2012

By Jun Yu Liu
AACA Youth Council Leader

Did you know that it is predicted by some that this year 2012 would mark the end of the world? Whether you believe in it or not, you cannot ignore the existence of this belief and the hype it is gaining as we inch closer to December 21, 2012. Many of you probably do not know the background to this whole prophecy. By writing this article, I hope to present to you the facts and the myths and let you decide for yourself what you want to believe in.

So how did this prediction come about? For this, we will have to thank the Mayans, who marked December 21, 2012 AD as the end of their calendar cycle. However, there is fierce debate over whether the end of their calendar cycle symbolizes anything. Some have connected it with a culmination of human events, resulting in some type of “Judgment Day.” They argue that the Mayans were skilled in mathematics and astronomy and were able to predict this upcoming crisis while we are unable to. However, others have criticized this interpretation of the calendar by explicitly stating that such thinking is bogus and December 21, 2012 is just the end of one of their many calendar cycles. There are some who have mocked the credibility of using the Mayan calendar as a basis for predictions because the Mayans themselves could not predict their own downfall and the invasions of the Europeans.

So how exactly will the world end if it does end? Some think the answer may be solar storms, which are immense amounts of energy released by the sun. They have prophesized that these solar flares will culminate on December 21, 2012 and disable the power grids in the world, leading to major crises and disasters. Whether these predictions will come true, nobody knows. It is impossible for scientists to predict the magnitude or the precise time for these solar storms. Nevertheless, many cite this as one of the ways that the world could possibly end.

There are many more predictions out there about how the world will end this year. I have provided you with a taste of some of these predictions and if you are interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to Google more about it. Whether the world will end this year is impossible for anyone to predict. Maybe this motto will come in handy: “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” My advice to many of you would be to just not worry about it, because if it comes, it comes. Worrying will do you no good. If the world does end, at least you would have spent it meaningfully.