2012

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico, which is a large valley in the high plateaus in the centre of Mexico.  Large is an understatement as the Mexico City metropolitan area has over 21 million people and the magnitude of the urban sprawl is best appreciated from the air as one lands at the Mexico City airport.   The city is absolutely huge.  It is a complicated city of contrasts with an indescribable energy you can feel as you walk along any of the major streets.

Walking around Mexico City which was once the capital of the Aztec Empire, I struggled to remember what my Form 1 History teacher Mrs Hackshaw taught us about its history all those years ago.  I specifically remember learning some bits and pieces about the Mayan and Aztec empires which at differing times dominated the Central American region.  Unfortunately since I was in Mexico City on business, I did not have the opportunity to leave the city and explore some of the Aztec ruins outside of the City.  But more than the Aztecs, I have been quite curious within recent months about the Mayan civilization as I have been trying to understand the hype surrounding the 2012 phenomenon.

The 2012 phenomenon comprises a wide range of beliefs that some manner of transformative event(s) will take place on a global level in 2012.  It is clear that there no hard evidence either way.  Rather it is a question of belief with vigorous debates taking place especially over the internet.  Many believers reference the so-called Mayan long count calendar which is part of a complex system of time keeping that is argued to be more accurate than the present Gregorian calendar that we presently use.  This calendar is extensively referenced in the series of Hollywood movies that carry 2012 in their title, as well as the series of documentaries on the subject being aired on the History channel.

The History channel in particular continues to be a major source of material for those of us curious about this 2012 phenomenon.  The History channel documentaries have been quite popular and as a good commercial organization, the network seems to be churning them out en masse.  I have seen 2012: The End of Time, 2012: The Masons, 2012: What Will Happen and 2012: Egypt among others.  But that is just the tip of the iceberg as there are just under 40 History Channel documentaries about the 2012 phenomenon and Armageddon.  Check out their website and YouTube.

For many of us, the 2012 phenomenon is simply an object of curiosity.  For others however, it is a serious consideration as many now plan their lives around what they expect to happen.  It is easy to think about the eccentric character played by Woody Harrelson in the 2012 movie that was released two years ago in 2009.  The reality is however, that there are many seemingly normal, very well educated professionals who believe that we are either about to, or are already experiencing some manner of global change that is somehow connected to the 2012 phenomenon.  Among these believers are some of my friends and acquaintances.

The believers, for the want of a better term to describe them, seem to fall into one of either three camps.  Firstly, there are those that expect some level of Economic disruption and are skeptical about the health of our existing global economic structure.  They speak about, among other things, investing in precious metals in preparation for what they see as the inevitable collapse of certain currencies.  Most of my ‘2012 friends’ fall into this category.

Secondly, there are those that focus on expected Earth Changes.  They monitor and point to what they see as increasing levels of volcanic and seismic activity.  Conversations surround determining safe zones and preparing for various natural disasters including earth quakes and tsunamis.   Thirdly, there are those whose religious belief is that these are indeed the ‘final days’. Fatca Compliance Singapore

Just last month, we heard about those people who genuinely expected the world to end on May 21st 2011.  Back in 1999 the mainstream media popularized the views of those who expected that the arrival of 2000 would bring some sort of event.  A skeptic reminds us about eschatology and would say that it is human nature to fear the end of the world and that come 2013, the media would just create another date for us to be fixated on.  What do you think?

My name is Derren Joseph and I love my country. As always, I end by saying that despite our challenges, we are so blessed to live in this beautiful land. Let us continue to have the audacity of hope in the future of our beloved country.   Email me on derren43@yahoo.com