I was lucky enough to get to talk to Randall, the voice of the honey badger, about what he thinks is going to happen on December 21. Enjoy!
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End of the World Interview- Alexa
The We Will Be Here crew went roaming around downtown Austin to see what you thought about the end of the world. Listen to what Alexa had to say!
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End of the World Interview- Mark
The WeWillBeHere.com crew recently went downtown in Austin to see what people had to say about the end of the world. Mark had some interesting comments we just had to share.
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Interview with Rev. Kurt Johnson
What is your take on all the end of the world hysteria?
While it’s obvious that the “hysteria” is confined to a very small number of charlatans and fanatics, I believe the impetus for these radical and ridiculous reactions to the Mayan 2012 calendar calculations are embraced by people who have no credible concepts of legitimate interpretations of history, theology, science or epistemology. The specific reasons for these delusions likely stem from the same human impulses found, for example, among the Romans and Greeks who created scores of gods for their own imaginations, and from the Aztecs who embraced human sacrifice for appeasing the gods. Unfortunately, these inane ideas involving superstition and myth have found their way into some contemporary and even mainstream religious practices.
Do you think anyone can predict the end of the world?
Of course, such an event can be “predicted”. People do that all the time and are doing it now. Anybody can predict anything. But they all are wrong. The primary reason they are wrong is because the concept of the “end of the world” is neither defined nor conclusively definable. Within our own solar system and galaxy, and even within the unlimited, all-encompassing universe, there can be no “end” unless there is a stopping of time or a conversion of the present reality to another dimension or portal. There is no scintilla of evidence that such might occur. In fact, just as there is no prospect of an “end”, there is no logical basis for supporting a “beginning”. Ask yourself: If the beginning is postulated as the occurrence of the “big bang”, what was going on during the time prior to that event? Didn’t space and matter exist prior to the event? So, can an accurate prediction be made about when
the “end of the world” (whatever that is) will occur? Of course not.
Do you think we are nearing the end times/second coming?
If by the notion of “end times/second coming” is meant the so-called “second coming” of Jesus Christ, recall that the reports in the New Testament apparently created the expectation that he would “return” very soon after his death and reported resurrection and assumption. But despite the perceptions, it didn’t happen then, and it hasn’t happened yet. So-called “prophecies” which claim to interpret texts to refer to contemporary events as “signs of the end times” are hogwash. Some may be nearing the end of their sanity or competent reasoning, but that has nothing to do with speculation about the end times of the second coming.
Do you believe you will be taken in the rapture?
The question presupposes that the so-called “rapture” is definable and (whatever it is) will occur, thus allowing for the prospect that I may be “taken” by it? What if it occurs, but I don’t want to go? Do I have a choice? If it occurs in December of 2012, as some fanatics predict, what am I to do about my plans to take a cruise and then go to a Lyle Lovett concert in 2013? I’m looking forward to that. So, no, I don’t believe I’ll be taken in any “rapture”. In the first place, it won’t happen, but if it does, I won’t go.
What is your view of heaven?
Again, we have a problem with dealing with an undefined term. If by “heaven” the term is meant to refer to that place in the sky (or somewhere else) that people go after they die (if they are “saved”), then I would refer those who seek this answer to the book written by Bishop John A.T. Robinson (an Episcopalian) in his 1960s volume titled Honest to God, in which he discusses the inanity of the socalled three-storied universe, with heaven above and hell below, with the earth in the middle. Based on the limited, empirical information available to me at this time, I don’t have a clue regarding what a “view of heaven” might be, but the closest thing I can come up with would involve sitting on a beach in the Caribbean next to a bucket of iced-down Caronas and an extremely fast wi-fi connection for my laptop and my Nook, and sitting downwind from a mesquite-fueled grill cooking sausage from Elgin or Brenham. The good news is that I don’t have to die to get there.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Even people who are deemed to have been competent theologians in the past (and even in the present) have taken ridiculous positions regarding such phenomena. For example, confronted with the idea advanced by Copernicus that our universe is heliocentric, Martin Luther stated, in his Table Talk : ”People gave ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the earth revolves, not the heavens or the firmament, the sun and the moon. Whoever wishes to appear clever must devise some new system, which of all systems is of course the very best. This fool [or 'man'] wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth.”
The reference to Joshua making the sun stand still so that it would cease revolving around the earth for a day is from Joshua 10:13. Maybe that’s the day the rapture occurred, but nobody wanted to go.
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Interview with Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku
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Interview with Volcanologist Dr.Erik Klemetti
Dr. Erik Klemetti is an assistant professor of Geosciences at Denison University. He earned his Ph.D. in Geology from Oregon State University after finishing his undergraduate work in Geosciences and History from Williams College. He is fascinated with the timescales of magmatic processes and using them to get a better understanding of hazards posed by active volcanoes.
1. Do you believe we are in danger of Yellowstone erupting in our lifetime?
Could Yellowstone erupt in our lifetime? Sure, but the chances are low and even if it did erupt, it is far more likely to be a small eruption rather than a so-called “supervolcanic” eruption. The Yellowstone caldera has had quite a few eruptions since the last cataclysmic eruption over ~640,000 years ago, but all of those were much smaller eruptions that produced lava flows and minor ash.
2. Are there any prevention methods or evacuation plans in place?
I’m sure that the government has plans for what to do in the case of renewed activity at Yellowstone. With the much higher likelihood of a smaller eruption from the caldera than a large eruption, then planning for a regional evacuations around the park would be relatively straightforward.
3. Is there any wildlife in that area that may go extinct should the volcano erupt?
Nope. Most animals have a range much wider than the kill zone for even a large eruption. However, in the very low chance of a large eruption, we might see global climate changes due to the ash and volcanic gases introduced into the atmosphere that could have a much wider ranging effect of plants and animals.
4. Would an eruption cause any other natural disasters?
A large eruption would likely produce earthquakes felt near the caldera and possibly global effects of weather from the ash/gases, but not much beyond that.
5. Are you smarter than the average bear?
I would like to think so, but I’ve seen some crafty bears.
To read more about Erik or to catch up on his latest projects, please visit his blog, Eruptions.
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End of the World Interview- Victoria
Do you think the world is going to end in 2012?
No, I don’t.
Have you heard of the Mayan calendar?
I have, but the Mayan calendar didn’t take into account daylight savings time. Actually, Benjamin Franklin made this discovery. They didn’t take into account daylight savings time so actually the world was supposed to have ended 7 months ago.
Have you heard of the possibility of a big asteroid, major earthquake, or a super volcano?
Yes. I think the most plausible one is probably the super volcano though.
So are you scared?
No, I’ll be dead.
How would you spend your last day on earth?
Probably just with my family, you know. I’d probably go home. I’d want to die around my family, surrounded by loved ones.
What’s the last song you would listen to?
Oh man, I don’t know. (sings) It’s the end of the world as we know it. I don’t know. That’s such a hard thing to pick, there’s so much good music. I’d probably want to listen to more music that I’ve never heard before just because I won’t have anymore time to get anymore new music in my life.
Do you believe in reincarnation?
Yes, but to a certain extent. I feel like if you have achieved everything that you’re supposed to achieve out of your life then probably not, but if you have unfinished business then you’ll be reincarnated.
Are you preparing for the end of the world at all?
Yes.
What are you doing?
Well, it’s been probably like a ten year plan. My family has land out in the middle of nowhere, just kind of have a shelter.
If the world was going to end right now, what would your face look like?
Probably really sad because I’m not with anybody I love, and I’m at work.
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NASA and the Mayan Apocalypse
Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory put out a new video to address false claims about the “Mayan apocalypse,” a non-event that some people believe will bring the world to an end on Dec. 21.
In the video, Don Yeomans, head of the Near-Earth Objects Program Office at NASA/JPL, explains away many of the most frequently cited doomsday scenarios.
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Thoughts of a Mayan Elder- Carlos Barrios
We have heard how scholars are interpreting the calendar and sacred texts of the Maya, but what do the Mayans themselves think about all of this speculation? Carlos Barrios is a Mayan elder and ceremonial priest for the Eagle Clan and the following are excerpts from and interview with him.
1. What is your view on the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and the association that has been made to the end of the world?
They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. Humanity will continue, but in a different way. If the people of the Earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape without having destroyed too much of the Earth, we will rise to a new, higher level. This process has already begun. Change is accelerating now and it will continue to accelerate.
2. Most of the information I have gathered says the end of the calendar simply represents a rebirth. What sort of rebirth do you see happening for our world?
Mayan Day-keepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator and the Earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy. The prophesied changes are going to happen, but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are.
3. What are your thoughts on those who says current events and tragedies are pointing towards the end of the world?
We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth Changes.
To read more information about Carlos Barrios and his views, please visit www.carlosbarrios.org.
Interview source: SERI-Worldwide
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Interview with a Mayan Scholar- Carl Calleman
Carl Calleman was born in Stockholm, Sweden and first became interested in the Maya during a trip to Mexico and Guatemala in 1979. In 1993, he began devoting his life to solving the mysteries of the Mayan Calendar and has since been called upon to lecture and lead courses on the subject as well as published four books.
- What is your view on the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and the association that has been made to the end of the world?
- Most of the information I have gathered says the end of the calendar simply represents a rebirth. What sort of rebirth do you see happening for our world?
- What do you think will bring about the end of the world (current or far in the future)?
- What is your opinion on the other current views on the end of the world, such as the biblical rapture or an asteroid collision?
- Are you preparing for the end of the world in any way?
The Mayan Long Count ended last year on October 28, 2011 and it has fundamentally changed the world but not necessarily in the way that anyone expected. I think one of the consequences will be an end to all forms of millenarianism, in other words the idea that things will change just automatically without any intentional participation by people.
The Mayan sources do not actually talk about a rebirth at this time. The only known text about it says that the nine waves will manifest in their full regalia. I do not think rebirth is a good word because it also implies some millenarianism. What has happened since the Long Count came to an end is that the range of possibilities has expended dramatically and I think we have an option to bring a shift in consciousness about, but this will not happen automatically.
It is expected that in a few billion years the sun will run of fuel and the world will come to an end. It is quite possible that it comes to an end earlier than this in the next couple of years for instance from global warming, or for instance some war. Nothing is however scripted about this and it is only indirectly related to the Mayan calendar.
Nothing of this is scripted by the Mayan calendar.
No.
To read more information about Carl Calleman and his views, please visit www.calleman.com.
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