Well we have one week to live. The long extinct Mayan culture of South America predicted the end of the world on the 21st of December of this year. So am I giving away my worldly goods, quitting work, running for the hills, going on a crime spree, carving out a kingdom of dirt…no. I am sure that we will all still be here come the 22nd of the month. What interests me more is the typically human hysteria around this even and all the other ‘end of the world’ doom sayers. I bet few have read the theory on why the world will end and the frankly bonkers logic of the Mayans for what would cause all of our ends. Check the link in this post if you want to know more.
Essentially it is another case of ancient papers and sacred texts being mistranslated. An ending of the world really should read ‘a big change in mankind or in the way society functions’ but as always it finishes up being ‘look out for that ruddy big rock falling out of the sky’. Change a word here or there and the meaning goes totally left of field without a lot of effort…I write fiction for a living trust me on this. I have all the books that Erich von Daniken wrote and they are excellent works of fiction (awesome for wargaming potential by the way!) but they are not real, just a sideways look at history. I put this event into the same category.
I could end on a crass little comment about predicting the future and not seeing the arrival of the Spanish but hey…I am not one to anger the gods. See you in a week!
GBS
I have read all of the von Däniken books back when I was much younger, and while he never really wrote anything about the “Mayan end of the world”, he did raise some interesting debate about archaeology and our scholarly view on ancient history. For sure, or view on history may be proven incorrect, as has been the case in ages past.
And maybe, if there were alien civilizations around when our culture was in it’s infancy, then surely a visit from them would have given rise to myth and legend amongst the primitive humans. Who knows? I am open to the thought, perhaps we will learn the truth somewhere in the future…
The “end of the world” seems a bit far fetched though, a typical pre-internet “viral story”, mostly working on people’s minds by borrowing bits from science, and making other things up entirely. Further fuelled by a bad Hollywood movie a few years ago.
In truth the Mayans never predicted “the end”, only the next “astronomical year” in their calendar. Like we do every December/January, only over a much longer period. I reckon the Mayan Calendar will join the Millenium Bug and the Large Hadron Collider in their failed attempts to destroy the world. 🙂
Hello Sam,
Thanks for your input on this. I do not think Daniken was correct, my own thinking on cultural infancy and the common nature of pyramids and sun worship is more based on common human psychology than on any external influence. Yes, the Mayan End will join those others in the dustbin of world ending scares.
GBS
Again, this is just a load of hokum that the uneducated masses caught on to. I just wonder how many will try and top themselves over this when the 21st comes? Now, how Nibiru has supposed to have been unseen until now is anyones guess (after all, if there was supposed to be a killer planet due to smash into us without us being able to see it is plain stupid)
I for one will be holding an “end of the world” party, so at least if it all goes balls up, I will be at least two sheets to the wind!
Hello Grim,
Thanks for your comment. I hope no one will end themselves over this. Makes me think of the Christian cults having end of world events…all standing in a field…3,2,1…now. Still here…oh, well maybe next time. Enjoy the party 🙂
GBS
The stupid thing, actually the sad thing, is a customer of mine who is an infant teacher was telling me how this week she has had to console children in her class over this news story.
Even if it is true – there can be NO justification for frightening young children in this way.
Tony
Hello Tony,
Amazing eh. My own children did not even notice this. Children take their lead from Adults, I think that says a lot. They would all be better of playing Flintloque. 🙂
GBS
Well we are all still here! Another hoax.
Not really though as if you actually looked into this ‘end of the world’ date it really meant end of the Mayan Calendar and beginning of the new one. Not Armageddon more like ‘happy new year’.
Happy continued existence everyone 🙂
GBS