2012 – Is the World About to End? | Lifestyle | Magazine

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According to an ancient prediction by the Maya civilisation, the world is set to end on 21 December 2012. The prediction does not state whether the end of the world will be caused by global catastrophe, war or plague. Even so, this Maya prediction has captured many people’s imagination and curiosity. While some are quick to dismiss such a forecast as a fanciful notion, there are others who take seriously the warnings of these kinds of prophecies from the past. Did the Maya know something we are unaware of? Will the world end on a pre-determined day?

Whatever your own views are, the predictions cannot fail to make even the most pragmatic person pause for thought.

But who were the Maya and how could they make such a prediction? The Maya civilisation dates back around 4000 years with a golden age that stretched over 1000 years. During this time, the Maya civilisation was highly advanced and sophisticated. Maya scholars developed astonishingly accurate time measurements. Indeed, the Maya system for measuring time and dates was more accurate than some of the calendars we use today! The Maya used a method for measuring dates called the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar. This calendar includes exactly 5125 years in its count. The first year of the calendar begins with what the Maya believed to be the end of the previous world – the year 3114 BCE (Before Common Era). Some historians believe that this time period equates to a massive natural disaster such as the flood mentioned in the Bible. Every Maya calendar ends on 21 December 2012. This is why many people say the Maya knew the truth about the way the world will end.

However, there are no clear indications in the art, literature or records that survive from the extinct Maya culture that suggest exactly in what way the Maya expected the world to come to an end. Not surprisingly, there is no limit to the number of the end of the world theories that people like to talk about. Here are just a few of the most popular theories; many of which have found their way into the story lines of Hollywood movies:

1. An asteroid or comet strikes Earth.
We are increasingly aware that asteroids or comets do sometimes crash into our planet. A large comet or asteroid colliding with the Earth creates massive earthquakes, gigantic tidal waves and extensive volcanic activity. This throws so much dust and debris into the air that sunshine no longer reaches the surface of the Earth for weeks, months or years after the initial impact. Scientists call this a nuclear winter. A nuclear winter kills off most life on Earth through cold and lack of food.

2. A solar storm from the sun disrupts Earth’s system.
The sun is highly active. Every few years or so, activity from the sun disturbs the pattern of weather on Earth. This usually occurs through sunspot activity or solar flares. A solar flare is a stream of energy that reaches far into space from the surface of the sun. A major solar flare has the power to change Earth’s weather systems for years to come. Solar flares also disrupt energy waves, including the radio and infrared waves we use for all our communication systems. So a major solar flare could simultaneously knock out our communication and power systems while changing the climate overnight. If this happens, the world economy will collapse in chaos while the majority of the world population die because of hunger, cold or drought.

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Glossary

Catastrophe (n)
an event that causes a great deal of damage and makes many people suffer.

Prophecy (n)
a statement about a future event made by a religious leader or elder statesman.

Pragmatic (adj)
being practical rather than relying on ideas or theories.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 February 2010 11:40 )

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