Less than one year from now, according to many, the world will end because the Maya Long Count Calendar will run out after its more than 5,000 year cycle expires. Now, this being a world-gripping idea that has spawned numerous books, documentaries, and movies, one has to ask a simple question: is there anything to the 2012 hype?
Short answer: no.
Unlike us today, the Maya believed that time was cyclical in nature and that the world had been created and destroyed many times. Being a farming people, the Maya's initial drive to develop a calendar came about for the very practical reason of ensuring proper planting/harvesting times for the crops. In time, though, in addition to the 'vague' solar calendar of 360 days used for everyday purposes, the Maya came up with a 260 day ritual calendar that was to be used for religious matters.
Then, someone whose name is lost to history noticed something: the calendars overlapped so that 52 solar years equaled 72 ritual years, thus was born the idea of the calendar round that was made up of a 52-year cycle wherein no two days of either calendar aligned for 52 solar years. Example: day 1 of month 1 on the solar calendar and day 1, month 1 of the ritual calendars would not fall on the same date for 52 years.
Now, taking the cyclical nature of time idea, the Maya theorized that when the calendar round ended, the world was more likely to be destroyed because the current time cycle came to a conclusion. Idea: end of time equates to possible end of world. Needless to say, the world never ended at one of these calendar rounds.
Besides being unnerving to the Maya, the calendar round created another problem: the 52 year 'centuries' were quite cumbersome to use for long-term record keeping. In response, the Maya looked for longer cycles of time based on their current calendars, and found some, culminating in the 5,125.25 year Long Count, which is the cycle that will be running out a year from today.
Question: if the world never ended at the conclusion of a calendar round, why will it end at the conclusion of the Long Count? Answer: it won't. Another thing: if the Maya were so wise as to predict the end of the world, why could they not see the end of their civilization and do something to prevent that from ever taking place? Answer: the Maya had no special knowledge, so rest easy tonight and for the remainder of the coming year.
For more info:
The complete history, religion, and astronomy behind 2012
Close by ways the world could end
Doomsday from afar
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