Jon Bradford

Ms. Bossie

English 106

2012

We’ve all heard the rumors about the world’s end in 2012. Whether it is an

apocalyptic explosion, an alien invasion, an earthquake, or a tidal wave, we all have

our own opinions about what will or will not happen in 2012. But everyone’s

concerns are, “Will it happen? And if not, why has it been predicted?” The Mayan

Calendar predicted over 5,125 years ago that December 21 st or 23rd marked the end

of the 4th world (the three previous worlds were also failures). Also, on the other

side of the world, the Sumerians supposedly discovered Niburu, a planet that will

crash into earth in 2012. Others theorize that a meteor shower will wipe away the

human race in 2012. However, there are multiple reasons why any theory arguing in

defense of the end of the world in 2012 can be shot down. Although people have

gone to extreme measures to prepare, the predicted 2012 events will not happen.

The best way to prove that the world will not come to an end in 2012 is to

shoot down a few of the most popular opposing arguments. The first argument came

from a man that went as far as quitting his job to prepare for the apocalypse. He

saved just enough money to survive through 2012, and is spending the next couple

years searching for other people aiming at survival and buying goods such as gas

masks, bullet proof vests, water purifiers, and vegetable seeds. He explained that

there was going to be a polar reversal, a worldwide earthquake, and a cloud of

volcanic ash that will cover the earth. However, experts from [Link] report that a
worldwide earthquake and a volcanic dust cloud are impossible to predict,

especially 5,000 years prior. Also, the experts explained that although our planet has

regularly experienced polar reversals (the last one being 780,000 years ago), they

are not catastrophic and they are unpredictable occurrences.

Another popular argument is that the earth is in danger of being hit by a

meteor. Yet again, experts with NASA provide some comforting insight. Experts

explain that although our planet has always been subject to apocalyptic meteors, it

has not happened for 65 million years (when a meteor shower led to the extinction

of dinosaurs) and technology will help predict a possible meteor shower years in

advance. Astronomers have created an open research that indicates that there are

not any threatening asteroids near earth at this point.

Perhaps one of the most legitimate theories of a catastrophe in 2012 is the

solar storm. Solar flares are common and happen on regular patterns, roughly every

11 years. They can interrupt some satellite activity and if one particular solar flare

amplifies, it can cut off much of the earth’s communications. However, while

astronomers are not sure of the magnitude of the solar flare, which is expected in

the next couple years, they predict that it will be of an average size. Also, they are

sure that it will not be apocalyptic or even catastrophic. Those worried about the

communication breakdown and the failing satellites in the expected solar flare are

not to worry; engineers globally are working on sending solar flare proof satellites

into space to ensure dependability in the occurrence of an irregular solar flare or

storm.
 Eliminating the rationale in these “end of the world” theories isn’t enough to

prove that the unexpected won’t occur. For those arguments that can not be

disproved by factual evidence, we can turn to history. Our society has fallen victim

to believing in these theories plenty of times before. The last instance was in the

year 2000. This theory was called Y2K, or the Millennium Bug. It was believed to be

a breakdown in technological advancement and computer systems that run

businesses. They feared that the abbreviation for 2000, ’00, would crash long

running systems. As millions sat on the edge of their seat on the brink of the new

millennium, the Y2K Bug did not occur. This is just one of the many flawed

hypothesis. Likewise, the Millerites, a protestant religious group, predicted the end

of the world for October 22, 1844 and as the day came and passed, followers from

then on referred to the day as the Great Disappointment. Jehovah’s Witnesses have

also predicted the end of the world several times throughout history and obviously

failed. Finlo Rohror, of BBC magazine reports that throughout history, “Human

societies have always tried to create some kind of framework of meaning to give

history and our own personal lives some kind of significance." This means that

humans have a psychological appeal to believe these apocalyptic hypotheses solely

because they want to experience a significant event that gives their lives

importance.

As we creep up on 2012 and grow nervous of our future, or lack thereof, we

have to consider the credible experts position on this hypothesis. Research, testing,

and common sense have proved that this earth will continue to flourish past 2012.