The End of Time (as we know it)

Maybe the Mayans had it right. Maybe Dec. 21/22 2012 really is the end of time. At least as we recognize it. I don't personally believe that the world is going to end, or freeze up, or be swallowed by some black hole at the center of the galaxy. Perhaps this just signifies a global change in how we as a race perceive and measure the passage of time. If some cosmic event were to unfold that altered the amount of time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun, or for our beautiful world to spin just once on its axis, would this not render all of our current timekeeping technologies obsolete, including our mysterious and incredibly well informed Mayan friends calendar? I just wish to show that the "end of time" is not necessarily the "end of us all". We, as a race, need to become more aware of how something as small as it taking Earth an extra couple of hours to rotate, or a few extra days to orbit the Sun, could end the fabulous reign of the Mayan calendar.
P.S. Sorry for the double post. I'm technically illiterate, and still figuring this posting thing out. I didn't actually mean to post in the other thread:

[edit on 10-10-2007 by subliminaut]

Well, like was posted in the other thread were you also posted this, it could also be that time travel becomes possible.

Not sure we need two threads on this though.

I guess I should have been more clear. What I'm really interested in knowing is what the effect of an altered orbit would have on our everyday existence. So let's say, for arguments sake, that the fabled Planet X actually makes an appearance in 2012. Now if its mass is great enough to have an impact on the Earth's placement in relation to the Sun, could it not change our orbit enough to have a permanent effect on :
A) The amount of time it takes to orbit the Sun
B)The amount of time it takes Earth to rotate once
C)The seasons on Earth and the ability for agriculture
Is it not possible that the effect would, or could be, a change in how we measure time? If it changes our orbit enough, would this not also either prolong the seasons, or worse, shorten them? This could potentially be devastating to our already struggling agricultural industries. On the flip side, could it not also extend the growing season providing more food for all? I'm no scientist...just very curious. Ideas?

I think your question is a matter of perception. I would guess there would still be time, but all the things you mentioned would most definately get messed up. Life on earth would be under extreme stress and most likely wouldn't survive. As far as we know all life so far has survived strictly by our natural cycles, and completely changing them would completely confuse the natural system of things.

I really don't think that rotation is what gives us our perception of time, but then again I don't know what does. It would also have to be something very huge and devastating to stop all spinning, I mean look at the milky way... it is one gigantic spiral with over 200 billion stars. I believe that all surrounding bodies effect eachother, so you would need to stop them all somehow. It would have to be something quite unimaginable to bring rotation to a hault.

Would 5 seconds still be 5 seconds? I think that is an answer that we would never know because we are limited to our own perception. In other words we have nothing else to compare it to so we would always be able to ask that question without a definite answer.

[edit on 073131p://upWednesday by Mushroom Fields Forever]

Get a hundred year calender and somewhere on there is a date, its youre date and no one knows it, but its there, its youre last sunrise you wont see anything beyond it in this realm, its the moment you thought would never come, but it will and everyone knows it, but we dont think about it and we shouldnt think about it because its the days that lead to that one which are important, instead of worrying about the quantity of time make those days quality time because with a little luck we will all wake up 1st jan 2013 with monster hangovers, some of us in our beds, some in strangers beds and some in a tent living on crackers and baked beans in the mountains of tibet wondering why the hell they sold everything on a whim, and i shall be laughing my backside off toasting those poor bar stewards, im looking forward to tomorrow everyday

Ten years ago , I read a book which said our earth would end on December 31, 1999, and I was really shocked and scared by such a terrible idea. But I am still alive at present and our world exists as usual.

Why is Dec. 21/22 2012 the end of time? Is there any concrete proof to support Mayans' point? Are Mayans predictors?

All I know is that im gonna try and prepair as best I can for what might happen(whatever that may be) because the truth is we really dont know, but rest at ease because we will find out in 5 years

Originally posted by nanoha
Why is Dec. 21/22 2012 the end of time? Is there any concrete proof to support Mayans' point? Are Mayans predictors?

When questions such as these pop into your head, why not go out there and find the answers? You have access to the frigging Internet with billions of pages. You dont even need to leave your computer to go to the library.



[edit on 11-10-2007 by Copernicus]

My take on it is a very simple one.

They simply stopped making calenders. In 8000 years, are people going to think the world will end because our calenders stopped at 31st December 9999? I don't think so.

If anything does happen, I'll eat my hat. Considering I'd actually have to go and buy a hat to eat shows how serious I am.

reply to post by subliminaut


If the Earth were slowed by a couple of hours, then the Mayan calander would not be affected. It is accurate and precise regardless.
It maps the movements of the galaxy, not the earth. It maps the solar system and the constellations in part, but it maps the galaxy. The galaxy is affected by nothing. It is far too large and far too distant from it's neighbours.

reply to post by subliminaut


If the Earth were slowed by a couple of hours, then the Mayan calander would not be affected. It is accurate and precise regardless.
It maps the movements of the galaxy, not the earth. It maps the solar system and the constellations in part, but it maps the galaxy. The galaxy is affected by nothing. It is far too large and far too distant from it's neighbours.

Thanks for clarifying, NNZ. As for mankind, though, any change in the length of our day or year would surely throw our current calendar and timekeeping system off. This would, effectively, change how we measure the passage of time. Our watches and calendars would all need an overhaul.
Zanzibar: I don`t know why the Mayans would just stop making calendars...I mean when (and if) we as a race make it to Dec. 31 9999, our next calendar will just be 10000. We won`t stop measuring time because of a number.
P.S. I don`t think much is going to happen either, but just in case, I know this nice little hat shop...

The Mayan calendar doesn't end on Dec. 12, 2012. Nor does it predict the "end of the world". What it is, is simply the end of another 26,000 year cycle, called the Great Year. Western Astrology also uses the 26,000 year count. Why? Because it is measured according to the planets, not our own Gregorian calendar. What it appears to be, from all I've read is that we make a big leap in our evolution and our spirituality will deepen and strengthen, making us more spirituallyl-oriented.
We are scheduled to cross through the Milky Way galaxy, I believe through the center. Scientists have discovered a black hole near the center of the Milky Way and we have no idea if we will be pulled in and if so, we don't know how it will affect us.

Just to maybe point the OP in the right direction and maybe save him a little time, one of the more credible (depending upon whom you ask) researchers on this topic is John Major Jenkins. You could google him up for some info, or go to his site here-

Alignment 2012

If you google 2012 or Mayan Calendar, you're going to get... some interesting stuff for sure and most of it (IMHO) nonsense.

Maybe.

...Just like in y2k, we were certain that all the computers were going to stop functioning and airplanes were going to fall out of the sky like flies. I wonder what it was like in year 666? Frankly, there have been doomsday prophets throughout history. It's always been the same deal, just a new and exciting end with each generation.

I can't wait to see what they'll cook up next after 2012!

reply to post by subliminaut


You are thinking of the physical world and the physical reality. This will all end. Dreading the end of human kind is fruitless, it will happen. Survival,of conciousness is all that matters and that conciousness will survive in another universe and another dimension. This physical world is doomed and will not exist for eternity in a physical form. Physical reality is temporary so don't even worry about it. Our bodies are nothing more than atoms and are mostly empty space. The concious mind is everything and achieving a higher level of conciousness is moving toward leaving the physical world behind. Most of us have a hard time with anything other than physical reality because it is all our concious mind can comprehend unless it opens up and expands.

The Mayans (and many cultures around the world) were based on the phases of the Moon, which means they would have had no way of predicting an event that would be triggered by an upset in orbit, etc.

However, this in no way rules out that same possibility, not for 12.21.12, but for any time. We've witnessed significant changes in planetary weather throughout the solar system, and other strange occurences that only bolster the fact that sometimes, things change.

If you think of our planet like an aquarium for saltwater fish, i think it's easier to understand. If the water in your aquarium is not within the requirements of the fish living within, then those fish will die. Sublte things can change.

Cosmic bodies reverse their magnetic poles suddenly. The Sun is particularly active, so we experience a bit higher temperatures. This warms the waters, which create storms, wind patterns, etc. The cosmic butterfly effect is probably underway, and we might not have had a thing to do with it.

Something could happen that changes the distance we are from the sun, our orbit of the sun, the speed at which Earth rotates, or the way it rotates. I don't believe our proximity to the Sun needs to change very much in order to experience fatal changes in climate.

Assuming we all survived, time would have to change to retain any type of long-lasting order. Either that or we try our best to keep old time, but that would conflict with the natural world around us and wouldn't work.

Originally posted by forestlady
We are scheduled to cross through the Milky Way galaxy, I believe through the center. Scientists have discovered a black hole near the center of the Milky Way and we have no idea if we will be pulled in and if so, we don't know how it will affect us.

What? We're not crossing through the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Our solar system is positioned on the far side of one of the arms. We're nowhere near the center of our own galaxy. I'm pretty sure we're actually closer to other galaxies than the center of our own.

We are "aligning" with the center. I personally don't think this is going to have any impact whatsoever. The only possibly arguable point would have to do with a gravitational effect, and even then the effects would be so gradual and take so long that we wouldn't be around for them anyway..

[edit on 10/25/2007 by The Cyfre]

Some quotes to surmise a little of what I read.. I could reitterate, but I don't want to make a point, really.. just an observation of other people's points and my opinion of them.

Good Stuff:

"...im looking forward to tomorrow everyday" - R-evolve

"When questions such as these pop into your head, why not go out there and find the answers? You have access to the frigging Internet with billions of pages. You dont even need to leave your computer to go to the library." - Copernicus

"If anything does happen, I'll eat my hat. Considering I'd actually have to go and buy a hat to eat shows how serious I am. " - Zanzibar


"P.S. I don`t think much is going to happen either, but just in case, I know this nice little hat shop..." - subliminaut



horribleness:

"We are scheduled to cross through the Milky Way galaxy, I believe through the center. Scientists have discovered a black hole near the center of the Milky Way and we have no idea if we will be pulled in and if so, we don't know how it will affect us." - forestlady

reason: we are IN the milky way galaxy; almost at the outer edges.. no way to 'cross' near the center.

Suports:---"What? We're not crossing through the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Our solar system is positioned on the far side of one of the arms. We're nowhere near the center of our own galaxy. I'm pretty sure we're actually closer to other galaxies than the center of our own.

We are "aligning" with the center. I personally don't think this is going to have any impact whatsoever. The only possibly arguable point would have to do with a gravitational effect, and even then the effects would be so gradual and take so long that we wouldn't be around for them anyway.." - The Cyfre

"...Just like in y2k, we were certain that all the computers were going to stop functioning and airplanes were going to fall out of the sky like flies. " - Catfish

reason: noone logical, or with fractional computer programming skill ever thought this a problem at all.
the resolution was add 2 numbers.. it wasnt that diffacult.

my only add in is that i heard that some huge rock might or might not hit us in that year.. 2012.. its supposed to miss us but not by much.
If the supposed rock hit us we'd be like the splat of a fly on my flyswatter.
i give no validity to it here, since I havent looked into or researched this claim at all, and its just some vaugue memory of someone telling me about it.

just havin a bit of fun on this one.. ^_^

-G

ALL PHYSICAL THINGS HAVE AN END. EVERYTHING AND I MEAN EVEYTHING ENDS AND WEARS OUT. THE SUN DIES THE EARTH DIES THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WILL DIE. AND THE NOTHINGNESS THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN NOTHINGNESS WILL CONTINUE TO BE NOTHINGNESS. NO TIME NO MATTER, NO NOTHING. ONLY EMPTY ENDLESS NOTHINGNESS.

I'm just wondering how much money will be spent when 2012 gets closer and closer? How many suicides will make the news when December 21, 2012 is here? And why we can't think of a positive future?

It's always doom and gloom. Alien invasions, 2012, global warming etc... For once I'd like to see some good news with positive outlooks. You know positive thinking does create positive living.

[edit on 12/9/2007 by Solarskye]