I am legitimately concerned about how it may affect some if nothing happens.

This is not a topic intended to debunk or make assertions in the negative regarding 2012 predictions (or in some cases, October 2011 - 2013, depending on who you ask.) The point of this topic is discussion of how some may be affected if nothing happens during the prescribed time frame.

The reason for my concern is that recently I have seen an increase on ATS in posts suggesting that some are placing much of their hope for their life and humanity’s future in these predictions. Some posts have said almost exactly that. Others have expressed what they say is absolute certainty that one of the myriad predictions will come to fruition. One person said that they would be devastated if nothing happens.

When we look at the array of predictions - a brown dwarf approaching Earth, a distant Oort cloud planet hurling NEOs at us, a magnetic pole reversal, ascension, world war, faked alien invasion, the rise of the Antichrist, an Elenin or Elenin related debris impact, effects of YU55‘s close passage to Earth, a virus capable of transforming people of a specific blood type into evolved super men, technological advancement sufficient to change the world, and ET disclosure - it is reasonable to say it seems at least probable that at least some people are going to be disappointed.

Given how invested some are in these predictions, what will the impact be if nothing happens? Depression? Disillusionment? Denial? I am certain that many will be disappointed but ultimately capable of accepting such a scenario. However I fear that there are at least a few who will be shattered, at least for some time, if something they have held to be true and anticipated so fervently does not come to pass.

We’ve seen this happen before with prediction and prophecy. It can open a psychological and existential can of worms when something like this happens, forcing people to ask themselves, “What else am I wrong about?” It can completely turn people’s existential and metaphysical compasses on their head and leave some groping for answers in disillusionment for months, even years. I’ve personally known one or two people in my life who were so affected by failed prophecies that they still haven’t “found themselves” again. They don’t know what to believe in, and any sense of security and faith they had - in almost anything, really - is gone.

I feel it might be beneficial if people steel themselves for this possible scenario, and pledge to themselves and one another that they will support each other should such intense disillusionment come to fruition. I say this because sometimes people’s reaction to such strong negative feelings and doubt is to withdraw, but if this happens then they will be withdrawing at a time when many others might feel exactly the same way they do. They could help each other and share their experiences.

Moreover, I feel that there is at least some shared responsibility to be had. Many people mutually reinforce one another's belief in these predictions, and if nothing happens, the reaction may or may not be equally shared or mutually reinforced.

Thoughts and opinions?

Peace.

I wouldnt worry about it too much, they will just make some excuse and pick a new date......

I will slip into a state of deep depression followed by thrashing around madness..
I will then throw out the panic button,.. as it had done me absolutely no good.
I may even find myself in a state of panic as I spent all my pennies on 2012 shirts.
.
Please dont let it be so

reply to post by AceWombat04


Big SnF for a great thread.

Check this is out ?

If nothing happens ? It may well leave many with there heads in a mess.
Here's why something almost has to happen. If nothing happens ? There's going to be far to many people alive and aware of exactly where all the B.S. is coming from.
I don't believe THEY, will stand for even thinking about that. How avent garde is that ?

Scary huh ?

i dont think something will happen, but it would be kinda fun if it did only if it was spot on like down to the last milliseconds

but idd they will prbly just make another date...."we had the entire dates wrong we was off by 1000 years so doomsday will be on 3012"

I hope it dosent. I like camping.

Im not into perma-camping.

I think it will affect some people. Too many out there are full of doom and gloom. Feed it to themselves and the media that they watch. Put good in get good out, consume bad things and you'll produce bad things, like Chorizo from a dirty meal-truck. It is not healthy to constantly think about destruction, mass panic, and death. If those senarios never get carried out some people may snap and cause problems to feel better. I'm gonna call it situational brainwashing. Everyone should ultimately rely on hope for the better. Pray or meditate or both to relax.
Peace

If nothing happens, people won't be lost, as you assume they might. People will just tune out the noise even further, which would be a beneficial effect. I also think that you shouldn't assume many believe for certain that something will happen. For most, it's just an imaginary escape from the mundane cogs of the system.

Originally posted by itsatrap
I wouldnt worry about it too much, they will just make some excuse and pick a new date......

If we lose a few gullible idiots...that's their fault...

otherwise they will pick a new date.

I think it's a very valid concern. We've watched Hale-Bopp, Y2K and many of us have at least some about Halley's Comet and several others over the years. Those were just little things.. Warm ups.. 2012 is the big Kahuna with mass appeal, where those previous events had only a segment of society even bothering to notice. Y2K had more than others, but REAL concern, let alone fear was still only a segment. Here, it's attained the level of myth, prophecy and urban legend all rolled into one. Hopefully people will keep their heads and just take this all one day at a time. Imagination is almost always worse than reality and that applies twice over in this case.

S/F. Great topic to start thinking about!

Honestly, I'll be greatly disappointed.
After I'm done crying, I'll pick myself up and try to quit smoking.
I hope everyone else is able to recover, too.

See, some of us don't view a natural world altering cataclysm as doom and gloom. I see it as a much needed cleansing and rebirth. Humans have done too much damage to this great planet and it's time to set things straight. We need to be knocked back down to where we belong.

Originally posted by Explanation

Originally posted by itsatrap
I wouldnt worry about it too much, they will just make some excuse and pick a new date......

If we lose a few gullible idiots...that's their fault...

otherwise they will pick a new date.

You stole my thoughts
though there "seems" to be some history attached to this date..
we will hope its just another false prediction

I thank you for caring. Your words show that you are humane.

Nothing astronomical will happen, you have my word. How do I know ? I can say all sorts of things but let's just say I know when something CAN happen thus knowing that date tells me nothing will happen prior to this date.

Now some will accuse me of being mysterious or bs'itting, demanding for a date and 'evidence'. Well does it really matter ? I mean any second something can happen that alters our lives, that could be on small scale affecting just 2 people, a family or a neighborhood. Sometimes a country can change in seconds, at least the mindset of the people after a great tragedy. So whenever I see people claiming to "Know" some insider knowledge or whatever way they are trying to propose their superiority.

Let me give you an example. Lets assume I can see the future through my dreams, however I do not know what they mean and what is a prediction and what is just a dream. Now I've seen for example snow in Summer... doesn't make sense does it... unless it's a "nuclear winter".
So I could open topics saying.. "WARNING: Nuclear winter ahead!!!" or keep it to myself... Now in this example I would walk over a market a few weeks later and see a "field" of discarded cooling ice ... The image from my dream.
2 totally different scenarios but still the image was out of place and thus didn't make sense.

So coming back to 2012... what can we learn from my ramblings?
* We can die any living second so why fear some "set" date. - Be prepared for anything
* Claims that lack evidence or strong indication they are accurate are informative perhaps.. but that's all.
* We can misinterpret, miscalculate, misunderstand any information. Things should never be set in stone.

Now lastly about 2012. As I said nothing will happen outer space to my knowledge, however I do feel that there is a change awaiting us, don't know what it is but we are at a crossroads in time and there will be a decision point in the near future. We've past the interbellum and can alter the future of mankind within the next decade drastically.

As I said you are humane so there is still hope for mankind I can advice you to seek for solutions on a higher platform rather than spending time on individuals you care to help, as I sense you are a giving person but might be to involved with others diverting your attention away from the bigger picture.

reply to post by AceWombat04


Man, It'll mean i get to enjoy driving my Nissan Skyline R32 GTR for the rest of my life, and my children will get to grow up and live lives BUT....my worry is what kind of world they are going to live in.

reply to post by FriendlyGopher


You said.
[ What can we learn from my ramblings? ] I like that.

Multiple dooms days have been called for before. Nothing happened when nothing happened, so I don't see much concern. 2012 is the first time I thought, well maybe something might happen. . . The Y2K stuff never phased me.

Most people don't think a thing of this I would say. They're too wrapped up in the day to day, pay bills, get the kids to school, what's for dinner lifestyle. It's the nuts with bunkers and missile launchers sitting out in a desert you are probably referring to. However, they're focused on survival; not blowing the world up themselves. Either way, I won't lose a wink of sleep. However, I will be throwing down like a champ on 12/21/2012 regardless.

I agree with all of you re: picking yourself up and moving on. And I'd like to think that everyone will just be able to do that. Unfortunately, from experience, I have reason to suspect at least some will be genuinely devastated if nothing happens. And for those people, I would like to think that communities like this one that play at least a passive hand in propagating such predictions will support those people at least conversationally.

I'm a skeptic myself. But I try to be open minded and have compassion for people and I am genuinely fearful for some people I've seen posting that "all their hopes" for humanity are tied to these predictions.

Frankly, I think if a planet hurling towards us don't get us, we all forget, our real doom will come in the way of enslavement, perhaps put in cages for experiments and anal probing and what have you, if certain people are correct.
Personally, I'd love to be picked up by ET and be taken back home (Its bound to be better than here. (Oo) I wonder if my alien race has klonopin I may need it for the ride. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

What happened in the year 2000?

What happened with past comet's?

The same should happen again.

I would be more concerned about the world's economic state. something is bound to happen eventually.

yes, anyone who threw away their life savings on stockpiles of food, guns, and gold, will probably go crazy. Lol, unless the price of gold keeps going up, then they might be rich and happy. But there's a difference between being prepared for the unexpected, and what some people are doing now. Some people have probably already went out into the wilderness...
People should really bear in mind the quote in my sig, see below. If they do that they'll be okay.
I expect the amount of people who will be affected as you describe are 10,000-20,000 people. that's if they are wrong. If stuff does go down, well the number of people affected will be 7 billion.
there's a lot of people into the 2012 theory, but most have the common sense to realize there's a good chance it isn't going to happen.