doomsday 2012

[chaz]

i just started this thread to discuss the 2012 doomsday...

i myself believe in it and i just want to see who all else does

[Beren One-Hand]

Hmmm . . . interesting topic.  Let me ask you: what are you basing this on?  Could you elaborate?  Remember, all previous doomsday "prophecies" failed.  Personally I don't believe anyone can predict "the end of the world."  Only God knows the day and the hour.

[Wolfchild]

Doomsday? That's laughable. I remember the one about seven or eight years ago by Nostradamus, I think, and everyone was like "oh no, the world is going to end" which was, of course, completely untrue. I'm still alive, and I'm sure I will be after this one.

[chaz]

who knows, i left my notebook at home but i'll have some facts on why i believe later

[Andúnië]

What....

Paranoid people are always predicting the end of the world and not once has it been accurate. There are, of course, thousands of ways humans can be wiped out or the planet can be destroyed but most of them have only very slim possiblities.

[Leora]

It's not like I believe it's an 'end of the world' thing, but there's a person I trust, who's told me about the theory. (The one who told me about it, explained, told about prevention and reasons, all sorts of stuff. He's also the only person I trust blindly about things I and pretty much everyone else I know, would never, ever even take out of the 'joke' category). So I'd think of it more as a global disaster thing. Doesn't have to explode. Life doesn't have to be wiped out. In fact, everything can be reversed.

But yes, when I actually think about it, it sounds like any other nonsense. On the other hand every other time I turn on the news, there's always 2012 mentioned in phrases like 'The international stock market will collapse in 2012', 'More disasters by 2012', 'World population burning in hell due 2012'. Just makes you feel sorta funny and uncomfortable.
Ah well. 5 more years to see

[Pulsifer]

The 2012 Doomsday theory is, on the face of it, ridiculous and a gross misinterpretation.

It originates in the Mayan culture, whose calendar "turn" in November 2012. For them, it would be an "end of time" event, one might believe, but the Mayans believed in cyclical eras and as such the calendar turnover was actually a time of great joy; that their civilization had survived and prospered through an era. You know, much like the Era system in the Middle Earth calendar.

The doomsday things come from people cheap-shotting and misinterpreting the event, nothing more.

Despite the publicity generated by the 2012 date, Susan Milbraath, curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, stated that "We [the archaeological community] have no record or knowledge that [the Maya] would think the world would come to an end" in 2012.

"For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle," says Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, Fla. To render Dec. 21, 2012, as a doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."

Cite, cite.

Furthermore, I once had the misfortune of reading a Terence McKenna book, the chief proponent of this horsebollocks, and I can assure you that he's madder than Mad Jack McMad, winner of the Maddest Man in Christendom competition, seven years' running. His involvement in this nonsense doesn't add any weight to your speculation.

[Lexicalized]

...I wasn't actually aware of this doomsday 2012 thing until just now...And...I don't mean to jump to conclusions, but it sounds like a bunch of bologne to me.  (No offense to the dude who believes in it).  I seem to remember a similar prediction about the year 2000, and nothing happened then either.

And I'm going to echo Beren's sentiments about the end of the world not being something we can nail an exact day to.  That's something only God knows.

Interesting stuff though, about the Mayans and all of that. 

[Radagast]

I've been working on a new website around just this theme: http://2012bunk.com

I expect the hysteria around this date to accelerate exponentially as the date gets closer. It'll be ridiculous and a lotta people are gonna look really stupid come 2013.

There is not much content there yet but feel free to help kick off the discussion forums there.

[Pulsifer]

I'd restate my perspective - above - on your forums, if you allowed members to post there

[Radagast]

I'd restate my perspective - above - on your forums, if you allowed members to post there

Woops!

Drupal, a slightly more complicated CMS, it really flopped here that one time.

Anyway, can you try posting now?

[Pulsifer]

It worked now; I just started a new topic for it. However, the page doesn't conform to normal [tag][ /tag] HTML functions. What language or syntax does it read?

[Lairënuriel]

I passed this on to Radagast.   

[Radagast]

I needed to install the BBCode module over there, it looks more like what you'd expect now.

[LOTRfan1414]

haha this story is alomst laughable

If the Mayan were able to predict the future so well
then how come they are all gone now?