Science vs. Superstition
The Mayan Prophecy of 2012 predicts that, “the Solstice on December 21, 2012 ~ precisely at 11:11 AM Universal Time ~ marks the completion of the 5,125 year Great Cycle of the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar,” according to Eden Sky at http://www.13moon.com/prophecy%20page.htm. Many believe that catastrophic disasters will destroy humanity and the “world as we know it” at the end of the 5,125 year cycle. As the date inches closer to December 1, 2012, viewpoints, questions, and paranoia set into the minds of many Americans. The movie that hit the theaters on November 13, 2009 convinced many already paranoid citizens that doomsday would occur in the year 2012. Although some scientists have “proof” that the humanity could end on December 21, 2012, there are many missing pieces of information from their evidence. According to the Mayan calendar, the cycle does not have a linear end-point of doom, but is rather “naturally followed by the start of a new cycle,” according to the article at http://www.13moon.com/prophecy%20page.htm.

The article states that “the movie does a dis-service because it distorts the message of this ancient prophecy by associating it with fear and destruction, as depicted by the movie's global disaster scenario, rather than the themes of transformation and renewal the prophecy is actually based in.” The year 2012 will mark a completion of the “World Age Cycle”, but should not be misconstrued as a time of death and destruction. The Mayans predicted the date to be a time of major transformation in the human culture and society; many would agree that with the environmental crisis and culture struggles, society could use a drastic change in direction.

Carlos Barrios, who was trained in the Mayan tradition, stated, "Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action...The prophesized changes are going to happen, but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are.” The prophecy appears to be a warning to mankind from the highly erudite Mayan culture that if people are unconscious of the effects of their actions on the whole, that catastrophic events could take place. The disasters may not be natural disasters as displayed in the movie, 2012, but could be disasters created by man, such as a nuclear war. According to the article, “Exploring the Mystery of 2012,” the movie, 2012, did not base the global cataclysm on any facts. The movie is a drama/action movie that was meant to attract the audience, therefore, was modified to seem realistic and provide a story that people could believe.


Many scientific and government studies attempt to prove December 21, 2012 to be globally and environmentally catastrophic by providing solar evidence. Government and scientific studies have theoretical evidence that a catastrophic solar storm will hit Earth in the year 2012, with a current destroying all satellite activity and electricity. The video displayed above at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_TzIUlaQok describes the government studies that “solar flares could mean the end of life as we know it”. Many scientists have thrown around the fact that the planets will align on December 21, 2012 causing the Earth to be at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy and leading to a shift in poles. These studies leave out the fact that the planets have partially aligned in the past and the world did not end, so the alignment of 2012 is not any different.

Many of the prophecies of 2012 have quickly become controversies with all of the different news sources and information about the 2012 prophecy floating around. Just as in 1999 when the Y2K scare existed, the year 2012 prophecies are being distorted and exaggerated by the media. D.G. Luttermoser describes the simularities of 1999 Y2K to the 2012 prophecies in an article at http://www.etsu.edu/physics/etsuobs/starprty/22099dgl/planalign.htm; in 1999, the same warning of ultimate planetary alignment existed stating that Earth was heading to destruction. The article states that “since the Earth wasn't destroyed, they now have changed the story to ‘Planet X will cause the Earth's destruction’”. Government and scientific studies often prove a prophecy, such as year 2000 Y2K and 2012 doomsday, to be true so that if someone occurs, they were “right”. If the predictions do not come true, the story is changed or set to another landmark date in the future.

The “end of the world” of 2012 basically means the end of a world cycle, but has gotten twisted and misunderstood as the annihilation of humanity and planet Earth. The idea described in the article that is missed in the media is, “the world we are ending is the one that is dominated by materialism and ego consciousness; therefore it may be that the world to follow will be founded on different values that honor the spirit of the interdependence of all of life.” Instead of having a positive outlook on the future of our world, the media displays the prophecies of 2012 to be destructive and negative. Many people are persuaded through fear, just as events on September 11, 2001 convinced many that a war on terror is essential.

We live in a time of economic hardships, environmental issues, and moral struggles as a society, which makes the destructive aspects of the prophecies easy to follow. All of these issues may seem like signals from the Mayan prophecies that we are headed to doomsday, but there are other ways to perceive the predictions. The ideas described by Carlos Barrios provide a positive outlook of the prophecies of 2012. Carlos Barrios, from the Eagle Clan of the Mam Maya of Guatemala shares in regards to 2012: "The world will not end. It will be transformed... Everything will change...Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate...If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, we will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way...Humanity will continue, but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human..." The prophecies set in stone by the Mayans were not a warning that the Earth, itself, is coming to an end. Just because the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012, does not mean the world and life as we know it will end to. The Mayans simply predicted that a shift of the ages or new world cycle is going to occur in the year 2012. While a new year begins every twelve months, a new world cycle occurs every 5,125 years.

Lindsay Matthews