Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Vancouver, British Columbia

2012

Do you ever meet Doomsday people?

Well I do. In fact, I have close friends who were convinced of a computer crash at the height of the Y2K frenzy...the turn of the century/millenia...the year 2000. There was fear of no provisions, such as food or water. The myth of the time was that the world would fall apart. When in Australia, and New Zealand, the New Year's lights flashed on, the world seemed as if to sigh in relief. Life was to go on. Perhaps someone up there had been laughing at us while some people cashed in on the hype...one of the greatest hoaxes of our time.

It was today that I met the latest doomsday scenario. It's the year 2012. The Mayan calendar marks it as a time for change. The events leading to it...mostly natural disasters, will ultimately reach a crescendo.

Such was the firm belief of a young Israeli woman, in Canada, on a student visa, while I was trekking along English Bay, near the tents of the Festival of Chariots. She first asked me about the festival, on the 13th...Krishna's Birthday celebration, which she had heard about from a TV ad. Then she revealed her concerns about climate change, the Earth being a living organism, and how we have disrupted and abused our planet. Of course I couldn't disagree and I offered the suggestion that we earthlings become more conscious and that we get on with some spiritual program.

I wouldn't necessarily agree that 2012, will be the confirmed date for change, whether disaster or renaissance. I can appreciate that some people need time lines (or more appropriately, deadlines) in which to work under. It's pressure of a certain kind. It's also interesting to see how people respond to prophetic warnings.

In the seventies, there was talk amongst some of our monks about a future World War...number three. With excitement they approached our guru about what action to take, and he responded with the advice to spiritually prepare yourself. He alluded to the point that doomsday can come at any time so one must be prepared for that critical time.

History tells of disasters which have caused much damage. The Vedas do give some approximate figures as to when an apocalypse is expected, but there is a long time to wait. We are looking at thousands of years from now. It's of course no excuse for being complacent about our spiritual obligation.

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