I wrote the following item as my Final term paper for English last year. It doesn't answer any questions, but I am proud of the writing.
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2012: Doomsday Or Not?
A salesman called on a prospect one afternoon, and was surprised when the phone was answered by the voice of a little girl who couldn't have been more than five years old.
"Hello?" whispered the young voice.
"Hello?" replied the salesman. "Who is this?"
"This is Jennifer."
"Jennifer! Well, hello!" the salesman attempted to remain friendly, though he was clearly frustrated at having to talk to a five-year-old. "Can I speak to your daddy please?"
"No. He's busy," came the child's whisper.
"Oh. Well, is your mommy there?"
"Yup."
"May I speak to her please?"
"Nope. She's busy. She's very busy." replied the whisper.
This concerned the salesman. What was going on at this house?
"Jennifer, are there any other adults there?" he asked.
"Yup." whispered Jennifer. "The police are here."
"The police?" Now there was more concern. "Jennifer, let me talk to the police."
"Sorry," whispered the voice, "they're all busy. They're all very very busy."
Now the salesman had about enough. "Jennifer what's going on over there? Why is everybody so busy?"
"They're all looking for me!"
That just goes to show you that what you're looking for may be right under your nose, you may just need someone else to point it out to you. Even then, you may still not completely believe that person. For example, there's the controversy surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar regarding the end of said calendar: December 21, 2012. There is absolutely no doubt that the Mayan "Long Count" Calendar ends on the Winter Solstice in the year 2012; What it means, however, remains a huge debate. Experts on both sides of the argument point out various "truths", but even so we remain looking for the meaning behind it.
Beside the amazing fact that the Maya, using what we would consider primitive tools by today's standards, were able to pinpoint a date so far into the future with razor sharp accuracy, the mere fact that this was only one of several calendars used by the Maya civilization is even more befuddling. What were the underlying reasons behind the alleged "doomsday calendar"? Why specifically does it point to 12-21-2012? Is there a sinister plan behind it, or is it merely coincidence?
One thing is for certain: We will all certainly find out on December 21, 2012. But until then, we can only speculate and uncover truths on both sides of the controversy that may enlighten those seeking to clear this enigma, or muddy the waters of the truth even further.
The Mayan 'Long Count' calendar - named by some to be the "Doomsday Calendar" - has received more and more press as we hurtle inexorably toward that fateful day of December 12, 2012. This is the day that the Mayan Long Count calendar ends. Of this fact there is no doubt. But what, if any, is the symbolism behind it? Is it, as some people point to with fear and dread, the end of life as we know it on this planet? Will cataclysms swallow the human world in its maw, leaving no trace of people behind? Will it bring, as some others hope, a new world of peace, harmony and enlightenment? Or will December 21, 2012 just be another day like any other in modern civilization, complete with sunrise, sunset and hours of menial tasks in between?
According to most Western thought, time is considered to be linear, with a finite beginning and end. In contrast, the calendars of most ancient civilizations, including the Maya peoples, were cyclical in nature with one period ending and another immediately beginning. Herein lies the puzzle of the Maya Long Count calendar. If we look at this calendar through the eyes of Western Thought, it is quite obvious that the calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Under the guise of linear time thinking, the world 'does not continue'. However, with the Long Count calendar, the question remains: will this calendar reset itself? If not, then would the calendar be a vehicle to prophecy doom and destruction?
Feeding into these fears is the ever present doomsday soothsayer, Michel De Notredame, otherwise known as Nostradamus. Around 1503, he began writing a series of prophecies, which he wrote in quatrains, or four line poetry. Since Nostradamus's writings were in Medieval French, and written in quatrain verse, there is an element of vagueness that can be open to personal interpretation. However many people point to his writings as 2012 being a call for the 'end of days', specifically pointing out that in several of the quatrains Nostradamus refers to "A Bearded Star" (Nostradamus, C2,Q4) Most scholars of Nostradamus' writings all agree that it could be interpreted as comet. As with many stories of death and destruction, even far-reaching stories, there are many that take advantage of man's basic reactions to such dire news. Websites such as
satansrapture.com use this information to turn people to their church. According to this website, Nostradamus's predicted comet is actually a rogue planetoid that oribits our own sun, and will pass very nearby our own planet. ("Is A Comet Planet Heading To Earth? Web, 2005)
Most 2012 scholars however do not subscribe to this theory, but are still divided as to what the actual meaning of the Maya Long Count calendar is. For some the meaning is clear: The calendar merely resets itself, nothing more. "For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble (MacDonald, "Does Maya Calendar Predict 2012 Apocalypse?", USA Today)
For others, such as John Major Jenkins, it means a lot more. Jenkins points to the fact that on the date set by the Long Count calendar, December 21, 2012 - the Winter Solsitice - the earth's sun will rise in the center of an area in the Milky Way known as "The Dark Rift". It is this phenomenon, Jenkins asserts, that the Maya were tracking with the Long Count calendar, and it must have some deep-seated meaning. ("2012: Science or Superstion", DVD, 2008) For Jenkins and others subscribing to this theory, this alignment that Jenkins has dubbed the Galactic Alignment, is tantamount to a spiritual rebirth (Jenkins, 2012: Science or Superstition). "The coming galactic alignment is a cosmic event that invites us to grow spiritually," he writes. "It is built into the Divine Plan and identifies the time we live in as a time of rare opportunity for our growth." (Jenkins, "Divine Plan and Galactic Alignment",
2012theodyssey.com, Web, 2010)
Alberto Villoldo stated that the Hopi Peoples of the American Southwest also followed the same sky patterns as the ancient Maya. For them, this Galactic Alignment would bring about a return to the Old Ways, and that the "World would be set right again". (Villoldo, "2012: Science or Superstition")
The end of the Long Count calendar for most Mayanists, that is scholars who research the historical Mayan society, is nothing more that that, the end. "When a calendar comes to the end of a cycle, it just rolls over into the next cycle. In our Western society, every year 31 December is followed, not by the 'End of the World', but by 1 January," writes Dr. Karl S. Kruszelnick ("Mayan Apocalypse 2012",
abc.net.au, web, 2011) Many Mayanists ascertain this thinking. "For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble (MacDonald,"Does Maya Calendar Predict 2012 Apocalypse?", USA Today, Mar 27, 2007) According to most Mayanist scholars, that the ancient Maya peoples would be able to prophecize the end of the world is completely unknown, and highly doubtful, despite the fact that the Maya were amazing astronomers. "It would be impossible that the Maya would have known that," says Susan Mibrath (MacDonald, USA Today).
The what of the Popul Vuh? The Popul Vuh is a manuscript that describes the creation myth of the Maya. According to the myth, the Gods attempted to create the world four different times, the first three being failures; the fourth one is the one we are currently living in. According to the Popul Vuh, the Long Count calendar measures the time for each "World Age". Since we are living at the very end of this current World Age, the Long Count calendar is something to take great caution with. Antonio Villoldo contends that according to Native Hopi mythologies, we are indeed living in the fourth world. How could two ancient peoples have such similar "end of days" mythology? (Villoldo, 2012: Science or Superstition?, DVD) The claims of the Popul Vuh and the Hopi stories contend that this world will not end peacefully, but be riddled with cataclysms and sea levels rising. Indeed, many people already point to all these recent natural phenomenon to fuel speculation that we are actually living in the End of Days.
The notion that the entire earth, in fact our very plane of existence will collapse because it is foretold by a calendar created thousands of years ago by a civilization who collapsed, is a very far-fetched one. But as we can see, it's not all that simple to make such a black-and-white statement.
The problem with this idea lies in the interpretation, as it is with many religious or spiritual matters. The fact of the matter is that the calendar does indeed end, and most scholars agree that it does seem to point to December 21, 2012. Beyond that, it is all a matter of personal interpretation.
More than likely, the world will not end and the earth will not be destroyed. Even if it is our civilization that is destroyed - our "world", if you wish to use that phrase - life will continue on this planet. True, it would not be the same; it might not even be human, but life would nonetheless continue. That would be worst-case scenario.
Another "outcome" of this doomsday scenario would be one in which absolutely nothing happens. The sun will rise and set on a perfectly ordinary Winter Solstice day - nothing more, nothing less. To me, this would be the antithesis of The Calendar in general. Obviously, it means something. It meant something to the ancient Maya and Hopi peoples, as well as other ancient civilizations. The other problem lies in our rough grasp on the linguistics used by the ancient peoples. At best we can surmise what was written down in hieroglyphs, the subtleties or nuances of the language are unfortunately lost to history. So what is literally translated as "the fifth world ends on this day" could mean that civilization in general will fall, and a new world order will take its place.
Another likely outcome of the Mayan "Long Count" calendar is that there will be a shift in consciousness, an awareness of us as a whole; A rebirth, a renaissance of sorts, one that includes a spiritual awakening. Of course anytime the phrase "spiritual awakening" is bandied about, the question arises, "Is this the prophesied 'End Of Days'?" My feeling is no, it is not.
More than likely however is a swing back from the secular back to the spiritual. I am of the firm belief that the world, indeed the Universe in general, moves in a cyclical pattern, with a balance of growth and renewal following one of decay and decline. We as a whole are seemingly entering a new awareness of our fragile place in this world, and how much we have an effect on nature. Nature seems to be fighting back a bit, and a new world awareness of what our impact is on this planet appears to be first and foremost in many minds, as a group consciousness as it were.
For me, this is the final outcome of the Mayan Long Count Calendar. We stand at the threshold of a new era, one in which we would no longer be completely separated by geopolitcal lines and dogma, but perhaps united in a common goal of humanity on this planet, and in effect creating a brand new "world".
Works Cited
Author Unknown, "Is A Comet Planet Heading To Earth?"
www.satansrapture.com, Web, 2005
MacDonald, G. Jeffrey, "Does Maya Calendar Predict 2012 Apocalypse?" USA Today, 27 March 2007, Web
2012: Science or Superstition, DVD, 2008
Jenkins, John Major, "Divine Plan and Galactic Alignment",
www.2012theodyssey.com, Web, 2010
Kruszelnick, Karl S., "Mayan Apocalypse 2012"
www.abc.net.au, Web, 2011
