Many concepts developed by the ancient Mayans are still recognized today. Their value system for zero revolutionized mathematics, their intricate forms of communication were years ahead of its time and their architecture has been studied and admired for thousands of years.

But none of their advancements has received as much recent attention as their calendar, which has ignited mass hysteria among gullible conspiracy theorists. It supposedly ends Dec. 21, 2012, which to some means the end of life on Earth.

Admittedly, the people who believe this hype are in the minority. Anyone must concede that predicting the end of the world is a bit far-fetched. If they really wanted to scare us they should have said that cell phones will go dead or that the Snuggie will become a sex symbol.

But do we, the inhabitants of Earth, have a reason to be concerned? Were the Mayans accurate when selecting that date? Or was it merely a vendetta against Christmas?

Their true intentions are debatable, but I believe that within their elaborate system of communicating existed a sense of humor. Any civilization responsible for so many groundbreaking advancements had to have some way to unwind. They would spend their mornings and afternoons building temples or smoothing over mathematical kinks, but during lunch breaks they entertained themselves thinking of ways to create global panic generations down the road.

People cannot get enough. The subject dominates both television and big screens. The movie, 2012, reeled in $65.2 million in its opening weekend, November’s seventh-highest gross in history. Similarly, the History Channel frequently airs documentaries about the end of mankind.

I obviously have no concrete evidence to predict what will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, but picking sides in this debate is a no-brainer. The fun part about winning arguments is not being right; it’s having the ability to brag, taunt and humiliate your opponents. If the world ends in two years, then the dead-set believers will have been right. But what do they gain?

They will have a difficult time basking in the sunlight when they are six feet underground.
Conversely, anyone that says life will extend into 2013 can have it both ways. They can either wake up with a big head on the 22nd or succumb to the fate of everyone else. Either way, they control the argument.

The Mayans’ sense of humor should be embraced. In fact, maybe present-day earthlings should pull the same stunt. We can create a calendar that extends far into the future, then sharply ends without warning. Years from now, the same hysteria and fear will emanate throughout the population, driving many to the brink of insanity.

The date and other details must be agreed upon but can be worked out later. Being a cautious man, I will withhold my suggestions until 2013.