Reflection on "Apocalypse Soon"

During a phone conversation with my sister yesterday, our discussion turned to media hype regarding what to expect in December 2012. I referenced Anthony Aveni’s article called “Apocalypse Soon” which I read a few months ago. An eager anticipator of the 21st of December 2012 myself, I was excited to read this article. It was the first one I read regarding this topic. I agree with Anthony Aveni’s logical approach to uncovering what the Maya thought this date would entail in terms of their own culture and astronomical experience. He has a good way with words, observing that a modern craving for celestial revelations has especially become a mainstream part of American pop culture. We realized how much current media is thriving on the uncertainty of 2012; films such as “The Road”, “The Book of Eli” and “2012” are all quite new, focusing on this notion of the world quickly coming to an end.
This leads to Aveni being right about another thing- the ancient Maya have become “romanticized” in the modern American eye. This culture was brilliant at astronomy and other sciences way beyond its years, giving even today’s knowledge of astronomy a run for its money. I believe another point this article was trying to make was that a modern awe-stricken reaction to the genius of past civilizations has lead to the image of Maya as mystics who were blessed with the ability to read greater intentions of the universe. Although this image is a nice one, it’s unrealistic to assume the Maya knew of an all-great entity in the universe transcending to Earth. So much merchandise is being circulated based on silly presumptions about an imminent disaster that will strike on the 21st of December 2012. This type of hype leaves me shaking my head.