Katie Reynolds
Hasty
English II Honors: Period 4
29 April 2012
The End of the World, You Mean it This Time? The end of the world has been an on-going controversial topic for a long time. There have been numerous claims that the world is going to end over the past few thousand years, whether it ends by a giant tsunami wave flooding the earth, the earth literally splitting in half and sending everything on the surface into the fiery middle layer of the planet itself, or even the dead rising from the ground and eating everyone alive. But there is one date that has everyone on the edge about the world actually ending, December 21st, 2012. The world will not end according to sufficient scientific data stating that the possible outcomes are invalid, but a new beginning for humans. The Mayans had also not accounted for leap years, therefore, the world should have ended seven months ago.
“Date of the ‘end of days’ may be off by 50 to 100 years" (Clarke). It has been said the Mayan calendar may just be resetting like the Chinese zodiac calendar. A sacred number for the Mayan was 13, and they believed something big was going to occur in the year 2013, but they weren’t particularly sure what. In the 1960’s, a stone tablet discovered at the archaeological Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico describes a Mayan God returning at the end of a 13th period. What exactly the tablet says, though, is a mystery, because the glyphs in question are partially damaged. (Roach). The Mayans predicted a final event that included a solar shift, a Venus transit and violent earthquakes.
There have also been several claims that the astrological age is also resetting. The “Age of Aquarius” is ending, which is a 2,150 yearlong cycle, is ending on December 21st, 2012. Astrologists claim that the “Age of Pisces” is beginning, but that doesn’t mean the world is going to end. This theory simply states that a new beginning is arise.
Astrologists also say that an “epiphany” is supposed to overcome humankind. A milestone in the human race is reached, where humans become more aware of their surroundings, and what is actually happening to the world itself. It’s almost ironic; how the human race is supposed to become more conscious of the vicious way we treat our planet on December 21st, 2012, and that we ourselves might be causing the actual end of the world. “It’s selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal.” (Clarke).
It’s human nature to expect the worst, so the thought of the world ending intrigues and frightens people. “Human beings seem to be attracted by apocalyptic ideas and always assume the worst,” (Clarke).Hollywood also takes part in the brainwashing of the 2012 prophecy by exaggerating the end of the world as well as contributing to the hype. There have been many films produced regarding the end of the world. “Films depicting the end of the world – including the 2009 movie, ‘2012’ – are contributing to the mounting hype as well as misinformation,” (Clarke).
The end of the world was said to suppose to have happened many times. The rapture was thought to happen at least five times. So far, every prediction has been false. A meteor was supposed to have struck earth and wipe out half the