Thursday 28 June 2012

Don't Panic its 21st december 2012 Apocalypse


I once went to mexico because a friend lived there and nothing spells cheap holiday like free room and board somewhere exotic, The good thing was I got chaffered around in a city so large that it stretches to the horizon. The bad thing was the ice cubes in the cold drink I brought at the cinema gave me diarrhea, I feel alright now but at the time I think I was experiencing the end of the world. Despite all of this, I had the opportunity to visit the local museum and read up on Mayan culture.

The Mayans is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for a fully developed written language, art, architecture, astrological and mathematical systems. Initially established around 2000 BC to 250 AD according to the Mesoamerican Chronology, many Mayan cities reached their highest state of development during the Classic period 250 to 900 AD right up to the arrival of the Spanish.
But why mention the Mayans, it turns out that one of the early calenders (Long count calender) has to end on december 21st 2012.

 The calender round, which uses a 360 days often for agricultural purposes like planting crops.
The mayans employed 3 types of calenders, The Haab calender is a 360 used as a civil calender, the Tzolkin is a religious calender at 260 days. basic cycle. One theory is that 260 days is the length of time of the first missed menstrual period and birth. Also Tzolkin calender was designed to complement the Haab in order to generate the 52 year cycle of the calender round.

The long count calender was the principal calender for historical purposes. According to the Popol Vul (a compilation of creation account of the Kiche Maya) The Popol Vuh the gods creating three failed worlds, followed by a 4th world in which humanity was placed. In the Maya long count the previous world ended after 5125 years. The point was set to zero carries on to the current one which started at 3114BC and ends at 21 December 2012

Considering that The calender ends on this date, which could be interpreted as the end of the world. It can just as easily start another 5125 year long count calender. It feels that tensions rises to the end of the year while people are looking on for subtle signs for an ending. Things like the global economy or natural disasters
war and general news. Doomsayers like to shout out and scare the general public, they bring all kinds of myths and legends of mayan calenders and of Nostradamus. Nostradamus seem to have predicted the great fire of london, world war and possibly 911, though offer no specific date of the end of the world. His prediction is that the world might collide with a comet. My own skepticism steps in, reading past the crazy you tube videos of doom. I find the Mayan calender will just reset and seeing so many conflicting prophecies 
I got no choice but to say "not much will change", Ill be paying the bills as usual. Hopefully I would like to see an egg on many people faces. Though on the other hand if this is the last year of civilization, then maybe I don't have to pay taxes or get up to work, either way its a win win situation.


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