The closest thing we have to compare this mindset to is the promises made to us by our elected officials after the tragedy of 9/11. Citizens were promised by their governments that no such terrorist act would ever be allowed to happen again. Citizens have given up many freedoms, sacrificed their children in wars, and subjected themselves to all manner of security “rituals” at airports and other locations all for the assurance that these things are necessary in order to prevent a future catastrophe like 9/11. We will take off our shoes, submit to body scans, pat downs, and strip searches and even allow our children to be subjected to the same all for the sake of preventing another such catastrophe.
Yet imagine what would happen if terrorists were able to board aircraft and duplicate the events of 9/11? This would prove that all of our sacrifices were in vain and all of the security “rituals” were nothing more than theatrics to make us feel safer without actually making us safer. Would we as citizens continue to believe our elected officials’ guarantees that they could protect us? Or would we lose faith and even riot against our officials for their failures?
Once one understands the core fear underlying Mesoamerican beliefs, these cultures stop seeming so alien and become more human. They become just like us. They become people simply trying to make it day-to-day whose leaders preyed on their fears in order to enrich and empower themselves. With this knowledge, it is quite easy to relate to the ancient Maya despite all the superficial differences that previously made them seem so strange, foreign, and exotic.
The Maya were just like us except they knew a horrible truth about our past…and future. Our own astronomers and scientists are just beginning to learn this truth as well but there is still resistance to actually accepting that such catastrophes could happen to us, in our lifetimes. There is almost a sense of arrogance that somehow we are special and the laws of physics simply do not apply to us and our “advanced” civilization. Yet one can be assured, the laws of physics do not have exceptions for us. At some point our luck will run out and we, like our ancestors, will come face to face with the “stream from heaven,” as Plato called it. And at that point the ancient “myths” will no longer seem so mythological and we will wish we had taken their warnings more seriously.
VII. The End
23. Conclusion
My research began with a simple question: why did many ancient Native American civilizations in the Southeastern United States only last for 250 years? This question eventually led me to discover the Mayan belief in a 256-year cycle that regulated the rise and fall of civilizations. From here I learned of the many prophecies or predictions the Maya had for the future and how accurate they had been for similar periods in the past.
I was shocked that in all the discussions in the mainstream media about the “end of the Mayan calendar” not once were the real Mayan prophecies ever discussed. Lots of conjecture and pontification about what the “end” of the Mayan calendar may or may not have meant; yet, nothing about the actual Mayan system of predictions based on repeating historic cycles. At this point I decided to dig deeper to learn what else the mainstream media, 2012 “true believers,” and 2012 “debunkers” had missed in this discussion on the beliefs of the ancient Maya.
While doing further research I discovered that there was a 250-year seismic cycle and 250-year solar cycle. In my attempt to understand the possible connections between these cycles I discovered that everything from disease outbreaks to insect infestations appeared to be influenced by solar cycles. More importantly, the human psyche appeared to be influenced both positively and negatively by these same solar cycles. Finally, my research led me to discover that another source of influence, namely the Galactic Center, was likely a contributing factor as well.
But what surprised me the most was how little we still knew about the universe. Things that ancient cultures seemed very aware of, i.e., periodic bombardments from the heavens leading to massive devastation on Earth, our “advanced” civilization only learned about in the past few decades. I was amazed at how accurate many of these Mayan “myths” were once one realized the reality of what they were describing. These “myths” stopped sounding superstitious and started sounding scientific.
Before undertaking this research I had no idea of the many dangers lurking in the Universe in which we live. I had no idea there were so many earth-crossing asteroids and comets. I had no idea that hidden dangers lurked within the beautiful meteor showers I watched in awe each year. I had no idea of the connection between the Galactic Center and life on earth. Who knew something so far away could have such serious consequences for life on Earth. Who knew the sun could possibly experience super-flares that could set forests on fire. Who knew meteors could cause mega-tsunamis that could wipe out entire civilizations with mountainous waves.
And who knew human beings could survive such unbelievable catastrophes? More amazing than the cosmic catastrophes was the awareness that all of us alive today had ancestors who witnessed these events, experienced these events and somehow managed to survive these events and passed the stories down to us.
This is what everyone in the 2012 debate has completely missed. It is not about the end of the world. It is about listening to the stories of the past not ignoring them and making prudent decisions based on the lessons we can learn from them. It is inevitable that another super solar storm impacts Earth and we are simply not prepared for it. It is inevitable that an asteroid eventually slams into Earth and we are simply not prepared for it.
