So….twelve months from now, to the day, we’ll hit the date the Maya named 13 Baktun, 4 Ahau, 3 Kankin – the date on which their calendar heralds the end of a ‘World Age’ and the beginning of the next.
The last world age turned over in August 3114 BC and nobody, not even the Maya, have any particular record of what happened then, so we have no real idea of what they thought would happen, or why they set the start of their calendar so far before the beginning of their civilisation (which flourished from 600 – 900AD although remnants survived until the 16th century when the Jesuits destroyed it utterly). But we know that they did, and that one year from now, the current ‘World Age’ ends. In the Popol Vuh myth, it is said that the gods have had several previous failed attempts at creating humanity and each one has ended at the end of a world age – from fire, earthquake and, most recently, from floods. This one will allegedly be ended by humanity, but nobody is quite sure how.
I’d suggest some obvious alternatives are:
1: The Americans elect a Republican President. Doesn’t matter who, really, they’re all completely crackers and most of them will actively endeavour to promote the biblical Apocalypse, no matter how many people die in the process.
2: We’ll continue to ignore things like the recently found 1km-wide methane fountains in the Arctic and tip ourselves over the edge into irreversible global warming.
3: we’ll hit the Technological Singularity – which is the point when we develop a computer which is capable of designing and building its own successor. We’re really not too far from that and, almost overnight, we’ll become redundant in the process of technological development. Given that Asimov’s Laws of Robotics probably won’t apply, it won’t be long before the newly developed super-human entity takes one look at the planet and realises that the one species which is doing most damage is…. us. After which, all bets are off.
But it may also be that 2012 provides an opportunity for social and spiritual evolution – that the Occupy movement comes of age and we begin to look at our place in the world differently. Each of us can be ready for that, can have looked at where we are and where – if tomorrow is absolutely not going to be a repeat of yesterday – we’d like to be.
And then we can make it happen.
Have an inspiring Solstice. And be ready for a fascinating 12 months ahead.