The end of the Mayan Calendar could spell doom for the human race.
Could the End of Days really be looming on the horizon? Artwork by Nate Gengler
On December 21, 2012, the ancient Mayan calendar will come to an end. Some people believe that this abrupt termination will signal a massive ethereal transformation for the human race. Others believe that it signals the end of days. While there are raging debates across the world as to the accuracy of these claims, there is a growing following that the apocalypse is looming.
Rumors are that the 21st will coincide with the alignment of the Earth with the center of the galaxy, a new stage in the solar cycle, or even a collision with another planet. One common doomsday scenario is the geomagnetic reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles. This would be triggered by a massive solar flare, which would weaken the magnetic field and eventually lead to a polar reversal. Without the magnetic field, the solar flares would ravage our electronic communications networks leading to mass panic, food shortages, and an economic standstill.
The good news is that scientists and astronomers discount these theories and maintain that the earth and its inhabitants are safe. Solar flares are not predicted to peak until May of 2013, and at this point in the cycle it should be relatively weak. The idea of a galactic collision with another planet has also been shrugged off by scientists who say that any halfway educated person would know that the planet in question would have been visible in the night sky by now.
Despite the widespread dismissal of the apocalyptic prophecy, 2012 conspiracies have still managed to infiltrate popular culture. In 2009, John Cusack starred in 2012, a movie depicting a family’s struggle to survive in the midst of the end of the world. If there is one lesson this Hollywood romp teaches us, it is that in the face of the apocalypse, you can always sneak onto a massive ship funded by the government. A Super Bowl advertisement by GM also took advantage of the phenomenon, featuring a Silverado truck audaciously driving through an apocalypse-ridden city while a Ford owner predictably bites the dust.
Of course this hasn’t been first time the world has been predicted to end, but a large number of theorists are already planning for the end of the world. A National Geographic show called Doomsday Preppers depicts the life of several families who are preparing for the end of days. If the end were to come, I couldn’t think of a better way to get killed by your neighbors than to advertise on national television that you have a bomb shelter filled with survival supplies.
From Y2K to 11/11/11, doomsday theories have come and gone; and as the human race counts down to the 21st of December, we can only hope that it too will be written off as a mere theory.
