The end of the world is coming. Or is it? Society has been predicting its end for generations. Luckily, none of these predictions have come true, or we wouldn’t be here today. So if these predictions never come true, why do we continuously come up with new ones? The idea of the end of the world is elusive and exciting; we have no control over when or how it’s going to happen. The idea of the world ending keeps us on our toes. But Y2K didn’t happen, so who’s to believe any prediction of the modern mind? Still, the general consensus by theorists, and the occasional scientist says that the set date is December 21, 2012. So we ask ourselves, why? What is so important about this date? And, in the case that the world does in fact end on that particular date, what can we do to prepare ourselves?

Perhaps one of the most discussed theories is the ancient Mayan Calendar, which supposedly listed the dates of the world up until December 21, 2012. In fact, a Mayan date utilizes three calendars. The third calendar, known as the “Long Count”, is a continuous record of days that starts over every 5000 years or so. The current Long Count began in 3114 BC, and mysteriously ends on a date that scientists believe corresponds to December 21, 2012. Freaky, no? Despite scientific arguments, the Mayan Long Count still seems mysteriously accurate.

If that isn’t enough to tickle your conspiracy theories, then just hold your horses, because the Mayans weren’t the only ones who saw the impending dangers of the year 2012. The relatively obscure author John Major Jenkins declared that the ancient Maya had another basis for their prediction, and that the end of their calendar fell on the same day as the winter solstice of 2012, December 21. He called this a type of “galactic alignment” and concluded that it would lead to some sort of alignment of the sun, causing some sort of rift in the Universe. Though some scientists claim there is no way the Maya could have known this, due to their lack of modern technology, it’s still a pretty monumental coincidence.

The signs of the impending apocalypse are everywhere, but do they exist because we want them to, or do they mean something more? There are all kinds of alignments and astrological phenomenon scheduled for that fated day in 2012. ‘Doomsday’, as some are calling it, is a scary thought. But the media has had a major role in putting these thoughts in the minds of the masses; from the History Channel to the Discovery Channel, shows glorifying the supposed Apocalypse are inescapable, so it’s not like we haven’t had some encouragement. Be it the Mayan Calendar, the wrath of God or, an alien invasion, there are thousands out there who want to believe that 2012 will be the end of days. But nobody really knows, do they? Skeptics and believers alike will get their answer in approximately twenty-two months.

So my suggestion is this: don’t quit school because you’re convinced that the world is going to end a semester after you begin college, and don’t sell your computer to your best friend, because provided the world doesn’t end, you won’t have a computer to tweet about the world not ending. But should you want to prepare yourself, go ahead and build a bomb shelter with enough supplies to last you through the zombie apocalypse that will, no doubt, take over after the world we know ends. You can never be too careful when it comes to zombies.