Farewell, cruel world

So Randy's blog tipped me off to the fact that our world is supposedly going to end on December 21, 2012. Am I the only one who didn't get the memo?

Because according to my online research, this theory is EVERYWHERE. And this is no "our computers are going to go all wacky/Y2K" thing, either. I'm talking straight-up kaboom.

Now from what I can tell, all of this stems from the fact that the Mayan calendar, which has been unerringly accurate for thousands of years, ends on this date. And that, it seems, has freaked some people out.

The actual reasons for this, of course, vary, ranging from religious (the return of Jesus, the Messiah) to scientific (our poles would reverse, causing all kinds of natural disasters from floods to earthquakes). But it all goes back to that date.

Well, out of all the explanations, I personally would lean towards the Jesus angle. I mean, the Bible says it's going to happen, and I guess 2012 is as good a time as any. (I'll tell you one thing, though: if I'm not married by then, my ass is eloping to Vegas on December 20. I don't even care with whom. Shit, ANYONE can put up with me for 24 hours, right? ...RIGHT?) However, the most reassuring thing I read is from the many Mayan experts out there who say that this "end of the world" is merely a recycling/new beginning of the calendar cycle; a resetting, if you will--or even better, that there's nothing pointing to 2012 at all.

My two favorite statements on this subject come from the article linked below, from a newspaper out of (it appears) South Africa. In it, the author makes the following points in regards to the alleged error-proof Mayan calendar:

1) "What if the stonecutters simply downed tools and said: 'Bloody hell! We’re more than a thousand years ahead on this production line. Let’s go and carve some restaurant lintels and have some fun.' "

And for that matter:

2) "Still, I can’t help asking: why, if these Mayans were so damn clever, are they so damn extinct? Of what use is it to foresee the end of the world when you can’t even see the imminent collapse of your own culture, which was much closer at hand?"

Even so, I think I better attend church more often.

AND plan that trip to Vegas.

http://www.december212012.com/articles/news/Back_to_the_future.htm