Mayan Calendar - the End of the World!!!

[Dronma]

- I only had enough room to go up to 2012.
- Ha! That'll freak somebody out someday!!!

[lowlydog]

Oh ya better watch out, ya better not cry, end of days are coming to town.

[Dronma]

Oh ya better watch out, ya better not cry, end of days are coming to town.

See you in hell !!!!

[Ayu]

If there would be a huge meteor hitting the planet, it could be like an instant collective nirvana.
"All together now!"

[plwk]

[Tara]

NASA confidently released this video early!

[Dronma]

Seriously now, it is amazing how an important percentage of contemporary, educated people are trapped in such inner primitiveness.
It is an interesting phenomenon which worths further research.....

[catmoon]

[Roland]

[justsit]

[Dronma]

Coming to your Planet soon!!!!

[CrawfordHollow]

I guess I will be the one to start this thread

So I realized I was out of toothpaste. No, it was not the end of the world, but I did walk down to the store down the street to pick up some more. The dude at the store, who I have developed a friendship with, was totally freaked out about the world ending on Friday. I mean freaked out. He hadn't slept in days, and he called off work on Friday. He is truly convinced that the world is going to end. There wasn't much I could say to comfort him, but I promised that I would look into it and get back to him tomorrow (he didn't take the whole week off, just Friday). At this point, looking into it means asking you guys, soooo...

What does everybody think about this. I personally think that it has been completely sensationalized by the media, internet, and less-than intelligent fanatics. My friend, the dude at the store, does not agree with me. He thinks that the government knows that something is going to happen, and has put a gag on it to prevent total chaos.

Now, I really don't feel like wading through all the stuff out there on the internet, so if you guys can fill me in so I can have something smart to tell him, I would really appreciate it, thanks.

Troy

[kirtu]

People are hysterical over different things, some justified (although not to the point of hysteria) and most not. Everyday the world ends for at least 50,000 people. The world is always ending.

The only thing we can do is give people some support or some help to ease their minds.

Kirt

[viniketa]

Most of this is based on ideas about the "end" of the Mayan calendar. What few Mayan elders are left say it is not the end of the world. It's really only the end of a "long" calendar period, which is billions of years long. They just thought they'd have awhile to calculate the next long calendar period.

Tell your shopkeeper friend that, or, just ask him "If it is the end of the world, what do you plan to do to stop it?" Perhaps once he realizes his worrying will change nothing, he will stop worrying.

He may be more worried that others will believe it and begin looting. In that case, there's not much to say.

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Fear is the mind-killer.

[gregkavarnos]

[Dronma]

What does everybody think about this. I personally think that it has been completely sensationalized by the media, internet, and less-than intelligent fanatics. My friend, the dude at the store, does not agree with me. He thinks that the government knows that something is going to happen, and has put a gag on it to prevent total chaos.

Now, I really don't feel like wading through all the stuff out there on the internet, so if you guys can fill me in so I can have something smart to tell him, I would really appreciate it, thanks.

Troy

Excellent motivation that you like to help this man!
I think that there are not certain answers or processes for resolving his existential anguish.
It depends on the person, on the relationship we have with him/her, and on the particular circumstances of time and space.
Kirt's suggestion is good, and I'll add in it: maybe if you could make him laugh a little bit with the situation.
Or make him think of all the positive aspects of the end of the world, like not having to worry anymore about anything, or not having to pay his debts, or get rid of his mother in law for ever, etc.

[Masaru]

Make no mistake about it. A gruesome, awful, unspeakable end is making its way from the ancient Yucatan to your very doorstep. As. You. Read. This.

[gregkavarnos]

I was wondering, whose 21/12/2012 will it end on? Like, will people living in the Pacific Ocean die first and then Asia, etc... or will it just be based on Greenwich mean time? I mean it's pretty unfair on the Pacific dwellers coz everybody else will get up to 12 hours more living to do. Will like the world end sequentially based on time zones? Like every time 21/12 dawns that piece will end or will it end second by second?

These questions have been plaguing me for some time now and I'm wondering if anybody will be able to answer them before tommorow. I'm GMT+2 so any answers will have to take the time difference into account.

Thanks

Greg

PS Obviously I am not expecting answers from Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Tuvalu or Anadyr right now, unless, of course, they have daylight savings in effect.

[Ayu]

You can look at this problem in a generous way: time does't matter anymore.
We're on the inside looking outside when the outside falls inside. Isn't it?