We Are Not Going to Die (At Least Not on December 21)

The world is not going to end. Repeat, the world is not going to end. 

Last night I had the privilege to attend a presentation at the Clark Planetarium about the proposed end date for the world; December 21. The presentation was led by Dr. Peggy Cain. She discussed the myths and meanings of the origin of the doomsday legend.

I learned that the Mayan culture is the origin of the legend about the end of the world. During the presentation Dr. Cain discussed how the Mayans have three calendars. The truly amazing thing about these calendars is that they are all based on astronomical phenomenons. This may not seem impressive in this day and age but the Mayan civilization began in 2000 B.C. so for them to have been able to calculate down to the day when things like the solstice would occur is truly incredible. 

The calendar that the ends on December 21 is the only linear calendar of the three. The other two are cyclical and constantly restart. 

This picture shows the concept of the two cyclical and one linear calendars of the Maya.
Photo courtesy of kalarhythms.org

The Mayan legend predicts that on this day the Great Rift, which is the band of the dust and plasma that can be seen in the sky at night, and the horizon will line up. It also says that the sun will be directly between us and the center of the galaxy. Some Mayans and others believe that on this day when this happens the door to the underworld will open up causing the apocalypse. 

Dr. Cain told us how the sun can never actually be between us and the center of the galaxy and that the Great Rift lines up with the horizon all the time.

Dr. Cain went on to discuss how all the scientific experts are debunking the myth. Places like NASA and National Geographic all agree that this legend is just myth.
Another thing that Dr. Cain went on to discuss is that the calendar that ends on December 21 will actually restart December 22, the same way our calendars do on January 1. 

I find that this whole idea of the world ending is very interesting and to be quite frank: slightly funny. The way the world has turned the concept of 2012 into a celebrity seems like a waste of time spent worrying. The cartoon below seems to sum it up to me. It’s all just a legend that can have significance for some people but does not mean the world will end.

A funny cartoon that sums up 2012 to me.
Photo courtesy of simplycreativewriting.com

We are all going to continue living on December 22. I do however think that perhaps we can look at this “doomsday” as a way to give thanks for life. Being able to live here on planet Earth every day is a gift and sometimes I think we forget how lucky we are. So when you wake up on December 22 take a moment to remember how cool it is to be alive! We live in a world full of possibilities and are fortunate to be here.