“History repeats itself.” How many times have we heard this before? We have heard it on the media with stories about the similarities between past and present rulers. We have heard it inside our families as particular relatives followed the same path as ancestors. We have heard it inside friendships as childhood rivalries still seem to continue to the present day. But has one ever heard it used as an apocalyptic prediction? This is what brings the present debate of predictions into a heated fire. Is the latest prediction of apocalypse, 2012, a “scary fact” or just another period of apocalyptic phenomenon that has been repeated over time?

Throughout history, there were many periods of time that aroused an apocalyptic prediction or “sign”. During the Puritan age, many people believed that the “Salem witches” signaled the preparation for the coming of the antichrist. With these thoughts in mind, they began to theorize that the “End” was coming soon. Their prediction turned out to be false. In the era of World War II, many believed that Hitler was the antichrist; again, another failed prediction. When Israel was declared a nation, many people believed that the unrest was the beginning of the biblical apocalypse and that Christ would come in that year. When that year ended, the prediction turned out to be false. When the 9/11 attack came, the Americans went into a frenzy and many religions tried to connect the attack to their apocalyptic prophesies. However, in the end, these predictions turned out to be simply the overreaction of a great nation being terrorized for the first time in many years. When Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia, and horrific fires in Australia flashed across the TV screens, the apocalyptic prophesies surfaced again, only to fail once more.

Does anybody see the pattern of our historical lineage? Does anybody see that whenever an apocalyptic prediction turns up, it always happens after a “shocking” or “unusual” event like 9/11? The problem is many people, instead of looking at the facts or using logical reasoning, usually jump towards the apocalypse as a reason for a shocking or unusual event. For example, when the economy broke down in 2008, many people jumped at the newly introduced apocalyptic prediction of 2012 and the Mayan calendar instead of looking at the facts. The Mayans did not predict the end of the world; rather, contemporaries, like Nostradamus followers, try to push it to that conclusion.

Does this not sound similar? Does this not sound like previous predictions which failed in foreseeing the apocalypse? Some people might disagree because the 2012 prediction involves a space event, but is it any different from the “impossible” event of the horrifying Hitler? If we do not control this hysteria, we will continue to have many periods of this phenomenon. Like a teacher of mine once said, “I have been through the end of the world six times.” Will 2012 be her seventh?