The apocalyptic prophesy of the 2012 might be a product of our modern imagination or maybe the Mayan calendar ends because an ancient people foretold a world altering event. Scientists assure us that our plant is neither hurdling to it’s doom nor rapidly failing on an internal level; however, trusting scientific reassurances means ignoring the potential for a catastrophic and unforeseeable event. We have no evidence that the Mayans foresaw the end of the world, or even a great change, but their calendar does end. On December 21, 2012 we will reach the actual end of an ancient calendar and we can have no knowledge of the significance of the event.
Supposing a true apocalypse—the end of the world—we will all die or move on to a spiritual afterlife; however, many people suggest that the end of the Mayan calendar signifies the end of one human phase and the beginning of another. Perhaps, the Mayan calendar functions much like a Hindu yuga and we are leaving one stage in human development for another so, the calendar’s end in 2012 either pushes us into a new phase of human glory or, like a Hindu yuga, marks our moral and spiritual decline.
Over the past 200 years, humanity’s growth both scientifically and socially was immense. From our modern perspective, hidden behind our computer screens, we downplay the importance of overturned gender roles and the invention of the light bulb; however, their role in our lives is undeniable. These achievements contributed to our spiritual, moral and social decline. The innovators of the past inadvertently called upon the future to create a new world but, we still lie in the remnants of a dead society. The Mayan calendar, that ends long after these achievements became mainstays, may hint at an ideological rebirth that brings spiritual solace to an existential world; after all, Nietzsche’s declaration of God’s death shook the world far more thanEdison’s light bulb.
Declaring the end of the Mayan calendar the date of our spiritual rebirth seems superstitious and romantic. The end of the calendar may simply resonate with us as the hope of an end as we desire a catastrophic event that defines us and shakes our society marking the next phase of humanity. We inherently feel the need of spiritual rebirth; perhaps, we should not pray for divine intervention but, take Nietzsche’s message to heart—we no longer need God only man. Our spirituality, morality and world lies in human hands.
We see 2012 as a chance to reinvent ourselves as a better, stronger humanity; unfortunately, our desire for catastrophic change reflects our inactivity. By praying for an apocalyptic moment in which to reinvent humanity we ignore the fact that humanity is already reinvented and continues to change at the hands of mankind. 2012 may mark the year that history defines as a turning point for human development; however, such change requires humanity to alter it’s beliefs and move toward the future. It is more likely that we will begin or complete a series of small events that alter the state of the world, for better or worse, rather than a experience an apocalyptic moment.
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