As the year 2011 comes to a close, the world teeters on the precipice of major changes.  2011 witnessed the virtual collapse of the European Union and its currency, the Arab Spring, America’s debt crisis and ongoing economic woes, and a host of meteorological, climatic, and geological calamities – even in areas of the world not prone to such events.

As 2012 beckons, many perceive that the planet and mankind are faced with an imminent transformational moment – signaling either the end of this world, creation of a new plane of existence, or both.  Whether one chooses to reference the Holy Bible, the Mayan calendar, or any of a host of other ancient or modern traditions and writings, 2012 has the potential to provide us with the answers to mysteries, including:

Will Jesus return soon?

Are we alone in the universe?

Will solar activity devastate our technological infrastructure for years to come?

Is time travel possible?

Who will be the 45th President of the United States?

Will the Phillies win another World Series?

Is Certs a candy mint or a breath mint?

So, hold onto your hats and prepare for some turbulence as I attempt to predict some of the secrets that will be revealed during 2012.

Politics

Following a surprisingly strong finish in the Iowa Caucuses and a blowout victory in the New Hampshire Primary, Mitt Romney establishes himself as the presumptive nominee en route to capturing the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  At his party’s convention in Tampa, Florida, Romney tabs New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as his running mate, and they go on to defeat the Barack Obama – Hillary Clinton ticket in a close General Election.

Finance

European austerity measures fail to bolster the plummeting euro leading to deep divisions and ultimate dissolution of the European Union.  Ripple effect of European crisis, combined with lower U.S. company earnings reports and Middle Eastern crude oil supply disruptions, causes steep declines in American stocks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) falling below 7,500 in the late spring.  The U.S. double-dips into recession and unemployment again climbs over 9%.

International Affairs

The election of Vladimir Putin to again serve as Russian President is marred by claims of vote fraud and the cause of significant civil unrest; causing the newly-elected President to deploy the army to quell public demonstrations and riots.  In the Middle East, Iran continues to flex its muscles, threatening the use of nuclear weapons against Israel and seizure of control over shipping lanes for exportation of crude oil.  In Egypt, Islamic fundamentalists gain control, impose Sharia Law, and repudiate agreements with Israel and the United States.  The Arab Spring continues as the Syrian regime is toppled in late summer.

Entertainment

DreamWorks Pictures’ War Horse wins Best Picture honors at the 84th Academy Awards, along with an Oscar for Director Steven Spielberg.  The ridiculous trend toward “reality television” continues as cable networks scour the country  for oddballs, unemployed celebrities, and people who have made and leaked sex tapes on the Internet to star.  In related news, following a whirlwind courtship, Kim Kardashian marries former Major League Baseball star and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco, earning twice the $17 million she raked in for marrying Kris Humphries.  Admitting that the Ashton Kutcher experiment failed miserably, CBS cancels Two and a Half Men following dramatic ratings declines.  Charlie Sheen continues “winning.”

Sports

In a Super Bowl XLVI shootout, the New England Patriots best the Green Bay Packers 36-31.  March Madness finds Jim Boeheim again a winner.  Capping a season of turmoil at the Syracuse University campus, the Orange defeat the Missouri Tigers 72-61 to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.  In the NBA, the strike-shortened season may have been the charm as the Miami Heat sweep the defending-champion Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.  In the NHL, Beantown celebrates as the Boston Bruins take home the Stanley Cup by winning the deciding seventh game in their series with the Detroit Redwings.  And in Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies top the Anaheim Angels to win the 2012 World Series in six games.

Millennial and Otherworldly Events

Jesus returns on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, to commence his millennial reign.  On December 21, visitors from the planet Nibiru return to commemorate the calendar they taught to the Mayans.

Those are my predictions, and, I might add, not one of them is the least bit farfetched (except perhaps for the Kardashian-Canseco nuptials).  In fact, I think it’s highly likely that they’ll all occur exactly as outlined.  Think not!  Then, let me know.  At year’s end, if I’m still around, we’ll score the results.  Happy New Year, or not.

Much has been written and spoken about the year 2012 and, as that year approaches, much more will be.  Modern day prophets have predicted the coming Apocalypse and based their suppositions upon ruminations regarding the end of the Mayan Calendar, cryptic passages from the writings of Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, and an alleged celestial alignment of the galactic and solar planes in that year.  Additionally, NASA scientists have indicated that a solar storm will reach Earth in 2012 with potentially devastating impact upon electrical power grids worldwide, and other researchers have theorized that a polar shift could occur at approximately that time.  With so many potential catastrophes on the horizon, is it likely that 2012 will be the end?

 

Throughout documented history, seers, prophets, and ordinary people have concluded that the world was coming to an end in their lifetimes.  Following the crucifixion of Jesus, his followers believed that his return and establishment of his Kingdom on earth was imminent.  And, throughout the intervening centuries, many have perceived signs that led them to predict the coming end.

 

Some have calculated a specific date or time period for that end.  In the U.S., one of the most famous instances of this phenomenon occurred in the 1800’s.  In approximately 1823, William Miller, a Baptist preacher and founder of what would become the Seventh Day Adventist Church, studied Biblical prophesy and concluded that Christ’s Second Coming and the end of the world would occur sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.  When the year between those dates came and went, his movement, that grew in the years leading up to his predicted end into a national campaign, modified their predictions – ultimately settling upon October 22, 1844 as the final day.  That day would come to be known as the Millerites’ “Great Disappointment,” and William Miller would continue to await the world’s end until his death in 1849.

 

Of course, end times prophecy did not end with William Miller.  The approaching new millennium produced the perfect conditions for the revival of prognostication regarding the end of the world.  With the 1970 publication of “The Late, Great Planet Earth,” written by Hal Lindsey and Carole Carlson, predicting the world’s end became an industry unto itself.  Hal Lindsey has since written numerous other books on the same subject and is a fixture in cable television network produced documentaries about end times.  Televangelists preach the world’s end, the coming or present Tribulation, and Christ’s imminent Return – all the while raking in huge contributions from their followers.

 

Setting aside the fact that the predictions of all end times prognosticators to date have been erroneous and considering that there are some reputable scientists who foresee impending disasters in the not too distant future, might not 2012 be the end?  The real answer is that it doesn’t matter.  All of us will experience the end of our own worlds at the times of our deaths.  If 2012 ends the worlds of everyone at once, there is nothing that anyone will be able to do about it.

 

Yet, if there is a growing belief that 2012 may indeed be the end, perhaps it may cause many to reevaluate their lives, to consider the things that are most important, to say the things they have always wanted to say, and to become the best expression of the people they have always wanted to be.  Perhaps, people around the world collectively will come to an epiphany in the realization that our world is but an infinitesimal part of the universe and that the survival of any of us is intimately interconnected with that of all others.  And, if enough of us are transformed in this way, maybe the Mayans had it right, and 2012 will end the old world and begin the new.

 

But, if 2012 is the end, we at Write On New Jersey will be here to report it to you as it happens.