Towards December 21st, 2012

We are now within days of the December 21st date.  I first became aware of the apparent significance attached to this date in 2009 when I encountered the work of the late Dr. Terrence McKenna, the American philosopher who popularized the notion of Timewave Zero.  Timewave Zero is a complex concept, but underlying it is the idea that time is cyclical.  The basic principle of there being wider / longer cycles of time indicated by planetary movement makes sense because we already calculate shorter cycles in hours, days, certain religious observances, seasons, months, and a year based on this principle.

Some observers point to the previous sensationalism around the year 2000 (Y2K) and suggest that this is just another media-fuelled public panic.  Engineer, Maurice Cotterell, who is credited by many as the guy who first brought the Mayan calendar into the mainstream in the late 80s and early 90s, tells the story of when he first tried to get his book on the subject published.  Allegedly, the publisher insisted that it be spun into a doomsday scenario to boost sales.  Cotterell, whose research focuses on solar cycles, has distanced himself from the eschatological movement that has grown around the December 21st date.  He is not alone as other writers have also witnessed their work being distorted thanks to this doom and gloom frenzy. US Tax Singapore

The always eager media reports that panic buying of candles and other survival gear essentials has accelerated not only in the ‘West’ but also in China and Russia.  Just Google the date, and so many websites are served up that offer survival equipment and survival food, fuel, and emergency shelters.  The precise mechanism that leads to this so-called Armageddon remains hotly debated but ranges from a catastrophic celestial collision between Earth and the mythical planet Nibiru, also known as Planet X; a disastrous crash with a comet; the annihilation of civilization by a giant solar storm; or massive earthquakes and tsunamis caused by planetary re-alignment and expansion.

NASA has been pulled into the frenzy, and there are quite a few quotes from people purporting to be NASA Scientists, seeking to dispel doomsday fears.  One website quotes Dr. David Morrison, saying that there is no evidence that Nibiru exists, and rumors that it could be hiding behind the sun are totally unfounded.  NASA has also rejected apocalyptic theories about unusual planetary alignments and/or magnetic pole reversal.  Like in the movie called 2012, conspiracy theorists contend that governments are involved in an elaborate cover-up to prevent panic. 

As far as I am aware, China has no real history of panicking about the end of the world, but perhaps thanks to the media, there are indications that the Chinese are aware of the countdown to December 21st.  Some trace it back to the previously mentioned 2009 Hollywood disaster movie – 2012.  While the film was not that big of a hit elsewhere, it was apparently exceptionally popular in China.  It is easy to see why since the Chinese built the giant arks to save the world’s elite.  The movie also suggested that Chinese technical expertise was more advanced than even the U.S.  Since the beginning of December, the word “Mayans” has trended on Weibo as millions of Chinese speculate that the end is nigh. 

Hollywood movies aside, many advocates that this is a time of positive, not negative, social changes.  Nevertheless, in just a matter of days, much of the debate around this controversial date should be settled.  Regardless of who is wrong or right, we can all agree that 2012 has not been quiet.

The United States went through a uniquely expensive and a most divisive electoral process, from which it is still recovering.  Like the U.S., Western Europe struggles to emerge from what some see as the worse economic disruption since the Great Depression.  This economic disruption has led to political and social turmoil, changing the European Union’s nature.  I can point to what is happening in the Middle East, Asia, parts of Africa, etc. but I trust that the point is made.

I do not have a survival bunker or a realistic plan for TEOTWAWKI (for those who are not in the know, that is the acronym for ‘the end of the world, as we know it’).  But I am up to date with ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Revolution’ – two television series that contemplate post-2012 scenarios. 

Despite our current challenges, I continue to have the audacity of hope that we will all enjoy a brighter tomorrow.  

Read more on derrenjoseph.blogspot.com. 

Note: The blog that used to be here is now at https://htj.tax/.

Table of Contents: Towards December 21st, 2012

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