2012...The End or the Beginning

I just got back from a 4 day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico in which I went on a tour of the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. It was an extremely interesting tour that was led by one of the most passionate people I think I've ever met. His name was Angel, a descendant of the Mayan, and long time tour guide (possible post about him in the future). The tour involved a 45min. bus ride to the site, an hour long guided tour around the ruins and then a 45min. bus ride back to the dock. During this time, Angel shared with us the incredible history of the Mayans, their culture, their beliefs, and their way of life. One of the more interesting facts was about the Mayan calendar which has become the center of discussion about the end of times. It is said that the Mayan calendar ends on December 21st, 2012 and many think that the Mayans knew that this was the end for us all. Well here is the funny thing...the image that everyone associates the Mayan calendar with is actually not even Mayan! It is Aztec!! The picture above is the actual Mayan calendar (or a simplified version)! Here is the other thing because of the way leap years work and the lose of hours and days throughout our earths rotation the actual last day on the Mayan calendar would be equivalent to our December 22nd! The one thing that this myth has correct is that the Mayan calendar does in fact "end" in the year 2012.

But here is the thing, the Mayans did not believe that this was the end. Everything in Mayan culture is cyclical. For every end there is a beginning, for every up a down, male female, left right, earth moon, ying yang, and on and on and on. The Mayans were advanced beyond their years with mathematics, astronomy, and astrology. They understood the lunar cycles, the earths rotation around the sun, the seasonal changes, all of that sort of thing. They had it all mapped out mathematically and numerically. This was their way of life, it is how they functioned and all of the things in their lives fit into this calendar which was 360 degrees and the cycle of their lives.

So why 2012? Well their calendar and the way they viewed the world mathematically made their calendar around 5000 years long in full circle. The Mayans existed sometime in the 3000BC area. Fast forward to 2000AD and guess what, a 5000 year long calendar is reaching the end! But that's not really the important part. What's important is the circle. So if we were Mayan following this calendar and we get to 2012 (which if we were Mayan would actually be in the year 5000 something) we wouldn't think that the world is coming to an end because in a circle there is no end! You just start back at zero! For the Mayans, this number was just that, a number! It was a cycle of life that happened naturally in the world and the way it fell mathematically on a piece of paper, or a piece of stone in this case! The cycle in their calendar is just starting over back to zero. Life goes on!

So why is it that we always have to be concerned with the end? Why do we as humans find this constant need to fear the end? What would it be like if we just let God deal with that stuff (He's the only one with any control over it anyways!) and we focused on today? It is said that only God knows when the kingdom will come to earth. So anyone who claims they know this is calling themselves God, which in case you were not sure is not a good thing! So why do we try to figure the impossible out? I guess it is just our inability to let go of our lives and turn it over to God. This is what it really all boils down to. So as we head towards 2012 I invite you all to join me in seeing this date as the Mayans did, not the end but a new beginning. Challenge yourself to let go of your life, leave it up to God and just live for him and his creation! We've got two years to prepare for this new beginning so lets start now and let God do his thing through us and for us! Let's start believing he's got this. If we turn away from all the doom and gloom it's amazing how bright life ends up being! God Bless you and the new beginning we all get each and every day!