Is The World Ending?
Apparently, I don’t move in the right circles. Am I the only one that hadn’t heard the world is ending… soon?
As in, a few days from now? An ancient Mayan prophecy pinpoints December 21st, 2012, as the end of the world, or at least the end of the earth’s 5,125-year-long cycle.
Benedetto, scientific deep thinker that he is, tried to explain it to me.
“You haven’t heard?” he puzzled.
“Apparently not,” I replied. “You know I don’t listen to talk radio, the purveyor of all nonsensical news…. So what’s happening on the 21st, other than that holiday party we’re supposed to attend?”
“Well, this all resulted from a stone tablet found in Mexico. The
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar seems to end on this date, which doesn’t necessarily mean a thing. Personally, I think the scribes got tired, and said, ‘Let someone else finish writing the calendar later.’”
Naturally, with this info in hand, I somehow got twisted around. During the same conversation, the two of us chatted about the date 12/12/12 and I believe I combined the two. Hence, the end of the world was… yesterday.
Around noon, we took a break and parked the car on our weekly trek between homes. The boys walked the dogs, Benedetto bought our Last Lunch, and we girls went to the bathroom. The world could not end on a full bladder, after all.
At 12:12 pm, I snapped a photo of the dashboard clock. You’ll have to take my word that it was on 12/12/12. When the world didn’t end, I decided to eat my salad.
“Well, at least we can continue life on earth with healthy food….”
“No, the end of the world is not the 12th, it’s the 21st,” Benedetto advised me.
Great, I had never exhibited any tendency toward dyslexia prior to this time. Obviously, this was the effect that The End had upon me.
“Sure, it’s the 21st,” a 15-year-old friend of the family told me. “Everyone at school is talking about it.”
“Like what? What are they doing to prepare?” she had piqued my interest as a social observer. Maybe they were
getting right with God, and positive things would result from yet another dumb doomsday prediction.
“I think it’s something like if we get enough FaceBook friends then it won’t happen.”
“That makes sense. I mean, FB can do everything else, right? Why not save the world?”
Now that I’m in the know, I’ve read that many people are planning trips to safe havens in the French or Turkish countryside where, supposedly, extraterrestrials will emerge from caves and lift off in spaceships with a lucky few. And then… The End.
As for me, I’m making appointments for the dentist and continuing to exercise. Just in case. Good dental health and physical health go a long way. If we got the newspaper, which we don’t, I wouldn’t cancel it. If it were really The End coming, I would pray and eat a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream, so you can be sure: it’s not happening. (The prayer part is pretty normal around here, but ice cream has not crossed the threshold since summer.)
So here we are, headed toward the 21st, as though last-minute shoppers at the mall were not trouble enough, doomsdayers want us to think about The End of the World. Are you doing anything to prepare… or to celebrate?
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Tags: 12/12/12, doomsday travel to France and Turkey, Mayan prophecy about end of the world, social commentary blog, the end of the world on Dec. 21st 2012?, what will you be doing on the 21st?
No, no no… There’s been a misunderstanding in reading the stone. I don’t remember how or why, but it’s not true.
Or at least that’s what they are saying over here. =D
You’re right, Linda, misinterpretation is the word of the day. It doesn’t stop the masses from reacting, though. (And who are these masses, lol?) I feel like we’re living the turn of the calendar 1999-2000 all over again-!
I think they just ran out of room in their circle. But I guess we’ll know in a week or so.
That’s a good assessment, Winnie, I’m not changing any plans….
You made me think about ice cream.
There’s still time-!