2009 June, 21st

Phil Butler

3 Years remain before Mayan prophesies of the end of time are revealed of dispelled. Whether the Mayan Long Count Calendar ending on December 3, 2012 signals the end of days or the beginning of a new age, is a matter of conjecture. It is interesting to delve into such prophecies from time to time, if not to actually prepare for the coming cataclysm, then surely to intellectually at least, take stock of where we are, and where we are going. If we knew for certain that the world would in December 3, 2012, what would we do? Would we act differently? For any, one would think so. Perhaps examining this upcoming milestone (however momentus) can help us reflect; where we are, who we are, and even how we should conduct ourselves?

Skeptics and believers have their theories and beliefs about the prophecies of the ancients (or even modern day clairvoyants). The Maya certainly had an advanced civilization, and one rich in cryptic symbolism, rather advanced and more importantly “different” astrology, and in the end a legacy that began and ended apparently abruptly. This in itself has led people to speculations about who the Maya were, where they came from, and where they went. Of course, modern archaeology has pretty much narrowed down most of these questions. As for the start of the Winter Solstice in 2012, interpreting what the Mayans actually meant ranges from a “transition”, with the ending of one calendar and the beginning of a new, to “Armageddon” wherein dramatic changes effectively end what we know as life on Earth.

Below is one interpretation:

At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world’s spiritual traditions. Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.

Corroborative Science?

The interesting thing about predicting future events is that no one seems to really be able to do it consistently, not even scientists. While there is little or no evidence that the Maya Long Calendar has any significance other than it ends around the day mentioned, on the other hand there is little science available to suggest doomsday won’t happen either. Well, at least the trend toward Earth going forward, and the lack of probably measurable events we can predict do sort of negate any high probability. But wait! There is a NASA report that suggest fairly immense solar activity will occur in 2012! A shifting of solar poles, flares of a magnitude 30 to 50% stronger than the last “maximum” event. What does that mean? Your guess is as good as theirs I suppose.

What would you do the day before? Why not now?

Sunburn or Alien Versus Us

Whether or not solar flares ravage the atmosphere, Planet X crashes into Earth vaporizing all of us, or whether said Planet X is in fact Nibiru, or the space ship of a race of returning aliens called the Annunaki, we will not know until then. For my part, I cannot decide if I would rather get the worst sunburn ever, or be either subjugated or eradicated by a race of extra-terrestrials. At least in the latter scenario, one age old question would be answered I guess.

The best public relations we could hope for.

This “half-serious” look at the 2012 issue is really intended to prompt thought. We live in a troubled world, one in which human interaction is being transformed on an unprecedented scale. Never before has human kind has such communicative and useful tools at its disposal. But still, we revolve about spinning the same yarn, and trying to get a different result. If 2012 should mark the end of time or the end of things as we know them, what would we do differently. In the opening I suggested that many would want to change, but in all honesty this is probably false hope talking. All the events leading up to this moment, when combined and weighted, have not served to change human nature one iota. In a similar way, public relations and other business has not changed either. I would hate to think the epitaph of humanity, for some alien visitor and that race, will read something like this:

On this barren rock in space once existed a paradise in a vast void of one galaxy. An industrious and richly talented race of beings live here, imbued with every possibility to live in perfect harmony with one another and their environment. Sadly, their saving graces were overshadowed by a deluded idea summed up in this way; “It is not personal – it is business.” If they had only known that people are the only business of life.

Some people who come to our corporate blog at Everything wonder why we seem to take some things personally. This is why.

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About the Author

Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. Phil wrote in the past for ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, Profy, SitePoint, Search Engine Journal, AltSearchEngines. Follow Phil on Twitter or send him an email at phil [at] pamil-visions [dot] com.

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