2012 No Place to Hide!

Yes, that is right. One December 21st 2012 the world as we know it is going to come to and end. We are all doomed, and to make matters worse; we don't know what to expect. The only thing that we are guaranteed on that day is the death of us all. This obviously has to be the very first time that a date has been set, and guaranteed to be the end of all things. Right? This has never happened before? We all know that to be a load of bull. Every now and again someone makes a bold prediction that the world is going to end. Most of us go about our daily lives, while others run for the hills or wait patiently for god to call his chosen home. The date set comes and goes, leaving those panicked people to feel perplexed or like asses. One has to wonder what the obsession is with knowing the exact moment of our demise as a species. Or maybe knowing the date is more comforting to some than waiting around to find out how you as an individual are going to kick the bucket. Who knows, but what I do know is that from time to time we are faced with a date on the calender that is going to mean the end of days.

I'm sure a great many people made it to the movie theater to see the much hyped 2012 film starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. If you haven't, I highly recommend it. This film is a special effects bonanza, not to mention the great cast of characters. I do enjoy a good film that f@#ks up the earth, and this film takes the cake. Between every major volcano on the earth erupting to the earths crust shifting, Mega Tsunami that cover entire continents, Magnitude INSANE earthquakes, and California sliding into the ocean, it is hard to imagine any natural disaster movie in the future toping this one. Short of blowing up earth, 2012 will reign as the kink of destruction for quite some time. The inspiration for the film comes from a belief that has grown over the years that the world is coming to an end in 2012. Evidence is said to be found in the Mayan calender with the end of the long count calender which marks the end of a 5,126 year cycles. I believe this cycle is called a catun. It also coincides with an event that only occurs once every 25 or 6 thousand years, and that is the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. An event that has many doomsday believers thinking the worst.

For any one who has seen 2012, and is foolish enough to think that it could happen; let me put your mind at ease. I have a better chance of growing rabbits out of the ground from planting soda cans than I do of witnessing the events depicted in the movie. I could list many reasons for why this won't happen; although the films root cause for the destruction was brilliant. High energy particles from the sun heating the earths core, a great concept. But I digress. The biggest and best evidence we have is the geologic record. The history of the earth written in rock. And when we look back through the record, we do not see evidence of the kind of destruction depicted in the film. At regular intervals we would see evidence that the earth got messed up hard, and we just don't. Granted, we find evidence of all sorts of major events, but nothing on the scale of the film. So, we know the earth is not going to experience that on 2012. So what are our options? Let's review the numerous ways we can bite the big on, because its fun.

My favorite, and most plausible, is a good old fashioned pandemic. We are due for on, which is one of the reasons why when anything new pops up; we are on our guard. Doubtful though that any virus could wipe us all out. The are close to 7 billion people on the planet now. It would take one hell of a virus to have a 100% kill rate. Not to mention that there are still people out there separate from the developed world, so odds are the virus would not reach everyone. But we are coming up on 2012, so lets think worst case scenario. How about an air born virus that kills its host within 24 hrs, has 100% kill rate, and rapidly reproduces in the atmosphere as well as the host. Yea, that might do it, but I would not hold your breath. The second a virus like that hit anyway, i'm sure some of us wealthier and well connected individuals would make it safely into some kind of underground facility. Anyone on board the space station would be fine as well, stranded, but fine.

What is next? Well, I believe the figure is a 1 in 22,000 chance that on any given day an asteroid will hit the earth. This asteroid can be of any size from 1 mile or more in diameter. Basically an object that we would be concerned about. A mile in diameter would be an inconvenience from some and certain death for the people in the region that it hits. Once you start getting up into the 10 mile area the damage and threat to humanity really goes up. Beyond this, you really can start discussing extinction scenarios. So, is this what is going to happen on December 21st 2012? Its possible, but I doubt it. These events do happen, but are a rare occurrence. Considering the blast over Siberia and the near misses in 2002 and 09 we may be safe for now. I do believe we are due for a possible impact in 2025. The point is that these things can happen on any given day, so why worry about one particular day? We did not even detect the last two near collision until they were right on top of us.

Yellowstone is a good scenario. It erupted in the movie, but the eruption was caused by the heating of the earth's mantle due to the increased solar activity. Yellowstone alone would be enough to bring us to the brink, not extinct, but to the brink. Yellowstone is a super volcano with a caldera roughly 35 miles wide by 45 miles long. Eruptions are though to occur every 640 thousand years and of course the last eruption was 640,000 years ago. This time scale is for major eruptions. Yellowstone is due for another eruption some time soon. Geologically speaking though, sometime soon could mean 10,000 years from now. The super volcano is monitored by geologists, so it is safe to say that we will all have some warning well in advance of an event. We hope. I believe a 50% + magma presence in the chamber is a cause for concern, but we are no where near that now. There has been some activity which has lead to some bulging of the earth in certain locations. A lake in the area has actually shifted a bit due to this activity, engulfing a grove of trees on what used to be dry land. This kind of activity has been monitored over the years. There is no cause for concern yet, so unless something drastically changes over the next two years, I don't think we have to worry too much about Yellowstone for the moment.

I guess we have to consider the possibility of a nuclear destruction. This to me seems to be the most unlikely of them all. There are only a handful of nations on the planet with a healthy supply of Nuclear weapons. None of which have any real beef with each other. The only possible scenario I see taking place would be a launch between the United States and Russia, and that is only if Russia launches first. The only way I see that happening is if someone comes into power in Russia that still holds a grudge from the cold war era. A deep seeded hate that creates a singular goal in their mind, and that is the destruction of the US. Even at the high cost of their own nations destruction. Such a person may be willing to launch everything. There are those people out there, the ones that just want to watch the world burn. Again there are enough of us on this planet that we may be able to survive an all out nuclear war. As unlikely the scenario is I just described, than anything goes really. The next US president could be a psychopath and push the red button the second he is near it. Of course I hope that by now there are better safety measures than that. So, I doubt we have to worry about a nuclear holocaust taking place on December 21, 2012.

That does not leave much left. There are farther fetched ideas that could be put forth for the end. Perhaps we will be invaded by an alien race in 2012. They could either destroy us or perhaps they will be friendly. There is no guarantee made by the Mayans that 2012 will be the end. Just the end of that cycle. On December 22nd a new era may be born for humanity, one that sees us taking our first steps into the galactic community. A Comet could be the culprit, but i'm pretty sure we would see that one coming. So, I doubt it. There is of course the ever popular Armageddon. The seven signs of the Apocalypse will occur leading up to December 21st. God will call his chosen home, leaving the rest of us to stick around for when the Devil comes up to claim the Earth. I am 99.9% Atheist so, I believe this to be the most far fetched scenario of all.

In the end we all will believe, and do what we want. I don't have to tell you that there are people out there right now pissing away there life savings in preparation of December 21st, 2012. They have quit there jobs and have joined the numerous groups out there preparing for doomsday. They are going all in to purchase an underground bunker, stalking it with supplies, and doing everything that they can to ensure there survival. Never mind the fact that depending on what causes this destruction, they may not want to be around for the aftermath. These people are normal every day citizens. Friends, family, and former co-workers, who, for whatever reason; have decided it is better to be safe than sorry. I can respect that. I hate to be the one to say this, but I have a sneaking suspicion that these people are going to be sorely disappointed. Not at the fact the world did not' end, but that they spent every last dime and are now unemployed. Yes, December 21st, 2012 will come and go. I will be celebrating Christmas on December 25th like so many other people. People do not seem to learn. Does anyone remember Y2K. 2012 has already over shadowed it and we are two years out. This stuff has been going on for years now in preparation for that date. Books are being published left and right, web sites are popping up with information or groups you can join. All of this based upon a calender coming to an end. Turn the page, that's what I do when a month ends. If it is the year, buy a new calender.

What concerns me most of all about December 21st, 2012 is the possibility that it may turn into a self fulfilling prophecy. That there may be some nut case, or cases out there trying to see to it that the world really does come to an end on that date. They are trying to get there hands on some biological weapon, or perhaps they are in there makeshift lab trying to engineer the nightmare virus I spoke of earlier. On top of this I worry about the believability factor associated with the date. As 2012 approaches will panic supersede logic? This will not cause the end of all things, but it could be a major problem. Could we see panic? Rioting in the streets, people stop going to work, hoarding resources, and basically do everything that would disrupt our way of life? These are the only things that I am concerned about when it comes to 2012. How will we react as the date draws near? In the end, I believe you will find that the driving motivation behind this movement is the same as it was with Y2K. Somebody raised a genuine concern and someone else saw the monetary potential of that concern. Play it up, scare the crap out of people, and get them to part with their money. Make no mistake, 2012 is going to make some people rich and they will be around long after that date has come and gone to spend it. So, is the world going to end on December 21st, 2012? I would not bet the farm on it.

Dennis James Huff