On Dec. 21, 2012, the world was scheduled to end. The Mayan Calendar, accurate for many years, stopped its predictions abruptly on that date. This was taken by some as a sign that the apocalypse was about to occur.

End of the world scares are not uncommon. The most widely advertised event prior to Dec. 21 was New Years Day in 2000 (Y2K). People believed that a bug in the computers would cause a massive glitch, shutting down the world’s computers. That year recorded some of the greatest sales of bottled water, preserved food supplies, firewood and other disaster essentials people thought they needed.

When large numbers of people believe something like this, it is hard not to get caught up in the possibilities. One begins to wonder if it really could be the end of life as we know it. People begin to create reasons to believe in the disasters. They try to cite the Bible and people like Nostradamus, a French apothecary and supposed seer who wrote collections of prophecies.

Many of Nostradamus’s more general prophecies have been cited as predictions of world calamities. However, the vast majority of them are quoted after the event has occurred. The general language Nostradamus uses makes it near impossible to predict unforeseen events.

Though some of the justifications for belief in the 2012 crisis sound believable, many of them were proven false. For example, many people put their faith in a planetary mass called Nibiru. Nibiru is supposedly a planet that orbits the sun every 3600 years. The people that believe in Nibiru believe that it will crash into Earth and cause massive destruction. This was scientifically proven to be false, yet some who believed in the 2012 apocalypse thought that Nibiru would be the impetus of the end of the world crisis.

For some, I suppose that the apocalypse gives an opportunity to live life recklessly. If the world is about to end, then one can do whatever they want without consequences. They don’t have to worry about their choices coming back to haunt them.

Although I didn’t believe that the world would end on Dec. 21, my family did talk about what would happen if the government collapsed and we had to fend for ourselves. In a world dominated by technology, an absence of electricity and electronics would cause massive chaos.

Eventually, stores would run out of food, and people would have to find their own supplies. The value of weapons and water would be raised over other, less important items. My dad wants to be off the grid and fairly self-sufficient, so we are fairly prepared.

As a Christian though, I need to view these events through the filter of God’s word. He has promised to provide, even when times are hard. I have to trust that what he tells us about the end times is the truth. People can try to predict the future, but only God knows what is going to happen.

Jesus says in Matthew 24:42-44, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Although no one can know the time that Christ will come again, Christians must always be ready. I think this means that people should live life as if they will not be on this world tomorrow. They should have no regrets and live life like no one else.

For more opinions, read the Jan. 14 article, Senior reflects on high school achievements (VIDEO).