The End of the World
As We Know It
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
LINKS:
IN THE NEWS
With more and more
shows on TV and in the News concerning “End of the World” prophecies,
devastating natural disasters, and heighted international and political
tensions, many people have now heard about the Mayan Calendar’s end date of
December 21, 2012. When news of the Mayan “end date” first hit mainstream news,
it seemed to spark the fear and curiosity of nearly everyone I spoke to. At the
time, it seemed like a far off date; merely another guess that would throw
people into frenzy but show no real life-threatening effects. In my short life
I had seen this happen many times before.
Y2K in the YEAR 2000
Born in 1990, I remember being 10 years old as
the world feared a meltdown of technology welcoming in the Millennium with an
imminent Y2K virus. The news showed stories of people rushing the stores to
stock up on water and non-perishable food for fear that the reset to 2000 would
cripple our technological systems, and our society with it. But that New Year’s
came and went, and as the next day arrived it was apparent that we had almost
seamlessly progressed into a new age of man.
BIBLICAL PREDICTIONS
The Christian
Bible ends in Revelation, a book that details believed warning signs that we
are approaching the end of days and the second coming of Christ. Growing up, my
father told me stories he heard as a young man raised in the church. He would
tell me that many times over his life preachers would warn that the end was
near, scaring parishioners to “turn or burn” before it was too late. I too read
the Bible and these stories in my childhood, and witnessed end dates thrown out
by other believers who thought they had unlocked a biblical code. These dates
as well came and past. Something always bothered me about believers trying to
predict the end of the world, because they based their “findings” on the same
bible that states no man will know when Christ plans to return. It always just
seemed a little oxymoronic to me. If you believe in the Bible, you take it at
its word that it’s not for us to know when the end of days will come. However,
it’s not a historically new phenomenon for believers to interpret these words
as best fits their mindset and agenda.
WHY SHOULD THE MAYA MATTER?
If the End of the
World has been predicted so many times across cultures and history, what makes
this Mayan prophecy any different? Why should it be given any more credit than
the other guesses at a human expiration date?
If you’ve seen any of the documentaries on the subject, or movies such
as “2012”, you might know a little about the subject and a little about the
Mayan culture. How do you separate fact from fiction? The week of December 21,
2012 I will be discussing the history of the Maya culture, the belief in
pervious cycles, and what the end of this cycle might mean.
MY ROLE AS A TEACHER
As a young Native
American woman, and former President of my University’s Native American Student
Association, I take great interest in the Maya and all other indigenous peoples
from North and South America. I am not a definitive expert on the subject, but
as a frequent teacher of Indigenous culture I believe I have the right tools to
direct people to resources and individuals who are experts in their fields. I
will be using these resources to dig deeper into this issue and answer all the
questions I have posed in the weeks to come.
MAYAN CULTURE
The week before
December 21, 2012 I will be documenting and sharing more about the Mayan
culture, their history, their beliefs, and their calendar system. I do not know
if the world will end on this date, or if there will be cataclysms that steal
the lives of many humans. Some believe nothing will happen, but I believe at
the very least there will be widespread devastation as those who merely want to
watch the world burn wreak havoc on those around them. I truly want to urge
everyone to protect themselves as much as possible, and be on the lookout for
this type of self-fulfilling devastation.
LINEAR VS. CYCLICAL THINKING
Personally, I do
not believe this end date on the Mayan Calendar means that all human-kind will
end, but rather it is the end of one cycle of civilization as we enter the
next, new age. Through the lenses of Western Civilization we tend to want to
see things as linear, with a beginning and an end. To understand this idea of
cycles, we need to understand that the end of one phase is also the beginning
of the next, as the Maya believe this cycle has passed many times before.
However, I believe the best course of action is to prepare for the worst and
hope for the best.
IDENTIFYING THE POSSIBILITIES
I’m
a HUGE fan of History Channel, and have long been a student of astronomy and
science. As a child I was fascinated by the stars, and our miniscule
understanding of the vast universe. However, my mother made me promise my feet
would not leave the earth, and I entered College I focused on Cellular and
Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Medicine. As I scientist I have been taught to
think rationally, and to carefully evaluate all possibilities before coming to
a conclusion. Though I do not know what will happen on this “End Date”, here
are a few ideas.
WIDESPREAD NATURAL DISASTER
Our Earth is much
older than we are as a human species. If you’re an audio or visual learner,
there are some really good documentaries available through History Channel that
explain through all the possible disasters we may see in the coming weeks.
We’ve recently seen the devastation a Hurricane like Sandy can do to the
Eastern shore, and previous years have left examples of the devastations of
earthquakes, tidal waves, and hurricanes. One scenario that was played with involves
the heating of the earth through solar flares. This could heat the earth’s core
and lead to a repolarization of the Earth’s poles and/or the shifting of the
earth’s crust which could spark a series of volcanos, earth quakes, and tidal
waves that could bring widespread devastation. At the end of the show the
scientists say this is not a likely possibility, however that doesn’t make it
impossible.
If you believe the
scientist’s view of Pangaea, there once was an age where all of the land mass
was connected – and to this day it looks like our continents may roughly fit
together like puzzle pieces. The problem is the earth’s crust shifts as plates
collide, resulting in earthquakes and the mountain and valleys in the landscape
we’re familiar with today. These plates collide at what is known as fault
lines, and these fault lines border ever continent at land or on sea. The
devastation caused by these earthquakes can swallow up land and crumble
buildings, crushing the humans inside them if precautions aren’t made. When
these earthquakes happen at sea, they can give rise to giant tidal waves that
can flood coastal regions and islands.
The other danger
with activity in the earth’s core is the possibility of super volcanic activity.
As magma pushes through active volcanos, it can create whole islands like those
that make up Hawaii. Some of these volcanos are at sea, and others are centered
in continents. If one of these sleeping giants is awakened, the danger doesn’t
end with the magma that would destroy all life in its path. There is also the
danger of spreading ash. The example of the ancient city of Pompeii has shown
that the depth, toxicity, and severity of this ash flow can fossilize an entire
region. If a super volcano is to erupt, or if there is a near simultaneous
eruption of multiple volcanos, the ash that fills the air can block the sun across
the planet. Without UV rays primary producers that rely on photosynthesis for
life and growth would soon die. Then, the consumers that rely on these plants
for food would also perish. After that we would see a collapse of larger
animals in the food chain as their food supply perished. Depending on the
length of time this ash cloud would fill the air, we could see a loss of
civility and organization among various civilizations as humans are forced to
fight each other for their survival. These cataclysms may or may not occur, and
if they do there may be survivors. However, even if our entire race is erased
from the map, it does not mean all life on earth or all life in the Universe
will necessarily end, so with or without us the next cycle of time will begin.
CELESTIAL ACTIVITY, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL ASTRONAUTS
So
I’ve found when discussing aliens with others, the general responses are as
follows: “That can TOTALLY happen…”, “Maybe, but I don’t know enough about it
and don’t want to live in fear…”, “RIGHT… Aliens…(Everyone KNOWS they don’t
exist) Good luck with that.” Haha, everyone has their own opinion on the
subject, but this is mine.
Science
has now shown, the Universe is GIGANTIC, and our lives and our world are just a
speck in it. Biologically, our DNA is similar to many other organic organisms
on this planet, but it is our cognitive abilities, our soul, and the way in
which we are able to manipulate our environment that differentiates us. Some
people have used the argument that the Bible doesn’t talk about aliens to prove
that they don’t exist. To me, this is kind of funny, because if the Christian
God is real and creation occurred the way the Bible depicts it, that does not
mean other life forms do not exist but rather that their story wasn’t divulged to
us. If the entire Universe was created by God, could he not have been the spark
that initiated the Big Bang leading to the creation of our Earth in seven
figurative days, or stages, rather than seven literal earth days? The other
possibility is that God was able to control the creation of our Universe specifically,
and was the spark that gave intelligent thought and souls to the human species,
becoming the architect of religions to give our species purpose.
SIDE NOTE – MY RELIGIOUS VIEWS
I understand that
some believers may see these possibilities as sacrilegious, but that is not the
intent. In a spiritual sense that cannot be simply explained by our current
scientific understanding, I feel like I have been raised to have a personal relationship
with my Creator, the Great Spirit as Native Americans understand it, the entity
or energy force behind the intelligent manifestation of life as we know it.
Though I may attempt to use all my cognitive abilities to wrap my mind around
this subject, I know enough to know that there are some things I will never
fully be able to understand until they are revealed to me. As a young girl
raised in the Christian faith, I have been both Dedicated and Baptized to the
Christian God. As a student of culture
and history, I have also observed the simultaneous longing and attempts at
explaining forces greater than our own from separate groups of humans across
the globe. The desire to understand our creation and connect with our creator
is universal; it is the way cultures interpret this and stratify systems of
worship that differ. Religion, whether based in truth or mythology, has served
as an important tool to control the actions of the masses and scare them into
submission and good behavior throughout mankind’s history. It is a code of
order and respect that transcends national borders as political powers have
shifted throughout time. I have also seen how these good intended religions
have manipulated their practice and controlled their believers into carrying
out the will of humans in the name of a higher God, and Christianity is
certainly no exception to this.
Though I believe
there is a Creator, I believe it is a powerful force beyond my comprehension,
but accessible through my prayers and aware of the intent of my heart. I do not
believe that I need the intervention of other fallible human beings to
interpret this personal experience for me, or explain the intent of Biblical
writers or the religious officials hundreds of years ago that chose which books
would and would not be considered important. Translators have also transcribed
these books into my language though there is variability in exact translations,
leaving more room for interpretation or error. Though I have read the Bible and
agree there are many good stories and proverbs, the amount of liberty taken and
interpretation by fallible humans that are supposedly divinely inspired worries
me. It is not a question of faith, but if my creator equipped me with the
intelligence to think critically and determine my opinions and decisions for
myself, I am going to use that gift rather than accept the interpretation of it
by some other being.
Today, we see many
sects of Christians that divide among themselves based on their beliefs of how
the Bible should be interpreted. This is counterproductive being that the core
message of the Bible is that we need to love our Creator and love one another.
This self-division can lead to unnecessary judgment and hypocrisy. I don’t
believe religion is all-in-all a bad thing, because it forms communities of
individuals that are in most cases trying to be good Christians, or “Little
Christs”, and emulate the stories of altruism, servitude, and love. We need
this in our societies, and many need to spiritually refuel in these
communities, and to be held accountable for their actions by this omnipotent deity
even when they may not fear persecution from a governing political entity. I
believe this quest to understand our spiritual selves is critical for human
development, and I believe that it is healthy to use our gift of cognition to
think critically about what we are told weighed against what resonates as true
to our own reason and soul. I do not know what the future holds, but I have
listened to the opinions of others, and weighed them against my own sense of
reason. That being clarified, I would like to continue with the possibilities
of 2012 that most intrigue me.
PREVIOUS VISITS – ANCIENT ALIENS
Ancient
Aliens seems to be a popular show on History Channel as it has now covered many
episodes and topics. Though I do not believe every theory that is expressed, I
do believe there is enough archaeological evidence to prove our ancestors at
least thought about extraterrestrial beings. Through the erosion of time and
communication barriers, we can only speculate as to what they knew,
experienced, or were trying to tell us. Some have theorized that it was aliens
that gave humans our cognitive abilities and technologies. Other suggest they
were the root of the ancient stories of gods and goddess, as they lived among
and ruled humans. Some theorists believe a species of the “greys” even
reproduced with our human species, creating eras of “divine rulers” whose
remains have been found to show elongated skulls. Were they malevolent, or
kind? Where did they come from and what was their intent? Why did they leave?
Have they left? If you believe in previous visits, then it merely opens the door
to many more questions that we can only speculate on today.
INTERACTION WITH OUR CIVILIZATION
Roswell,
Men in Black, or Transformers, if you live in the modern world you’ve probably
heard stories of aliens, their origin or their purpose. With dramatizations,
fictional stories, documented encounters, and discrediting cover stories it can
be hard to separate any real fact from fiction. One of the people I most admire
and respect in my life is my grandfather. He has told me many stories of his
youth and career, though he always made sure to never cross the boundaries of
his security clearance as a retired Department of Defense government employee
that oversaw all printing and information processing for a California Air Force
Base in Sacramento. My grandfather definitively believes in extraterrestrials,
and though skeptics are entitled to their opinion, with his life experience I
believe his opinions are based on more than speculation. Today there are many
TV shows and stories of UFO hunters, some of which give credible eye witness reports
and others which try to prove theories with little evidence and seem to
discredit the whole idea. My belief – the government knows more than they make
accessible to the general public, because information is power. Release of
classified information could lead to enlightenment of our species, but it could
also lead us to paranoia, panic, and destruction.
POSSIBILITY OF RETURN
If
there were aliens living among us in the past, they could still be living among
us today inconspicuously. We know very little about our ocean floors, and there
are many stories of unidentified submerged objects, so there’s a possibility they
are keeping an eye on us just out of our view. Many stories exist regarding
abductions, and maybe they are hiding nearby in our solar system to monitor our
progression as a species. We commonly hear stories of “grays”, lengthy aliens
with large heads, large eyes, and greyish skin, with a similar anatomy to
humans. Are these the only species we’ve interacted with, or are there other
species? Do they act as one with a unified agenda, or with motives specific to
their species and origin? Do they want resources from our planet, such as
organic materials or energy sources? If they are far more advanced with
technology and intelligence, do they seek to rule us, help us, or have they
previously tried and left us to develop independently as some sort of
experiment? Are they remaining at bay by their own free will or by the
protection and decree of some powerful ruling entity? If for some reason, our
species has been isolated and protected from invasion and overt interaction to
allow us to develop as a young species, is it possible that this period of
protection would end December 21, 2012? Might this be a date the Maya were
warned about during ancient alien interactions? If they do return, would it be
to reveal our history to us and reintroduce us to the rest of galactic
existence, or to submit us to their will? I do not know, maybe they mean good
or maybe they mean harm. I think the fear which so often controls our species
may lead us to overreact to benevolent interactions, and I hope this does not
occur and lead to retaliation from what otherwise would be allies. However, if
we are met by entities that mean us harm, I can only hope we have developed the
technology and strength to defend ourselves as the human race. Then again, if
we are due for some type of geological cataclysm, maybe it will be these alien
allies that help with some sort of preservation of our race.
REDISTRIBUTION OF POWER
Anonymous
– Project Mayhem:
Pledged to launch
December 21, 2012 the world-wide hacker group that has dubbed themselves “Anonymous”
is planning to do what is in their power to bring to light the secrets and
conspirators of our age on a global scale. By remaining anonymous, this group
has not pushed forward a figure head for their cause, but rather is the joint
effort of many global citizens with advanced technological skills that are
tired with the current unbalance of power. In my opinion this could either be
something wonderful or devastating for our society. Though anonymous identities
help protect these individuals from governmental persecution, it also leads me
to wonder about the accountability of all of the citizens involved. With
varying intents, some may mean to only do good while others may stop at nothing
to reinstate what they believe is the necessary balance accepting any rate of
casualties.
I know enough to
know that there are many complexities to this plan that I do not understand.
What I have been able to deduce is this. There are members in this group who
have launched viruses across the internet to track personal information, and have
even periodically shut down websites and interfered with governmental agendas. They
have used this power to do things such as pursue and exposure child
pornographers. Some might be worried about their identity being tracked, but if
you choose to participate in this global age, you have to come to the awareness
your personal information is already being tracked by the government and logged
by corporations and corporate agents. Every time you download a “free
application” the fine print generally opts you in to sharing your private
information with companies for the privilege of the download. So it’s not a
question of information security – you’re information isn’t secure – it then
becomes a question of how this information is used.
I’m still
personally a little hazy on the details of Project Mayhem, but from what I
understand there will be a collection, then public distribution, of secrets and
alliances between corporations and governments worldwide on December 21, 2012 at 11:11 local time. The group may then
choose to target political figures and other dubbed “public enemies” and put
the power in the hands of the people to retaliate against them. Or, through the
wonder of the internet, they may attack these individuals’ accounts or lives.
The extremities of the possibilities can be quite scary, because it could
result in an anonymous group choosing marks to break down the current
governments. Though this could help the people, it also has the potential to be
misused if the architects aren’t transparent about their intent. It could
empower the majority, but it may also lead to masses replacing the mindless
following of one government to the submission to another without fully
understanding it. If true to its apparent intent, it could also help empower
the American people and the people of the world to restructure their governing
bodies and reinstate a balance of powers that holds corporations and officials
more responsible to the will and needs of the people. That would be the best
case scenario. If it leads to the breakdown of our societal infrastructures, we
will undoubtedly see great changes and possibly war as we enter the next phase
of the Mayan Calendar. I suppose other cyber groups we are unaware of could
pose threats or rebalance powers, but this is the one that I will be watching
the most carefully.
PREPARING FOR THE POSSIBILITES
What
You Can Control: Having a plan to protect your family could mean the
difference between life and death in the event of a natural disaster. Some
things you won’t be able to protect against, besides trying to avoid regions
with high geological risk. But in case you do survive the disaster itself, you
should prepare to care for your basic needs if this disaster terminates or disrupts
normal transportation and governing channels.
Basic
Needs: To sustain life there are a number of things we as humans need.
Food and water being the most basic, and then measures to maintain safety once
basic biological needs are met.
What
You Can Not Control: Whether devastation by natural disaster,
extraterrestrial encounter, or divine intervention, there are many scenarios in
which there is nothing you could really do to protect yourself or change the
outcome. In these scenarios, all you can really do is be ready for your own
death. If you believe in religion, this would include making right with your
creator and preparing for judgment and the afterlife. Though many of us find
comfort in the possibility of death being the channel to reconnect with the
heavenly majesty of our creator, there are many who view death with fear and
uncertainty. The truth is, until we die we do not know for sure what will
happen to our souls after our biological demise. Though we want to hope for the
best, I believe it’s also necessary to prepare for the worst. What if our souls
only exist within the cognition of our biological vessels, and when our lives
end that is also the end of our souls? If this is the case, then all we can
really do to prepare is to make peace with the life we have lived to this
point. Some of our actions are fueled by our biological need to sustain life.
Other choices are chosen from within the framework of our culture and the connected
sense of purpose. Many people who have been able to meet their basic survival needs
have been able to turn their focus to more transcendental thoughts, and have long
pondered the meaning of life. This is something I too have questioned, and
though it is not a simple question to answer, I will be spending the next few
weeks exploring this subject in an attempt to help others realize and actualize
their purpose before the December 21, 2012 date. (
www.TheLuluChronicles.com)
CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW
WHAT IF NOTHING HAPPENS
Now
that we’ve discussed many possibilities of the devastation that we may see On
December 21, 2012, what about the possibility that nothing happens and December
22, 2012 comes with minor devastation and destruction? Well, hoping for the
best and preparing for the worst here’s my plan. I’m going to spend the next
few weeks breaking down a way to help people achieve self-actualization. The
week of December 16 -21, I’ll be discussing the Mayan Calendar and History in
preparation for the calendar’s end date. During this time, I’m preparing to
launch my own company, Lulu Marketing and Events. With the sunrise of December
22, 2012 I’ll be launching my company and entering the second phase of my
online chronicles (TheLuluChronicles.com). Phase 1 from November 4 - December
21 is about identifying dissatisfiers and motivators to help others understand
their purpose and what motivates them. Phase 2 will examine the other two factors
needed for achievement, ability and opportunity. My goal is to collect
resources to help others develop the ability to create the opportunities to manifest
the change they want to see regardless of their positioning in terms of
traditional socioeconomic hierarchies. If the world keeps spinning as it always
have, we will have been given a chance to reshape our world and civilization
through the conscious realization of our role in the Universe and the power of
our people. If we can look death in the eye on December 21 and be ready for it,
then are granted another day of life on December 22, I believe it is our
responsibility to show a greater appreciate for our lives which are not
guaranteed.
If we are the ones
to continue the human race, we need to do so with a thorough understanding of
our history and the actions that have gotten us here so that we may
intentionally begin the construction of the next age of man; the age of love
and intellect that is within our power to create. All I can do is change my
life and spread my truths to those whose paths I cross. It is your responsibility
as a cognizant being to choose to either construct your own life or submit to
the will of others who will attempt to construct it for you.
