Nostradamus, in his veiled and poetic way; the Maya's with their carefully constructed calendar which abruptly ends and other such indipendant civilisations, usually through cosmology and astrology have predicted 'the end' come or at least start on this day - and although speculative, these minds were highly calculative and visionary.

A visionary states and idea, and the idiot sceptic jumps to the button labelled 'no'

The burden of proof (something someone of religion ignores their entire life) is not so much a problem as an opportunity - it lays the pathway down to follow thought and can often lead to profound realisation and understanding otherwise circumvented whilst sitting on your arse eating cheese and watching Eastenders.

So, assuming we know nothing about the Maya's and only a little about Nostradamus, the philosopher and scholar of alchemy (which, incidently was also studied by Einstein) we can brush off these ideas as the whims of the eccentrics. But first, ask yourself this - why were many civilisations whom of which have no possible contact with eachother - divided by seas and centuries, all obsessed with the date of 2012? Take a moment to think about that.

I don't have the relevant notes with me to reinforce anything of what I'm saying or to be generally specific on more factual details - but each of these civilisations/individuals had a highly acute understanding of the cosmos, the planetary alignments and the moon and the stars beyond a religious symbolism - these weren't primitive people. And hell, it's more primitive to simply wiki everything we want to know than to spend a generation to calculate it's conclusions, isn't it?

Science fiction is just that - fiction, reinforced by scientific theory and a bit of imagination. Even imagination needs something to spark. Comprehension comes from out-side sources, not something you just give yourself. Understanding is learned, not given. So ideas about the future, past and present - and the cosmos at early stages of our evolution were not simply ideas we'd accumulated as fantasy (for instance the great biblical flood in which Noah "build an ark" has been scientifically proven to have happened) so let us pretend that these ideas have at least some logical, substantial place in modern society.

Prediction is a game of incalculable accuracy. In this case, it is like constructing a puzzle with only one of the pieces at hand, and no idea of the final picture.

So,why did the Maya's end their calendar on the year of 2012 (they had already calculated almost exactly the precise length of one day - that is to say, the time in which planets align to their correlating state) and why did Nostradamus who has already impressed us with astounding accurate poetic portrayals of events in our lives which were foreseen as such that his 'imagination' proved correct - foresee this upcoming event?

We need to put it into context first. Nowdays we all tend to 'hollywoodafy' events and situations into 16:9 vision's in which Nicholas Cage's hairline slowly recedes into the destruction of the world.

The Maya's never really shined a light as to why their calendar ended on said year. They certainly gave no clue as to what happened. Interestingly, we don't really know what happened to the Maya's. Their settlements were found overgrown by rainforest with little sign of civilisation left - no traces of war, no economic reasons to relocate - just a shroud of mystery. Anyway that's digression and further adds to the hollywood effect of what I'm reiterating.

Nostradamus wrote in poems called Quatrains. This was for no other reason than to dodge the ever pain-in-the-ass Christians who'd have burned him for his ideas on the universe which didn't exactly slide neatly beside their own. A little decoding was needed in decifering the meanings behind these Quatrains, but translated from French to English with his symbolic sketches, it is easy to see why scholars have decided the meanings per-item.

It was originally thought (and by some, still is) that some cataclysmic event will occur in which some massive asteroid with a stubborn earthward bound bath would smack head first into our little planet - causing ultimate destruction. This theory *is* sciencefiction and turns away from the actual science of cosmology.

To understand the actual prediction, we need to understand or at least be open to the idea that the alignment of the planets can effect us psycologically. This may sound a little far fetched but the easiest way to gather a little passable proof for this theory is that during the winter months depression is at it's highest. Some say it's due to lack of vitamin's from the low-cast sun during that time - but Finland has the highest suicide rate in the world, and guess what, it one of the shortest days of any civilised country of the planet. Quite a coincidence. Also, on an atomic level we are partially made from the same stuff as.. well.. everything. The big bang (that thing Christian's refer to as "lalalalalalalalala") boomed atoms at their singular, teeniest forms - adapting and transforming into rock, plant, life and the very planet as we know it. We are all the same at an atomic level - so on a universal level - we are all one.

That being said - when the planet and the universe act in funny ways, it has been proven (at least in theory) that we do to.

Nostradamus (and scholars who have studied him) now believe that the end of the earth at 2012 is not one event, but a new chapter in a global human direction. It is very much an humanitarian event. But what do we do which leads to the destruction of man-kind?

Firstly, it is a mistake to believe that everyone on the planet has to be *dead* for this prophecy to be fulfilled. Cataclysmic chaos on a global scale is the end of civilisation as we know it. Civilisation is order - not life.

Finally, what evidence is their to support that human life (like so many times before) would turn on its self knowingly and with great stubbornness to reform. Probably for the same reasons most ancient civilisations reach a grand peak then disappear as sudden as a messy break-up.

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With global warming slipping into the unfixable - we find ourselves at a point in which globalisation is no longer a target so much as a way of life. Only recently has the world discovered the last, most unexplored corners of the planet and whilst the populous glows with interbreeding races, pollution and greed suffocate the already desperate others from the smoggy cities of developed nations. Whilst the war economy (as legitimate as the income generated from, say, charity organisations) booms out of control to a point in which it is the majority net income for many of the worlds countries and thus essential but deadly, aid to countries that need it is cut and bitterness grows through desperation. Due to economic downfall which, incidently, is foreseen to pass through 2012 the jobless grow tired, old and aimless - with each new generation being born into an even more morally, socially and economically declining sub-class of ignorance.

In Pakistan, children are taken and captured to be trained as suicide bombers against their will

In North Korea children and the disabled are used to test biochemical weapons to aid in rhetoric against the world

North Korea's closest ally, China, have the world biggest army by far - and are on negative terms with the US

The US preach nuclear abolishment all over the world - yet hold the second biggest nuclear arsenal.

Iran, a nation which strives on US hypocrisy grows their nuclear capabilities and are on the brink of war with the US

Russia, tired of US hypocrisy, and tired of their own weak democracy, unable to control their populous, sigh more rhetoric towards a possible unspoken war with the US

In England, the population grow less interested in world events, and simply laugh off their irresponsible government through satire as if it were a naughty boy caught eating a chocolate cake at midnight. The population is too busy trying to live - to care about anything other than what is on TV and what is going on at the weekend

Israel, through thousands of years of bitterness have misconstrued pride and twisted it into a weapon, winning over the hearts and minds of an otherwise peaceful civilisation - fighting for land they've no use for, for a people who understand peace as a time in which their army is fighting for their 'rights'

Australia's population are rapidly increasing their racially motivated attacks against the Indian population for reasons unknown to anyone - and little understood by themselves. They're also undercutting human rights and clamping down on internet use

Sudan - internationally recognised as funding and supporting terrorism ignore economic displacement of people through the understand that the war it breeds generates income for their government

In Zimbabwe, houses are demolished for no reason what-so-ever than to suit the needs of the ruling, racist and bitter government

In South Africa backwards-racism is aimed at foreign nationals - bitterness grows globally.

In Japan, an otherwise generally peaceful society, suicide rates are the highest in the countries history due to economic failings

In Myanmar North Korea are building nuclear bunkers in an aid to secretively house the ruling party if a strike were imminent (why build it if it's not going to be used)

In Indonesia, Spain, Iraq, Egypt - Al Quaeda inspired organisations who claim to fight for the rights of some 'ghost' people they support, plot destruction toward nations who do not conform to their perspectives on life (or, indeed, religion)

With every economy falling, the rich getting some-how richer and the poor becoming embittered and afraid - the only economy currently booming in this recession is the war economy. Desperation leads to war - and to both sides of this war their are people who are tirelessly fighting. Fighting not because they have a vision of a life for the future; one of peace and a federal understanding - but because has become their job. Globally, everyone is now fighting. It has become impossible to live the life of luxury we've been living for decades. Bigger powers now play the world like a game of 'Risk' fighting over territory to control the spoils of the land - not because they want to govern the people of this land in a more appropriate manner than the current governments - but because good business states the statistics as lucrative and worth investing in.

Think about it, there were once investments in deep-sea discovery, space (NASA now a weak, broke organisation) and globalisation for the sake of scholarly understanding and scientific exploration. Now we've archived all this - they will become the landmarks of our civilisation. Our interbred species will become the henge's, pyramids and east-island moai statues of other civilisations - and what does history tell us about *all* the civilisations of our ancient past? It tells us that when they reached their peak they either disappeared, war or catastrophic climate changes wiped them out. Well, we've walked on the moon, (re)invented electricity and understood gravity and the beginning of time is now just a chapter in a text book - so, we covered the symbolism of our soon to be remembered existence - and now we're just like an old couple watching TV, with their best days behind them - waiting for the inevitable. There is no civilisation - rather, the shadow of civilisation. Words like 'collateral damage' lead us to believe in a greater good, but allow us to forget the price of the greater good (which never seems to come). With peace, there is no war - and with no war, there is no war economy. So much depends on the war economy. Enough that certain people will not allow these pouring funds to cease.

So, as we are nearing to forget a time where war did not exist - and the next generation (our youth) begin to accept war as every day life (as our elders grew to accept the ever-seeing eye security cameras which we now don't question) is it really logical to surmise that war will ever end - it being so far away, so lucrative? It is as predominant as air and spreads as pollen in a meadow - surviving without a concious, landing where it knows it can strive.

We're slipping into a state in which it's clear we cannot turn back - in fact I believe that's already past; if we even wanted to.

It's only 3 years - and we're on a downward spiral. 3 years is all it takes to slip into a state of comfortability towards the humanitarian crisis' we're all so bored of hearing about.