It’s a sign of the apocalypse!

    This phrase is used often in regard to something that happens that is unusual, like a studious friend forgetting his homework or a strict teacher suddenly becoming more lenient.

    What apocalypse actually, historically, means is a great change for better or worse. The fear of the apocalypse reflects on society’s long-standing fear of change and fear of the unknown.

    The movie 2012 has once again triggered the "end-of-the-world" apocalypse feeling.

    The Mayan calendar, which has successfully predicted solar eclipses and other celestial workings for thousands of years beyond the Mayans’ survival, is actually behind the year 2012 being the end of the world because that calendar does not extend beyond that year.

    The last day recorded on the calendar is the equivalent of Dec. 21, 2012, and because the Mayans themselves disappeared with only theories to decipher, people are jumping to conclusions.

    Psychology teacher Heather Hall said, "A lot of why people are kind of wary of the rumors of 2012 is because of fear of the unknown. The future is unknown, and the possibility of things getting worse scares people, especially when things are already bad, like the economy and Haiti’s earthquake."

    She said that individual religious beliefs, and especially the media and rumors, strongly affect the population’s mindset about things that probably a small percentage believe.

    She also said that people thrive on bad news; the proof is in the news everyday. It is always filled with the unfortunate.

    People often feed on the negative because it seems that they always need to worry about something, and positive news is hardly anything to be concerned about.

    A prime example of how the media can blow things out of proportion is the extensive coverage of swine flu, H1N1, which is only just another variant of the flu virus and hardly more dangerous because of its origin in animals.

    A similar panic, with much more forewarning, seems to be taking news rooms by storm as time passes ever closer to "Judgment Day."

    Some of those who might believe this flagrant speculation, says Ms. Hall, could have psychological conditions that lead them to do so.

    Things such as upbringing, a family’s beliefs growing up, and past experiences are often contributors to personal thoughts on the subject.

    Ms. Hall said, "Personally, my belief is that no one knows how or when or if the world will end. Whether it’s tomorrow or 100,000 years from now or never I can’t begin to guess. On the subject of 2012 specifically, I think that it doesn’t have any real truth behind it, like, I guess, Y2K was for computers back in 1999."

    If the world ends or not in December of 2012, one thing is for sure: some people will get quite a shock, and the world will be changed in one way at least: there won’t be any more wondering about 2012.