Breaking News: World Does Not Come to an End

According to the ancient Mayan Calendar, the world was going to come to an end on December 21st (to be precise, at 2400 hours on December 20th, 2012). Apparently, Doomsday has not occurred. That’s a relief. The experts assure us that the Mayans got it wrong. And near the international dateline, this official message was posted on the internet: “The world has not ended. Sincerely, New Zealand.”

So enjoy the fact that planet earth (and its inhabitants) have apparently avoided the Apocalypse — at least until an asteroid the size of Texas decides to pay us a visit. On December 21st (today) the sun came up, the earth continued to rotate on its axis, we still face taxes and traffic jams, and we all grow older every day.

So, now that we don’t have to worry about the end of all life as we know it — maybe it’s time to finish up that Christmas shopping, or better yet, celebrate our deliverance from Mayan Doomsday by spending a day at the shooting range with family and friends.

Did the Mayas Really Predict an Apocalypse?
Apparently not. According to Missouri University Professor Robert Smale, the concern over “Mayan Doomsday” results from a mistake. Smale stated: “I can tell you definitively from the Mayan texts that we have, books that we have, inscriptions, that the Mayas never predicted an apocalypse, cataclysm, a last judgment or an end of the world on December 21, 2012.” Smale explained that the doomsday fears emerged from a confusion over symbols. The Mayan script used the same marker to represent zero as well as thirteen. Once we understand that point, Smale says, it becomes clear that the Mayas never predicted the “end of time”. In fact, just like the Gregorian Calendar, the Mayan Calendar “starts from year zero and has no end.”