Mr Grumpy

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By Mr Grumpy - Tue 18th Dec 2012

 

Almost every user of almost every social network, it seems, loves a conspiracy theory.

Perhaps the only thing more popular than a conspiracy theory, is an Armageddon theory.

Although I am 'only' in my late-thirties I can call to mind at least half a dozen occasions in past years when the world should have by rights ground to a shuddering halt.

So, forgive me if I am not getting too worried by the recent panic spreading around Twitter et all over recent days that the world is about to end (again).

One popular theory which has being doing the rounds for some time is that the ancient Mayans believed that the world will end on the 21st of December 2012.

Eschatologists - as the more discerning conspiracy theory panic-mongerers like to call themselves - derive their name from the word "Eschatology", which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "The department of theological science concerned with ‘the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell’.

Besides it all sounding like a load of "eschat" to me, I was interested to see how Tumbit's news that this week's Earthquake swarm in Andalucia was seized upon by the mentalists on Twitter.

This earthquake swarm, it seems, does not signify some geological event (explained by the African and Euro-Asian Tectonic plates rubbing against each other), but the end of the world. Again.

And in any case, as far as I understand things, the Mayan's simply predicted that 21-12-2012 would signify a "time of great change" and not necessarily an end of world, apocalyptic event.

This being the case, I think I prefer the optimist's approach and look forward to a "time of great change". I think I will risk buying another El Gordo lottery ticket .... (but will put it on my credit card, because you never know...)