Throughout 2012 numerous stories reminded us of the end of the world predictions of the Mayan calendar.
It wasn't the end of the world
As the date December 21, drew near many folks explained that there was no record that the Maya would think the world would come to an end in 2012.
In this article:"Maya Calendars Actually Predict That Life Goes On," National Geographic explains that the Mayan doomsday prediction was all a big misunderstanding.
Pretty ironic, National Geographic, the folks who bring us the television show "Doomsday Preppers" were trying to set the record straight.
Defining the apocalypse
The term apocalypse is often used to describe some terrible event that would lead to the end of the world. Survival after the apocalypse is the theme of many books and movies where the world we know today is replaced with a very different one.
During the 1950s and 1960s the world took seriously the threat of nuclear war. In today's world many preppers look at runaway climate change, resource depletion, ecological collapse, or some other general disaster as a reason to be prepared for the worst.
The key distinction that is often debated, the end of the world as we know it, is not necessarily the end of all existence. The survivalist and prepper community use the acronym TEOTWAWKI, (the end of the world as we know it), to clarify the distinction.
A common stereotype of being a prepper is that of someone gearing up for survival after the apocalypse. Thanks to advertisements for television shows like Doomsday Preppers the image of a prepper is a person wearing a gas mask and and a gun on their hip in constant anticipation of widespread chaos.
For many people the concept of being a prepper, or a survivalist, is about creating a sustainable self sufficient life style that can maintain itself during a time of disaster or crisis.
While life goes on in 2013, the fascination with the end of the world and survival after the apocalypse will continue as well.
Follow us in the year ahead as we explore the world of the prepper.
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If you want to chat, interact, and share a few ideas along the way, look for Tom Peracchio on the net ... @Gu42 on Twitter , Guru42 on Google+ or Guru42 on Facebook.
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