The end-of-the-world disaster movie, 2012, has viewers gripping their seats as the ground falls from beneath buildings and the ocean rushes over cities.
The Roland Emmerich-directed thriller, available on Blu-ray and DVD, uses groundbreaking special effects to create the end of the world as we know it. But is it possible that the world will actually end in 2012?
The theory of the world coming to an end is based on the Mayan culture and calendar which abruptly stops on December 20, 2012. The calendar, know as the Long Count, counts the periods in which the world was created and destroyed.
Despite some people believing that this indicated the end of the world, professional archaeologist and historian of religious myths and symbols Dr Julian Droogan says there is no evidence to suggest the world will end in 2012.
“Mayans believe that when the current calendar ends, the world would most probably be destroyed or dissolved in water, before it could be recreated anew,” Dr Droogan says.
“The Long Count calendar used by the Maya is set to end on December 20, 2012. I think it’s important to emphasise that there is no evidence suggesting that the world would end on that date; it’s just interesting that people will talk about the myths surrounding that date.”
Dr Droogan, who carried out his research in India, says another interesting aspect to the Mayan culture is the parallels in beliefs with the Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
“Hindus believe we are in the fourth period of creation and they believe it will change again, but not for thousands of years,” he says.
He explains that one of the most interesting aspects of popular culture is people’s willingness to believe in these ancient myths.
“I think possibly we live in times of greater anxiety with more worries about the world,” he says.
“[If] people feel less in control … it’s possible that fuels and anxiety [over] dreads [about] the future and that can be directed towards those myths.”
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