2012: It’s the End of the World Essay

If you had only one more day to live, how would you want to spend it? Who would you want to spend it with? There are currently 6,773,643,360 people in the world, of course give or take a few, and in a mere 3 years and seven months, every single one of those people may be faced with that same question. Forty-Four months, 1,309 days, 31,416 hours; no matter how you look at it, that’s all you have left, as some would say. Many people have heard of the ancient Mayans, and know that they reigned thousands of years ago. What they may not know is one little invention of theirs could impact the lifespan of every human being today and future. â€Å"The Mayans started their calendar on August 11, 3114 BC, and they conclude it on December 21st 2012 (Greyl 80). † There are many who believe this day will be the end, as we know it; all living creatures will cease to exist. There are possible theories on how the world will end, some scientific and mathematical, and others based on astrology, but no matter the theory, there is a chance you and I will perish with the other six billion humans in 2012. Unnerving? Yes. Realistic? See more: Beowulf essay essay Maybe. This Apocalyptic theory provides scientific evidence to support it, yet scholars are unlikely to believe it. Everything has a beginning and an end but no matter how many facts or possibilities presented, people are going to be unwilling to accept the apocalypse of 2012. End of the world theories have been around for ages; they have come and gone with perhaps some cause for fright, but obviously nothing too damaging. Apocalypse theories are terrifying yet captivating; there are numerous books on the matter, and even the movie business has felt it is something to pay attention to. With all of this information available, people are aware of it, yet they still are not accepting. Apocalypse theories are enticing to humans because we are conscious of the fact we could die at any moment. Humans are selfish by nature, so they are interested in anything that could cause them discomfort or pain. We also like to be in the know, so it would be convenient to be aware of what was going to happen everyday. We would like to have the opportunity to control our lives or try to change the issues upsetting us. Why do you think people pay for fortunetellers and psychics? Any knowledge we can get about the future, the better off we are. This being said, it is clear that people are interested in the theory, yet unwilling to accept it as true. It is my belief the people who are most likely to believe this phenomenon are religious, and believe in The Bible’s Armageddon, the final battle between God and Satin. I will go into more detail about this theory later, but simply those who know The Bible and follow God believe the world will end eventually. They just might not believe the Apocalypse of 2012 because no one, not even Jesus, is supposed to know the date the world will end. On the other end of the spectrum there are the people who find it highly unlikely for the world to end anytime soon, as their thinking is based more on a scientific level. They believe the world was formed through the big bang, and think the only way the world can end is through another universal mishap. Which there are scientific explanations, but the fact is, people just don’t want to believe the world is going to end. Besides, it’s too big of a risk to start planning your life around it. What if the world didn’t end, and you had spent all of you money, quit your job, and ruined all of your relationships? There have been many end of the world prophecies; the entire Y2K fiasco proved to be nothing serious that it is just easier to ignore these predications. I suppose scholars are so unwilling to believe the 2012 apocalypse is because they feel like the little evidence there is, is not concrete. People are basing this off of a civilization that lived about 3,000 years ago and who had no technology to be able to predict some event like this. Simply put, the Mayans put too much religion into their prophecies to be able to make it scientific enough for scholars to take seriously. The prospect of Apocalypse 2012 ultimately serves as a projective test for anyone who contemplates it. The ones most open to post-2012 reality are those who have the least to lose in the coming upheaval. (Lawrence 75). † â€Å"But I think doomsday has a profound if unspeakable allure for those who are unhappy with themselves, their society, their Maker. Accepting that doomsday is imminent provides the believer with immense satisfaction—that he or she possesses the most important knowledge in the world and that all other pursuits are trivial or misguided. It’s a form of vicarious revenge that anyone can take on life’s unfairness (Lawrence 213). †