With 2010 in the books, many of you are already looking ahead to next year - 2012. But there are those who are looking ahead with optimism and those who are dreading the coming New Year.
I must admit that I am experiencing some apprehension about 2012, due to all the prophecies and speculations about events that are expected to unfold by many.
Popular 2012 theories comprise a range of beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012, which is said to be the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar. Various theories related to this date have been proposed.
Some believe that during this time, Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era.
Others suggest that 2012 marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Some scenarios for the end of the world include the Earth's collision with a passing planet, a calamitous galactic alignment, or the arrival of the next solar maximum - expected to cause solar flares and magnetic storms.
Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of cataclysm in 2012. Mainstream Mayanist scholars state that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the existing Maya accounts, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history.
Furthermore, astronomers and other scientists have rejected many apocalyptic predictions as pseudoscience. Some compare fears about 2012 to those of the Y2K bug in the late 1990s, suggesting that sufficient analysis should preclude fears of disaster.
However, astronomers are predicting that a massive solar storm will strike our planet in 2012 with a force of 100 million hydrogen bombs, with the potential to wipe out the entire planet's power grid. Similar storms back in 1859 and 1921 caused worldwide chaos, wiping out telegraph wires on a massive scale. The 2012 storm has the potential to be even more disruptive, considering how much modern man relies on electricity and technology.
So what can we do? Very little, beyond planning for a disaster - something experts have been encouraging us to do anyways. The proposed emergency kit includes items like flashlights, canned food, blankets, bottled water and a wireless radio.
I know that these theories are troubling to think about but don't panic now, after all, we still have another year to go!
