December 21, 2012 is a date that has been literally set in stone - it is the last date chiseled into the Mayan calendar. It is spoken of in the legends of other traditions as well and has been part of the arcane knowledge of civilizations stretching back to Atlantis and Lemuria. Apparently some ancient people were privy to knowledge that remains largely unavailable to the majority of us today - even though we are the ones destined to live through this remarkable date.
Thus on this matter we are left to our own devices. All of us must work out a response as best we can. However, if there is any truth to the story, our stance - the most wager we ultimately make - regarding this issue is arguably the most important of our life. Should we treat the predicted demise of our civilization with disdain or with riveted attention? This question would not be so challenging if the prophecies were backed by verifiable scientific process. Thanks to modern-day advances in our understanding of the Earth's orbit, we can predict a total eclipse of the sun on November 13, 2012. We can even tell within seconds precisely when and where this event will occur. But when it comes to an event like the end of the world, science can't help us; the forces in play have yet to be discovered by classical academia.