Submissions     Contact     Advertise     Donate     BlogRoll     Subscribe                         

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Oh No! 2012 Is Right Around The Corner!

Original Article

If you hit this blog  looking for end of the world info due to the Mayan calendar ending in 2012, you might want to check out this link.
If you landed here looking for info on how to survive and maybe even thrive when TSHTF stick around for awhile.
Today I’d like to chat about doomsday cults and other organizations that whole-heartedly put all their doomsday eggs in one basket.  I was reading this story on CNN the other day about a group of people who think that the world is going to end on May 21, 2011 due to some guy’s translation of events in the bible.  Interestingly, a lot of end of the world beliefs are religious based, but not all.  In the last couple thousand years there have been hundreds of people predicting the end of the world which, as you can see, didn’t 2012 calendar quite pan out.
Then I got to thinking:  What’s the difference between me and all these people who are followers of these religious leaders (or anyone) predicting the end of the world on a certain date?  What would cause me to walk away from family, friends, my home, pets, and all my stuff?  Well, a loaded gun might convince me to move on, but rest assured I’d be back with a plan and a bigger gun.
The Question
The fundamental question really becomes:  what is the difference between these people and myself?  Is it a fine line or are they big differences?
First of all, most of these people take the bible as a literal translation.   I don’t.  I’m neither anti-religious nor over-religious.  I tend to be scientific in my approach to things and in those matters the bible doesn’t enter into my thinking.  So if someone were to tell me that on May 21, 2011 the world is going to end I’d say, “Oh yeah?  Can I have your car if you don’t want it anymore?”  Sorry, but I just don’t believe that the world is going to end due to a religious Armageddon.  Ever.
Another difference is that these people tend to believe in a specific date that the “event” is going to transpire.  From where I sit there’s no way you can predict something from the bible by going in and trying to unlock secrets that are ambiguous at best.  And don’t think I’m referring only to the bible because I’m not.  This also applies to any book, religious or otherwise, that has predicted the end and failed including the above mentioned Mayan calendar.
While we may predict some events that may happen such as the real-estate bubble and crash, a market crash, or political events such as the revolt in the Middle-East, it’s nearly impossible to specify the year it will happen much less a certain day that it will unfold on.  Instead someone (Peter Schiff for example)  says, “Watch that housing bubble.  It’s gonna pop some day,” and when it does he suddenly looks like a genius and gets vaulted into the limelight.
Third, these people believe that “The End” is total.  All life will be wiped out.  I do not.  Sure, there are certain scenarios where it could happen, but it’s not likely.
Conclusions
So the differences between me and these cults or groups of people are:
a.) I don’t believe the bible or any other book is a literal translation of events that will unfold,
b.) I don’t believe an exact date can be set for these events,
c.) I don’t believe in a total “End of the World” type scenario that will completely wipe out all life on the planet.  (Other than a comet or asteroid or some such Landscape event.)
d.)  I wouldn’t walk away from everything even if I did believe the “end is near”.
So Why Do I Prep?
If I don’t believe all these warnings of doom why do I prep?  Excellent question.  While I may not believe in portents of doom that come from many directions, I do believe that trouble could come from just about anywhere.  If you look around the country and the world today you can see many reasons to be prepared for trouble:  trouble in the Mid-East pushing up oil prices, an aging infrastructure for electrical delivery, water delivery, and a JIT system dependent on fossil fuels (see the Mid-East reference above).
Add to that an economy being flooded with money (currency debasement) and food crops in trouble due to crazy weather patterns, then I’d say there’s plenty of reason to have a pantry full of food and some kind of SHTF plan.
SHTF could mean anything from a fire or flood in your home, to an economic meltdown, to a nuclear war.  Some of these events are more likely to happen than others; however, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to take a little time and prepare myself for anything that might happen.
What Do I Gain?
By having a nice full pantry, gasoline standing by with a generator, a water filter and water barrels among other things, I know that I can get by for a time without outside help if need be.  I don’t have to rely on anyone else to bring food or water to me or my family if TSHTF.  How many people have you seen standing in food lines or staying in shelters after a disaster because they didn’t have anything at home?
To say, “Well, that ain’t never happened before and it won’t happen now,” is one of the most asinine arguments a person can make.  Anything can happen and given enough time most likely will happen.  The question is will you be ready when it does?
There have been comments on this blog (and other blogs) lately about preparing out of fear.  I don’t prep because I’m scared and I hope you don’t either.  I do it so I don’t have to be scared.  If you don’t believe that something bad will ever happen go ahead and cancel your insurance.  You won’t get in an accident, or get sick or break a bone or have some kind of medical emergency.  I don’t pay my insurance premiums because I’m scared, I do it because when TSHTF I’ve got some back up.  Unlike an insurance company though, my preps won’t fight me when I make a claim!
My personal belief is that when you do prep and are fully prepared (whatever that is), or even somewhat prepared, then fear doesn’t play into it.  Prepping is your insurance policy and should give you peace of mind when things get ugly.
Getting back to 2012… I believe there is no chance that the world will end because a calendar written 2011 years ago suddenly runs out.
But I’m ready for it just in case.
Are you prepared?

-Jarhead Survivor
BTW:
“It ain’t happened before, and it won’t happen now.”
I’m sure there were people sitting around just before Vesuvius blew its top back in the summer of ’79 AD saying just that.
Read here for an interesting history of that volcano.  I didn’t realize it’s erupted 50 times since then though.  History does repeat itself folks!

No related posts.


2 comments:

  1. I've had a small engine repair shop suggest to me that when fueling up lawn and garden equipment, only get enough gas to use for the weekend or two between mowings. Because of the ethanol based gasoline, they don't store well for long term and encourage moisture. I assume this is a problem if you try to store gasoline in any container, so despite the cost I'm guessing a diesel generator would be preferable. Any readers suggestions welcomed.

    Steven

    ReplyDelete
  2. The fundamental difference is some base their conclusions on what "I believe". We base our conclusions on proof and evidence. True science is observation, hypothesis, testing, and proof. May 21 is a falsifiable claim based on all evidence(the bible). The bible either insists May 21 is judgment or it doesn't. It indeed does and proof is provided.

    Think of the blind faith of many for a moment. For example, the first law of thermodynamics and the paradox associated with inflation theory. Dating methods based on radiometric dating are unfalsifiable. They are logical. However, they are based on assumptions. Other methods, ice core dating and so on rely on these assumptions. All credible methods cross referencing by chronological, dendrochronology, cultural and so on indicate the first writings of man were about 5000 years ago. This is when the bible insists the continents were divided. The date also corresponds to the beginning of the Mayan calendar. A culture with similarities to the Egyptians(roughly near the same latitude).

    The Paleo Indians, located mainly along the northeast coast of the U.S., were known to use a specially designed hunting tool to hunt the wooly mammoth. This hunting tool is completely different than those used by Indians migrating from Siberia, where all Indians in the America's were thought to originate. These Indians, along the northeastern coast, were using this unique hunting tool which was identical to a hunting tool used by the Mesolithic of Northern France.

    Similar to the reasons behind the RA expeditions, scientists have very recently proposed the idea that these Indians sailed a boat across the Atlantic thousands of years ago and populated North America. Many scientists are in disagreement due to the fact that there is no evidence of a naval history. Again, these two cultures share many things in common and are located directly across an ocean.

    There is much scientific information in the bible including pangea, thermodynamics, hydro cycle, rotation of the earth in space just name a few. None of these things were understand thousands of years ago.

    May 21, 2011 is the first day of the day of judgment. The end of the world will occur on October 21, 2011. Today is the day of salvation. It will soon end.

    “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” Prov 25:2

    ReplyDelete