On New Year’s Eve 1999, my parents left my sisters and me home, while they went out to celebrate with friends. I was 10 years old, and truly horrified that the world would be coming to an end at midnight. Y2K was all we had heard about for weeks. People were doing crazy things like buying wood stoves, freeze-dried food, and hoarding gas in preparation for the apocalypse. But midnight came and went. The world was still turning and everything remained the same, with the exception of pissed off consumers who were expecting to have to use their space blankets on the first day of the year 2000.
And here we are in 2011, looking at a similar situation. This time, instead of losing power, electricity, and water, we are losing the world altogether. No one is sure what is going to happen on Dec. 21, 2012, the last day of the Mayan Calendar, but some people are convinced the world will come to an end, whatever that means.
The Mayans thought that we would go through positive spiritual or physical changes. Somewhere along the line, the story changed from positive changes to Earth’s collision with a black hole, planet, or an asteroid. No big deal, right? Someone just tweaked the story a little bit.
Another fear of 2012 is the event of a solar maximum that is out of control. Solar maximums happen every 11 years. The worst that will happen is your satellite TV or cell phone may lose reception. If so, switch to cable, get a landline. We survived this in the 90’s and we can do it again in the 2000’s.
Venus will pass between Earth and the Sun in 2012 as well. This has happened nine times in the past and the world didn’t end then. However, I expect it to be a bit chilly on this day, so wear your winter jacket, or perhaps an extra layer of clothing.
The magnetic poles of the Earth may be disrupted, which would leave us vulnerable to cosmic radiation. The effects of this are unknown. Which I’ll admit, is a little scary, but maybe it’ll be something simple and lame, like stronger fingernails. The unknown doesn’t always have to be frightening.
I have a few friends who are extremely worried about the end of the world. And it’s so close, just over a year away. If you do believe in the 2012 Doomsday conspiracy, good for you. Way to stand up for what you believe in. If it all comes true, I’ll probably be found knocking on your door begging to come inside out of the nuclear wind, or whatever it is we are supposed to be afraid of.
I think that it’s all another hoax. Go out and get your bomb shelters ready, people. Spend all of your money, the money you earned during the worst economic recession our country has ever experienced, on apocalyptic supply.
Dec. 21 will come and go, just like any other day in the past. Besides, the world just CAN’T come to an end four days before Christmas. There is no way Santa would ever let that happen.