I actually wrote about this subject in May, when another prediction popped up, and frankly I think that if me writing about us saves us all like it did in May, I might as well get writing.
This week I've started to talk to my clients about their 2011 years in review and what they're hopeful for, or would like to make happen, in this next year of 2012.
Typically they talk about what was tough and what was good about this past year and, what changes they hope to make, what good fortune they'd like to work towards in this coming year.
However, I'd guestimate about 1/3 of my clients have mentioned the end of the world. Of that 1/3 there are probably half (1/6) who are like "Nah I don't believe that will happen" and the other half (1/6) who is actually worried about it.
I'm not saying these are people who THINK it will happen, but they are people who FEAR it will happen.
There is a difference (delusion vs. anxiety).
Keeping in mind that I'm working with a population that is typically fraught with anxiety around things they can't control (then again who isn't), this is the ultimate anxiety provoker.
No control over the outcome of the earth or our fate in terms of "apocalypse"...climate change? Well we have some control over that...let's hope it's not too late (There was no snow last weekend in the mountains...mid-December!!! Maybe that's the end of the world as we know it...).
Anyway, I have one or two clients that what we've been working on the whole time together is the fear of the end of the world on December 12, 2012...so this week is nothing new. Today in fact, I have a feeling it will be particularly tough for a couple clients I see.
I work with them on facing the fear of not having control of it, and focusing on the fact that fearing it (or anything we fear) will not change it. I do reality checking techniques where we explore the facts and how realistic it is for something like this to happen and then since there is likely bad things that happen to people in their lives at some point, we go back to talking about what we don't have control over. We talk about feeling inspired to live our best lives every day, explore what it means to be human and the fact that we will all ultimately leave this earth and the thoughts/feelings around that...and some people find relief, and some people find medication. (These are not bad practices for us in our day to day, how to live well every day, how to work on our fear of what we can't control as it is counter productive and doesn't change the outcome of bad things, and for us to appreciate our lives - crappy things and all).
With the amount of people that "know" about the date as being when the world might end, it isn't surprising that there are many who fear it, statistically speaking. And what's more, is that there are shows about it, movies about it, and some convincing arguments...
BUT, there is always a but, those shows/movies/arguments are false, twisted, taken out of context, are created to frighten audiences like horror movies, or at least to cause unrest that will make people spend money on stupid things.
Stupid thing example: Pet Care in the Apocalypse - I'm not kidding. Apparently your really cute dog or cat "has no soul" and won't be going to heaven...so some people have kindly resolved to take care of them for you, when you head up to be with God...ha I just don't even know where to start with this one. I would direct you to the websites but I really don't want to supply them with more web traffic...if you're interested just google it.
What I do like about the Pet Care site (and probably other Christian based sites) is it basically says, hey don't worry about 2012...the world will actually end in 2020 because...you know those Mayans? Yah they weren't reading the Bible close enough (or at all, actually), so they are off by about 8 years.
If I'm still blogging in 2020 I'll write about how the end of the world isn't in 2020 either, and the Mayans and Christians may be smart about some things but they are not great predictors of rapture (we survived May after all).
THE POINT IS - the world isn't going to end next year.
What people are fearing is what they THINK is the end of the Mayan calendar, which is actually not true nor is it accurate. Nostradamus apparently has a 2012 prediction too, but who believes that guy? He's made a prediction for like every other month.
The Mayan calendar was created by humans, as was our Gregorian Calendar which has no real significance other than telling us when our weekends are and when the seasons (are supposed to) change.
Plus I just watched a show on the Science Channel or Discovery channel where some scientist thinks that time doesn't even exist...so we may not even be keeping track of time at all, and if that's true then I think we're more screwed than the end of the world, we're just staying still and then it's like we're an extended season of LOST and we're all in purgatory or something.
Okay, so I don't actually think that, I think there is time, we are moving forward, but these calendars are a bit...well...man made or at least man instilled value in them other than for tracking purposes.
Anything man made is not only flawed, but also finite. Man made things end, man made things break, man made things are more faulty than naturally occurring things like rocks and stuff.
THE KEY to unlocking this myth of the end of the world is in understanding that the Mayan calendar is not linear like the Gregorian Calendar, it is like an odometer in your car where once the number hits it's max it goes back to 1. Next year it it reaches 13.0.0.0.0. (sweet lucky thirteen!) and then it flips to 0.0.0.0.1. It is just the start of the next cycle of the calendar. What this will mean likely is...well...nothing.
Maybe the age of Aquarious will bust out, or a great awakening will happen, but we'll wake up on 12.22.12 and realize SHIT we have to get our Christmas purchases done in the next 3 days...
Until next forward moving point in the space and time continuum,
E
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