There's so much hype in the world today about the world ending on December 21st, 2012. Theories are popping up like weeds - solar flares, polar shifts, nuclear armageddon, holy wrath, Mayan, I Ching and Egyptian predictions. You name it, it's out there. We've got books, new movies coming out, and a wide assortment of scientists, novelists, scholars, and crackpots all purporting to have discovered the "truth" of what the future holds for earth and humankind. But should we be worried? There is an equally vast array of scientists, scholars, and neanderthals that contest these theories.

For me this is not breaking news. I came across the Mayan prediction of the end of the world years ago in my, shall we say, more explorative iteration in years past. At the time I found an intriguing tidbit of information and moved on. With the deadline drawing nearer and some convincing arguments coming to light about how this doomsday is supposed to occur I find myself curious with the concept once again. I've watched YouTube videos, read websites, browsed discussion forums, seeking a deeper understanding of what makes this event different from any of the other supposed earth-ending events we've had before. You remember Y2k? That little computer glitch that was supposed to wipe out everything? And then there was the prospect of World War III breaking out in the middle east after Nostradamus predicted the fall of the Twin Towers? And let's not forget that we narrowly averted disaster in preventing Furby's from developing sentient consciousness and taking over the world. Did I mention Global Warming and Global Climate Change? How about West Nile Virus, Swine Flu, AIDS, Anthrax, Smallpox, or any of the other various diseases that could have potentially wiped out mankind in the last 20 years?

I'm interested to hear what others have to say, for or against, this notion of doom. And I don't want to hear the lame ass "because" excuse for why it's not going to happen. There are so many things in nature and science that we as humans have absolutely no understanding of how they happen. Thats what I want to know, how and why the world is going to end in 2012.

Here's what I have seen that indicates there may be some credibility to this prediction. The Mayan Calendar predicts the end of the earth as we know it on December 21st, 2012. Now that in and of itself is no big deal. Anyone can predict the end of the world, just pick a date. What makes this believable is the fact that the Mayan calendar is more accurate than the one we currently use, and there is a stunning series of coincidences that support their claim. Apparently the ancient Egyptians also predicted a great event supposed to occur on the same date. The mysterious nature of how these two cultures had such an acute grasp of mathematics and astronomy gives the fact that they both, on opposite sides of the world without any contact, came to the same conclusion a disturbing sense of predetermination to armageddon. Astronomically speaking, on December 21st, 2012, the sun and earth apparently align with the center of our galaxy. Recent science speculates that this is the location of a super-massive black hole and we all know what black holes do. Patrick Geryl, author, astronomer, and researcher, suggests that this will cause the earth's magnetic poles to not only shift to new locations, but also to flip sides so that north becomes south and vice-versa. This will supposedly cause the earth to suddenly reverse the direction of its spin over a matter of a couple fo hours, causing massive tidal waves, rapid climate change, and earthquakes on a scale never before imagined by mankind. On top of that, it is speculated that the sun will reach a new peak in the sun spot cycle and we could see solar flares of unimaginable proportions bombarding the earth with x-ray radiation at about the same time. Not enough? Some other scientist, I forgot his name, found a pattern in the I Ching that when graphed out on a timeline supposedly predicts every major event in the world, including the fall of the Roman Empire, both World Wars,and who knows what else. When does this timeline apparently end? You guessed it. December 21st, 2012. Some have detected a pattern in the numbers that represent the date and the symmetry of them - 12 21 12.

Pretty scary stuff if you connect all the dots. Thats a few too many coincidences to just casually brush aside. I personally don't believe in coincidences, I think everything happens for a reason. But speaking of connecting the dots, I think it was said best by Jedi Master Qi Gon Jinn - "Your focus determines your reality."

Imagine one big giant piece of paper covered with black dots. All the secrets of life are hidden on this paper and they can all be yours, if only you can connect the right dots in the right order. Ask a question, and this paper knows the answer, but you have to find it the hard way. That's what science in this existence is like. It's just a big game of connect the dots. That said, think about the human predisposition to jump to conclusions. Our human brains are constantly making judgments and coming to conclusions that we aren't even aware of. If you ask a question, before you can even say the words your brain has already subconsciously processed all of the possible outcomes and determined what the best answer is for you based on who you are, your personality, psychology, life experience, and so on. Assuming that the possibilities are endless and your brain already knows what the most suitable answer is, you subconsciously start to connect the dots to discover your predetermined answer. And you will always find what you are looking for.

Take, for example, the Mayan calendar. It does not actually predict the destruction of the earth. To our knowledge it only says that an event will occur that will change life as we know it on this planet. One age will end, and a new one will begin. It just starts over again. Who's to say that the change won't be positive? Maybe a scientific discovery of epic proportions will be made that enlightens mankind and ushers in a new Golden Age. Maybe the change will be less perceptible, like a subtle shift that will eventually lead to world peace and the unification of humankind like has never before been seen on this earth.

The problem with seeking answers is that humans, as a species, always assume the worst. Many of us never bother to look further and find out that the earth and sun won't be exactly aligned with the center of the galaxy on December 21st, 2012 and that this alignment has been taking place for decades, and will continue to take place for decades to come. We don't realize that sun spots and solar flares run in completely natural cycles, or that the earth's climate is constantly changing anyway, because we have already decided what the answer is and located the information we need to justify it. We don't consider that none of us were alive when the Egyptians and the Mayans made their predictions and therefore do not actually know what they predicted. And we don't realize that if you look for a pattern in an system, like the I Ching, you will eventually find one and you will eventually find a model for representing that pattern that expresses your desired (even if subconscious) outcome.

Yes, the world might end on December 21st, 2012. Humankind might be wiped off the face of the earth. But then again it might not. These doomsday theories lack sufficient evidence to be conclusive. The arguments against them have the same problem. Ultimately they will simply remain just that until the fateful day arrives - theories. That's how science works. A theory is created, and then tested, until it can be proved true or false.

So should you be worried? I say why would you make yourself suffer? The simple inescapable truth is that at some point, whether it be 2012 or some other date, planetary alignments, nuclear war, disease, or any other catastrophe, our world is going to end. At some point everyone dies.

So why waste your life being afraid of when that's going to happen? Live your life the way you want to. Enjoy it. Make sure the people in your life know how important they are and that you love them. Laugh, learn, and have fun. If you wait until the end of the world it will be too late. And then you should be worried.