people would dig the dusty cans out of the back of the cupboard and make the best of it. 
Others might shoot you for a cheeseburger. 
Many 'civilized' people don't know much about the wild or about being hungry, and it scares the piss out of them.

I think Humans and their allies ARE strong enough and clever enough to survive almost anything.  Considering the last century included two world wars, several epidemics and the great depression, we SHOULD expect something  nasty within the next fifty years...
But the complete end of the world?  I don't buy it.

[Crimson]

I am not of the christian persuasion so some of what I have to say may or may not be offensive the the lot of you read at your own risk...

I was a member of a church back in high school that tried to tell me that in the year 2000 everyone was going to be tattooed with barcodes and injected with bateries to make them work and that was a start to the end of the world. After that crock of sh** I don't take ANY end of the world theories seriously.

As fox pointed out though, the Mayans made several predictions of new ages. a new age doesn't mean the end of the world.

Much like when Nostradamus made his predictions I believe noone really knows what any of them mean until the prediction has come to pass. My favorite of which is:

"The prophecies became all the rage at Court, the Queen, Catherine de Medici, sent for Nostradamus to come to Court, and he set out for Paris on 14th July 1556. On 15th August, Nostradamus booked a room at the Inn of St. Michel, and the next day the queen sent for him.

One could only wish that there had been a witness to record their meeting. Nostradamus and the Queen spoke together for two hours. She is reputed to have asked him about the quatrain concerning the king's death and to have been satisfied with Nostradamus' answer. Certainly she continued to believe in Nostradamus' predictions until her death. The king, Henri II, granted Nostradamus only a brief audience and was obviously not greatly interested.

Two weeks later the queen sent for him a second time and now Nostradamus was faced with the delicate and difficult task of drawing up the horoscopes of the seven Valois children, whose tragic fates he had already revealed in the centuries. All he would tell Catherine was that all of her sons would be kings, which is slightly inaccurate since one of them, Francois, died before he could inherit. "

* Taken from Nostradamus' Biography

Back to the Mayans... if they were so grand at laying out when the end of all the world would be why not then know of their own civilizations downfall in advance?

Besides I figure the end of the world will have to do much more so with WW III and all the super ego filled leaders of the most powerfull and WMD certified countries blowing up the whole fuckin' world than it would to be a metaphysical or theological thing.

Just sayin'.

[Northtrax]

Ah, THERE'S a question: does a Christian or Mayan prophesy about the twenty-first century necessarily have any bearing on the rest of us?  (I'm Asatru, myself...)
The traditional Chinese calendar puts us at the year 4704 already, yet many people living in China today are Christian.  ...I wonder what their perspective is.

[Taylor-MadeAK]

To people who exhibit an unreasonable fear like fear of the future, I offer only this:

    I must not fear.
    Fear is the mind-killer.
    Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
    I will face my fear.
    I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
    And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
    Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
    Only I will remain.

Alternatively, you could relax, don't worry, and have a homebrew.

[Oni]

Can I have the homebrew option with front row seats to the end of the world?

[Taylor-MadeAK]

Can I have the homebrew option with front row seats to the end of the world?

Start holding your breath, I'll tell you when to stop.

[Oni]

that's  you just trying to kill me ya know.

[Imported Memory]

I predict the end of the world will occur on my b-day that year.  12-12-12.
 

[Im1ru1]

As for the end of the world, here's my theory as to when it will happen...about 2 seconds before we realize it's happened...