2012: End Of The World

Is the end of the world near?

One of the theories is based on a purported ancient Mayan prediction and fanned by the several marketing machines behind “end-of-the-world” movies, books, articles and documentaries,  the world will end on 2012 - December 21, 2012 to be exact.

But could humankind really meet its end in 2012—drowned in apocalyptic floods, walloped by a secret planet, seared by an angry sun, or thrown overboard by speeding continents?

At least one aspect of the 2012, end-of-the-world hype is, for some people, all too real: the fear.

The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed towards Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Most of the predicted 2012 cataclysms could easily be explained:

1. Mayan Calendar

The Mayan calendar doesn't end in 2012 and the ancients never viewed that year as the time of the end of the world. It's the time when the largest grand cycle in the Mayan calendar—1,872,000 days or 5,125.37 years—overturns and a new cycle begins,

The Maya kept time on a scale few other cultures have considered. During the empire's heyday, the Maya invented the Long Count—a lengthy circular calendar that "transplanted the roots of Maya culture all the way back to creation itself. During the 2012 winter solstice, time runs out on the current era of the Long Count calendar, which began at what the Maya saw as the dawn of the last creation period: August 11, 3114 B.C. The Maya wrote that date, which preceded their civilization by thousands of years, as Day Zero, or 13.0.0.0.0. In December 2012 the lengthy era ends and the complicated, cyclical calendar will roll over again to Day Zero, beginning another enormous cycle.

Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

It is also like the odometer on your car. As each section of the odometer reaches 9 and then clicks over to 0, the next number to it starts a new cycle, so that when all the numbers again reach 0 all the way across the odometer - the last number will change from 1 to 2 and the new cycle starts all over again.

"The idea is that time gets renewed, that the world gets renewed all over again—often after a period of stress—the same way we renew time on New Year's Day or even on Monday morning."

Similarly, it is unfortunately the same as politics. As new leaders are put into place, there repeats a constant bickering and scrutinizing of his performance. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t scenarios. People say the culture of impunity continues to repeats itself precisely because of leaders who bend the laws according to their biased political agenda. The law is unfortunately not rigid. It is flexible. There are tricks to bend it without breaking it. And that is an art form our politicians, with their smart lawyers, have mastered.

A renewal of leadership would only bring effective changes if the culture of selfishness could be halted.

“Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.”- Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. Pole Shift

According to another doomsday prophecy, the Earth becomes a deathtrap as it undergoes a "pole shift."

A reversal in the rotation of Earth. The earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours.  The planet's crust and mantle will suddenly shift, spinning around Earth's liquid-iron outer core like an orange's peel spinning around its fleshy fruit.

The pole shift will be triggered by an extreme gravitational pull on the planet—courtesy of a rare "galactic alignment"—and by massive solar radiation destabilizing the inner Earth by heating it. Breakaway oceans and continents dump cities into the sea, thrust palm trees to the poles, and spawn earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters.

Scientists dismiss such drastic scenarios, but some researchers have speculated that a subtler shift could occur—for example, if the distribution of mass on or inside the planet changed radically, due to, say, the melting of ice caps. Many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-shift to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.

Magnetic evidence in rocks confirm that continents have been undergoing such drastic rearrangements, but the process takes millions of years—slow enough that humanity couldn't feel the motion.

Politically, we often see a lot of “reversals” as our government officials could not undo the habit of changing sides especially when nearing election periods. Those who wish to maintain or elevate their political careers to the next level would so easily switch alliance and do a 180 degrees rotation, and reject any further association with their former comrades. Some are even willing to testify against them in court. To bring forth the truth for the greater good and national interest is a cliché which quite often describes the usual behavior pattern of our beloved solons. We actually are aware what the real truth is: In politics, there are no permanent friends or foes, only permanent interests.

“Politics is a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage” - Ambrose Bierce



3. Galactic Alignment

Some sky-watchers believe 2012 will close with a "galactic alignment," which will occur for the first time in 26,000 years.

In this scenario, the path of the sun in the sky would appear to cross through the Milky Way. The lineup will somehow expose Earth to powerful unknown galactic forces perhaps through a "pole shift" or the stirring of a supermassive black hole at our galaxy's heart.

However, scientists believe that there will be no “galactic alignment” in 2012 or at least nothing out of the ordinary.A type of "alignment" occurs every winter solstice, when the sun, as seen from Earth, appears in the sky near what looks to be the midpoint of the Milky Way.

There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.

Horoscope writers may be excited by alignments, but the reality is that alignments are of little interest to science. They mean nothing. They create negligible changes in gravitational pull, solar radiation, planetary orbits, or anything else that would impact life on Earth.

As the 2013 national election draws near, many political parties are busy aligning their political line-up and thus a pre-selection is continuously taking place. A lot of impressive display of nationalism, dignity, perseverance, speed and other attention-seeking propagandas are now seen especially when highlighted and pampered by the cameras of the media. Why only now? Isn’t their real agenda too obvious?

“The two political parties are the Administration and the Opposition. The politicians don't acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Winners and the Cheated.” – R. F. Del Rosario

4. Planet X

A mysterious Planet X, aka Nibiru, is said to be on a collision course with Earth—or at least a disruptive flyby.

A direct hit would obliterate Earth. Even a near miss could shower Earth with deadly asteroid impacts hurled our way by the planet's gravitational wake. The origins of this theory actually predate widespread interest in 2012. Popularized in part by a woman who claims to receive messages from extraterrestrials, the Nibiru doomsday was originally predicted for 2003.

NASA says there is no object out there headed our way in 2012. Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims.

There is no object out there. That's probably the most straightforward thing to say. If there were a planet or a brown dwarf or whatever that was going to be in the inner solar system three years from now, astronomers would have been studying it for the past decade and it would be visible to the naked eye by now, There is only Eris, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

There is also another dwarf but she still remains detained inside the presidential suite of the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. As to where she will finally be held will probably be resolved after she faces the courts, along with her equally corrupt family members and associations.

This dwarf, which is called Planet XP (eX-President GMA), will definitely create a big impact if the present government would be able to hold her accountable for all her past transgressions.

“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” - Douglas Adams

5. Solar Storm

In some 2012 disaster scenarios, our own sun is the enemy. It's rumored that our friendly neighborhood star will produce lethal eruptions of solar flares, turning up unimaginable scorching heat. Big flares would indeed damage or cause some interruption in communications and other Earthly systems, although engineers are now learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms.

However, solar activities normally have regular cycles. It waxes and wanes according to approximately 11-year cycles. There is absolutely no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame but is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

Scientists also have no indications that the sun, at least in the short term, will unleash storms strong enough to fry the planet. As it turns out the sun isn't on schedule anyway. We expect that this cycle probably won't peak in 2012 but a year or two later.

In showbiz, a “big star” recently switched home TV networks, so it wont surprise me if others would follow her footsteps and forget about loyalty or any crap to that effect, unless you want to be called a “dying star”. Whether you are a Kapamilya, Kapuso or a Kapatid, it doesn’t matter, as long as you bring in the dough and continue to make a name for yourself.

“You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena.”- Jon Stewart



6. Meteor Impact

Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?

The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

If meteors would indeed strike the planet these days, a lot more damage may result due to repercussions brought about by man-made inventions known collectively as “weapons of mass destruction”.

Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. They have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.

If the dinosaurs were not able to survice the meteor impact, a lot are saying that the insects, like those resilient little buggers called coackroaches would have a greater chance of surviving any disaster even a nuclear holocaust. These unwelcome denizens of our homes and workplaces, will out-survive humans if we should ever be so unfortunate as to experience nuclear holocaust.

However, I’m not so sure about the dung beetles, leeches, ticks, bedbugs and other poop dirty, body waste-eating and blood-sucking insects  of our government, Our elected and appointed government officials could also be compared to parasites generating and faking problems and provoking the body to respond to these problems, either by just scratching the surface or putting temporary relief ointments,  which only allows the parasites to spread and grow. Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Squish these poli-ticks!

There’s no swatter big enough, pesticide toxic enough, antibiotic potent enough,…. or meteor humongous enough, to eradicate these pests. The pest problem is actually beyond Politics - it's downright Pestilence in all branches of society.

“Politics is made up of two words. "poli" which is Greek for "many", and "tics", which are bloodsucking insects.” - Gore Vidal

Conclusion:

The Mayan astronomy played a role in the selection of 2012 as the cycle's terminus. Maya astronomers built observatories and, by observing the night skies and using mathematics, learned to accurately predict eclipses and other celestial phenomena. There was no direct-to-the-point statement among their discovered ruins and artifacts that declares a physical end of the world. Yet, ordinary astronomical phenomena are still being imbued with a sense of threat by people who already think the world is going to end.

Even the Bible gives us a share of an impending end of the world. It says that Angels are even now restraining the winds of strife, that they may not blow until the world shall be warned of its coming doom. But there is a storm gathering, ready to burst upon the earth; and when God shall tell His angels loose the winds, there will be a scene of strife that no pen can picture.

"Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. . . “ They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Even with all the signs that are taking place, there are many people who scoff at the idea that this world will come to and end. There is even popular song, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", by REM, that mocks at the idea of the end of the world and being prepared for it.

For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional or religious assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, and exaggerated to many points, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know. It will, however, be another winter solstice.

Much like Y2K, 2012 has been analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied. Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the science behind the end of the world quickly unravels when pinned down to the 2012 timeline.

I believe the people who "really" think its the end of the world for them are those that the Aquino government have caught and are painstakingly going after to face an impending "doomsday": their day in court.



Final Note:

On a collective scale, we are experiencing a time period in which all that has been unconscious is becoming conscious. All that has been hidden is being revealed. Whether we look to our own lives, or to the state of national or global affairs, the locks are being thrown off of secrets, the wounds, vulnerabilities, shadows and incongruencies are being exposed. Simultaneously, the truth and depths of our authentic beingness is also being revealed. As the Hopi say, we are living in the Time of Great Purification. Simple words, vast meaning.

We are living in precious and precarious times; exciting, fragile and mysterious. It is a period of time that is of overwhelming interest to all. Political leaders and legislators, men and women who hold positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention focused upon the news and events taking place around us. We are witnessing the strained, restless relations that exist among our local and national leaders, as well as authorities between countries. Thousands observe the intensity of natural and man-made disasters that is taking possession, or repossession,  of every earthly element, and we realize that something great and decisive is about to happen--it appears that the world is on the verge of its most tremendous crisis.

This is now the time to embrace all that has been dishonored or denied. Accountability is required on all levels of our government. In this process of becoming transparent, we are invited to shed egoic programs of fear and limitation, assessing and transducing old issues about past and present leaders, and of our own identities. We are required of our unity by facing our shared challenges. The crises we now face are bringing us together to inspire our constructive creativity.

We need to honor the importance of the closing of this cycle without hyping it up with fear and expectations. We need to let go of focusing on dates in the future and embrace the possibilities that live within us, right now, that are here to guide us into the new pages of history that we can write with our collective consciousness.

Let's drop the script that 2012 is bringing the end of the world and understand that it is just bringing the end of a great cultural cycle. Rather than passive victims, we are here to be conscious participants of this world age transition process. Let us perceive 2012 as a code signalling us that these rumored planetary moments are summoning us to get involved, align with our deepest potential and access the deepest dimensions of who we truly are, knowing that as a whole we are enduring a great initiation process to learn how to live in harmony with each other and with Nature.

The bottom line is that this world is ours to shepard. This moment lives within us. We are all instruments of culture. We need to focus our attention on our powers of creativity as human players in this planetary equation. Our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical energies are the vivid colors splashing on the canvas of Life.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed and hence, clamorous to be led to safety - by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblin, all of them imaginary”.- H. L. Mencken