I recently went to see the new movie "2012," and I was impressed by the special effects, and even the interesting story line. It was similar to other "end-of-the-world" films but this one possessed an intriguing quality that others lacked: the realness of a specific date that has people talking.
Of course, most of us are familiar with the Mayan calendar and its ending date of 2012. I am not educated in all the details of the calendar and its implications, but it certainly has started a conversation. Now, people are reading deeper into Nostradamus, the teachings of religious books, and anything having to do with astronomical or mystical import. I have even heard of one case where a biblical scholar, Dr. Wayne Stanton, is developing a numerical code of reading the teaching of Christ, and finding that Jesus was warning us of world-ending events in 2012.
What is going on here? Has there ever been a time in history when humans have entertained the idea of the end of their species with such specificity or degree?
As a younger person, I used to read Christ's words in Matthew 24 about how not to believe the false prophets, and that "no one knows the day or hour," and that the Son of Man would come as a thief in the night. I thought the only sure way to obviate any eschatological encounters with the Son of Man would be to wake every morning and say out loud, "Today, Christ will come again." If no one knows the day or hour, how could you say that on the day? You couldn't, and therefore would save yourself from the "end times"
But when does this talk cross the line from amusing predictions to certain expectation? The shades are gray, but the more we discuss this date, the more it is cemented in our minds and even as I type this, I am adding to the visibility of 2012.
The problem with this cementation is a psycho-social one. We will wake up on January 1st, 2012, and continue on with our lives as usual. But, in these years preceding the date, we will have time to effectively "talk up" 2012, and make it into a year of novelty, standing apart from others. If this talk is successful (in a certain sense) then our days of 2012 will be lived with our minds harboring background thoughts, like shadows of crumbling buildings; "what if this is THE year of THE end?"
My fear is that this question will lead us into expectation, expectation will lead us to more proclamation, proclamation will breed more expectation. If this cycle occurs, then the phobia/reverence/fascination with 2012 will drive people to take matters into their own hands. I hate to say it, but proclamation and expectation leave room for failure and disappointment. If the fear of failure and disappointment outweighs the fear of our own species death, then we have a dire situation on our hands. A dire situation of our own creation.
To use the words of Bill Maher, "The only thing worse than prophesy is self-fulfilling prophesy." If 2012 was not the end, all this talk may make it be.
If you like to think of 2012 and to flirt with the tantalizing idea that it may indeed be the end of our species, then do it. But do it cautiously. Make sure that as you provoke the idea it doesn't provoke you back to do something rash.
