Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives Essay

Apocalypse of 2012 - Converging Points and Perspectives - Essay Example The revival of old religion along with New Age philosophy has made modern society curious about 2012 Apocalypse. New Age beliefs made modern man look back at different philosophical and spiritual beliefs that led to rediscover the Mayan Calendar. It is important to understand that ancient Mayan cultures had divine respect for the sun, moon, and stars. The main factor in the creation of the Myth is the Popul Voh, which is similar to the Bible since it also tells a story of creation by the Mayan God known as â€Å"Heart of Sky†. The story is replete between the battle of good versus evil, but the important thing is that it highly influenced the creation of the Mayan Calendar, much more- it shows the Mayan’s beliefs in â€Å"cyclical time periods as a scared entity "(Gossen. 17). It was during the Ezapa era were shamans or priests calculated 5 periods in a cycle (wherein a cycle of 25,625 years were divided into five). Each period represented 5,125 years known as five wor ld ages. By 2012, the world is nearing the fifth period that would supposedly end in a catastrophe. It would take volumes of research to understand how the Mayan calendar was formed, but it is interesting to know the reason behind this cultures obsession with numbers and mathematical accuracy – it was the basis of â€Å"legitimacy for political power† (Rice 11). ... The power of information, especially through technology is much respected nowadays; hence, the public would depend on men of science to explain the forthcoming event. This would not only make them understand, but develop a belief system based on scientific assumptions. This brings us to a more intelligent discussion regarding the 2012 Apocalypse- what men of science have to say about these things. Science has a great role in educating the general public about the issue. There are some people like Greg Braden and John Major Jenkins, who aggressively promote the fulfillment of the 2012 Apocalypse. Jenkins has been reviewing other books regarding Mayan prophecies but concludes in the end that the event coincides with the winter solstice in 2012 (alignment 2012.com). Another popular writer, Greg Braden, explores the power of the algorithm in exploring cycles. His earlier books like the Divine Matrix that presented controversial issues like the Michelson and Morley experiment (Braden 19) and his connection of spirituality and science made many people believe in Braden. His new book Fractal Time tries to explain the importance of patterns in people’s lives that could create a change in the society. Braden used algorithm to create a Time Code calculator that anyone can use in charting the events in one’s life. However, these are individuals trying to make sense out of what they believe in and sharing it to the public. Do scientific authorities support such? It doesn’t because science needs to be exact. What we have for now are possibilities of having sun spots. NASA provides an update of such ever since sunspots were created way back in 2006. Sunspots are planet-sized flares that can create sun storms