Recently, the topic of the apocalypse, which, according to the Mayan calendar prophecy, should occur in 2012, has been increasingly discussed. Many versions have been put forward about what humanity expects in the future: from the most fantastic to quite real. We decided to consider seven of the most popular ones.
The first version. Religious
Almost every religion has its own version of the end of the world, and some people sincerely believe that everything will happen exactly as it is said in the holy books. The biblical Revelation of John the Theologian describes the apocalypse, during which the Messiah will appear on Earth and defeat the Antichrist. But this event will be preceded by serious cataclysms: a third of trees and grasses will burn, a third of fish and animals will die, and people are threatened with epidemics, heavenly fire and locust infestations.
Buddhists await the completion of the Maha Kalpa - the cycle of unfolding and collapsing the Universe. At this moment, the world in which people live will gradually collapse. Then a period of "emptiness" will follow, and the universe will begin to unfold again.
8 of Germanic-Scandinavian mythology tells about Ragnarok - the last battle between gods and monsters. On the day of the battle, the huge wolf Fenrir will swallow the sun, the serpent Ermungand will emerge from the depths of the sea, and the water will overflow the banks, and the fire giant Surt will burn the earth. The people who survived after the victory of the gods will create a new world.
Of course, many will see in these prophecies a ciphered reflection of modern events. Still, it is worth noting that the ancient texts do not talk about the end of the world, but only about events that will necessarily be followed by the revival of the world. In addition, nowhere is a specific date indicated when all this should happen.
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Second version. Alien
Contact with extraterrestrial civilizations promises total destruction for humanity! This idea has found a place not only in cinema and literature, but also in the minds of people who believe in aliens. From time to time, these people shock the public with sensational statements like this: "The Earth is attacked by huge UFOs." And immediately remember the three-legged monsters from the novel by H. Wells "War of the Worlds" or the giant flying saucers shelling cities from the movie "Independence Day".
There are many reasons for such theories. We have written many times about the many ancient finds indicating that our distant ancestors met with aliens, who were called gods. So why don't these gods really come back to Earth one day? For example, the year of some sort in 2012 … It's just not entirely clear why they need to destroy us.
Third version. Climatic
Now let's move on to more realistic forecasts of the death of our civilization. After all, if we look at the world news bulletins over the past few years, we will see a rather sad picture. In various places of the planet, cities are shaken by earthquakes, tsunamis hit the coasts, countries are covered with colossal amounts of snow or melt from phenomenal heat. What is this if not the eve of the apocalypse?
Why do environmental disasters occur? There are many hypotheses. Here is one of them: global warming is gradually melting the glaciers of Greenland, which exert strong pressure on the planet's surface. Due to the melting of glaciers, the deflection of the globe in this place decreases and thereby increases the width of the fault in the earth's crust at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The consequence is numerous tsunamis and earthquakes. When the fault reaches the mantle, the water in contact with it will rush into the atmosphere in the form of a hot steam. Through the dense clouds formed, the Sun will not be able to warm the Earth's surface, and a new ice age will begin on the planet.
According to another version, the end of the world will literally come due to the eruptions of many volcanoes: the atmosphere will be filled with ash clouds, through which the sun's rays will not be able to break through - and the planet will also be bound by ice.
And there are also fears that the Gulf Stream, which warms Europe, will stop very soon. If this happens, the climate on the planet will radically change: severe winters will begin in Western Europe, and, on the contrary, severe droughts in many other parts of the Earth. According to scientists, the Gulf Stream once stopped (about 13 thousand years ago), and this led to a severe cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, which lasted for 1300 years.
Version four. Biological
The cause of a global catastrophe can be … ordinary bees. Even Albert Einstein warned that if these insects die out on the planet, humanity will not live more than four years. The fact is that most of the plants that supply us with vitamins, minerals and calories necessary for life are pollinated by bees. Their disappearance threatens us with an economic crisis and world hunger. Meanwhile, since 2006, a mysterious bee plague has begun on the planet - at a time when the volume of production dependent on bees is growing every year.
Why are these winged workers dying? Many theories have been put forward: the use of chemical fertilizers in growing crops, an unknown bee disease, radiation from mobile phones. Already, world food prices have reached unprecedented heights, and in some countries, hunger is starting to riot.
Fifth version. Space
We all remember the story of the dinosaurs, which became extinct, allegedly due to the fall of a huge meteorite on Earth. Perhaps, in 2012, something like this will fall on our heads?
Scientists do not exclude such a possibility, because every 100 years at least one comet flies dangerously close to our planet, and asteroids and so on more often. Sometimes quite large "space guests" still fall on the Earth. Even in the XX century there were many of them: the Tunguska meteorite (1908), the Sikhote-Alin meteorite (1947), the Girin meteorite (1976). But they were all not large enough to seriously affect our ecosystem.
However, there is a risk of collision with some space giant. For example, in 2029, the asteroid Apophis should pass at a distance of only about 37 thousand kilometers from the Earth. If its trajectory accidentally changes and it crashes to Earth, an explosion of up to 506 megatons will await us (for comparison, the Tunguska meteorite is estimated at three to ten megatons). Whether the planet will survive such a blow is unknown.
As for 2012, during this period, it seems that no celestial bodies threaten us. After all, applicants for a collision with the Earth should already be within the solar system and be visible through telescopes.
Sixth version. Scientific
And yet, the most important and most likely cause of the end of the world can be people themselves. Here I recall an anecdote: "Physicists have a tradition to launch the Large Hadron Collider every 15 billion years." A joke as a joke, but scientists themselves do not know 100 percent what kind of surprise this thing can present to us. Some are seriously concerned that our quest to understand how the universe works may in fact turn into an understanding of how it perishes. What if a black hole appears in the middle of the collider and pulls the Earth into itself along with the solar system?
Another hypothetical disaster of a scientific nature is the creation of an artificial virus that will destroy all life on the planet. Moreover, the epidemic will spread so quickly that people simply will not have time to develop a protective vaccine. A similar event should be expected at any time, including in 2012. After all, it is difficult even to imagine with what next "fire" modern scientists are playing at the moment. We are continually shocked by reports of SARS, avian and swine flu … Unfortunately, there is a good chance that scientists will invent something truly deadly.
Version seven. Military
It is no secret that many countries of the world, especially Russia and the United States, keep nuclear weapons on alert. The whole world literally lives on a powder keg: one careless move of politicians, and the planet will be covered with fiery mushrooms. And there are always plenty of reasons in the world.
By the way, the great seer Vanga predicted that the Third World War would begin because of the conflict on the Indian subcontinent. And if this war does happen, it will surely become the very apocalypse that we are so afraid of.
Someone will ask: “What if we do get through 2012 safely? What then? People will find a lot of explanations for why the ancient prophecies did not come true. Well, then they will appoint some new date to again expect the next end of the world.
Author: O. Torsov