50/50. That’s how I felt after reading this book if I should be more fearful or less about 2012. Ok, 60/40. Or maybe 70/30. But definitely not 100/0.
When we talk about 2012, we would think disaster, chaos, extinction of human and animal, the end of civilization, the end of the world. The title of the book seems to suggest just that. While many would think that the Mayan calendar prediction of the end of the world was just a hoax, author Lawrence Joseph talked to scientists (NASA, astronomers, vulcanologists, seismologists, meteorologists, paleontologists and geologists) who, through their researches, believed that planet Earth is due for something major to happen, something that will change the world as we know it, and it will happen in 2012.
Scientists have said that scenarios in movies “2012” and “The Day After Tomorrow” were simply impossible. While everyone breathes a sigh of relief, the doomsday scenarios they have given were no less dramatic. From failure in the Earth’s magnetic field to the supervolcano under the Yellowstone Park to the upcoming solar maximum and the Solar System’s collision course with an energy cloud. All these could spell doom to all of us, and the author definitely didn’t sugar-coat them for us.
Despite that, Joseph didn’t make his book as grim as hell. He took all the information he gathered and laid it bare in his book, but with a lighter note. Giving all the facts while being funny. Telling us how our world would end and tell jokes about it. And why shouldn’t he? From the beginning of his book, he talked about meeting people who believed that 2012, while not denying that catastrophes will happen, does not necessarily mean it’s the end of the world, but a major change that will bring forth the birth of the new world, something to look forward to.
I believe that the author has no intention of spreading fear, expecting people to run and scream in utter panic after reading his book. He merely shows us the story behind the Mayan calendar and its prediction on 2012, as well as scientific theories on what may happen during that year.
Should we be afraid of 2012? Maybe. Should we be prepared for it? I don’t see any harm in that. I’m sure that there are websites out there offering guidelines on how to survive a disaster. Should we just stop everything we do, abandon any future plans we made (eg start a family, strive for a better career, a long vacation in Australia etc) and just expect the destruction to happen in less than two years time? I don’t see the point in that. While the near future does seems a bit grim with “The End is Here!!” mindset in many people’s head, more so for me after reading the book, I don’t think I’m going to give up my job, forget about living a normal life and start rigorous training on survival, or worse, just decide to “eat, sleep and be merry for tomorrow we die”. What if these disasters won’t happen in 2012? What if they’ll happen on a later date? What if the disasters won’t happen at all, or at least not in our lifetime? Disaster theories are, as its namesake, just theories, with no guarantee that it will happen exactly when and where. It will happen, that I’m quite sure. It’s just that I might not live long enough to see it happen.
After reading Apocalypse 2012, I would try to be more aware of what’s happening around the world for any signs of impending doom. In the meantime, I’ll still going to live my life as usual, work hard (or at least try to) in my job, have fun, be the good son to my parents, enjoy good food, and continue to buy and read books for as long as I live.
After all, there’s always the possibility that nothing will happen. Right?
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