The Savant

Count Down to the End

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 By Blaine Radford, Staff Reporter

The Mayan calendar ends this year, and it is the belief of many that the human race ends with it. Pause. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Like something seen in an innumerable amount of predictable movie plots and countless ‘false alarms’ over the years? No one can say with absolute certainty and validity what will happen, but before anyone goes running around like a chicken with its head cut off, there are some things that should be considered. According to Listverse’s Top Ten Failed Apocalyptic Predictions, these “oops, maybe next year” failed prophecies go back as far as 431 AD! While the most recent blip on the top ten list is the Nostradamus prophecy of 1999 and the widespread fear of Y2K, no one can quite forget the prophesized rapture of last May. As if hear-say wasn’t enough, the2012theories.com has made itself the go-to source for everything apocalyptic. The site contains a bounty of theories, including the science behind them, worst and best case scenarios, advice, validity, chance of occurrence, time frame, and even expected death toll. From biblical prophecy and rising global disasters to Mayan calendars ending and aliens invading—there’s a little paranoia in there for everyone. On the other hand, many people don’t think the world is ending; they simply think humanity faces a great shift. This has been defined as a scientific revolution, a leap in consciousness, changes in human DNA, the end of money, WWIII, massive genetic mutations, and more. Many of these sound like the idea behind many a sci-fi film, but some of the social and economic scenarios are plausible. With continued worldwide economic degradation and rising tensions sparking rebellions, social and economic reform is incredibly believable. However, it is still hard to say that change, if any, will be instantaneous. When it comes to the end of the world, the only thing that’s true is that the world ends for someone every day. The best one can do is to stop living in fear that tomorrow won’t come, and start living in the present that is had. If the world intends to obliterate mankind entirely, there is nothing anyone can do to help it. If there is to be some great enlightenment or revolution, humanity needs not look further than themselves. It’s important to keep in mind that the most threatening prophecies are of a self-fulfilling nature. Chances are, everyone will awake January 1, 2013 laughing at themselves for the millionth time.