A View from Cuba of the 2012 Doomsday Predictions

Dariela Aquique

HAVANA TIMES, Dec 12 — Fanatics insist that the end of the world will occur on December 21, 2012, the exact date when the Mayan calendar ends. They contend that this is not conjecture based on interpretation but a reality that the wise ones of that civilization were able to predict from times in the distant past.

Fundamentalists maintain that the fate of the universe is in the hands of its creator, who must punish people for their sins committed and for their lack of faith.

Scientists assure us that the irreversible damage done to the ozone layer by greenhouse gases are the cause for changes in the earth’s evolutionary cycle and that all of this points to the extinction of life on the planet, though they’re unable to say with precision when this will occur.

Politicians blame opposing systems for causing the crises in the economy and in the ideologies of individuals. They see this as the origin of war (conflicts which every day — with the frightening developments in the armaments industry — point to the next outbreak of world war, which will certainly be a nuclear war).

The fact is that the world has been turned upside-down while people put forward all types of explanations of the real cause of the end, which will continue to approach if humanity does not change its thinking and ways.

It’s as if the capital sins mentioned in the Bible and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy were in vogue, since we can see people continuing to commit the seven deadly sins.

Arrogance is the sin of many of today’s rulers, with their stubborn and totalitarian positions used for justifying their dictatorial regimes. Arrogance — described as the desire to be more important than others — is considered the original and most serious of sins because it’s the basis of the others.

The anger of militarists and right-wing terrorist groups such as neo-Nazi movements in Europe who blame immigrants for their difficult economic situation is another deadly sin. It is the uncontrolled feeling of hate and rage, which can manifest itself as the vehement denial of truth and impatience with legal procedures and the desire for revenge against a justice system. It is fanaticism in political beliefs and the general desire to harm others. We can see it in hatred and intolerance of differences in race or religion, leading to exclusion. Such violations resulting from anger include murder, discrimination, and in extreme cases, genocide.

Greed is the sin of the very richest few, clinging to sums of wealth capable of solving the problems of all Africa. It is a term that describes and contains within itself many other examples of vice and immorality, as well as including deliberate disloyalty and betrayal, especially for personal gain, such as bribes. The search for and the accumulation of objects, theft (even with violence), deceit or manipulation of authority, are all actions can be inspired by greed.

The envy of some nations toward others in the struggle to obtain the wealth that others possess has caused wars of colonial plunder and rule.

The gluttony is a sin committed by many people in the world who consume indiscriminately; while in many other parts of the world, millions of children lack a piece of bread. Marked by excessive, irrational or unnecessary consumption, this also includes certain forms of self-destructive behavior. Thus, substance or alcohol abuse can be seen as examples of gluttony.

Laziness is what marks many young workers who refuse to work the land or do tasks that involve efforts, though this behavior reduces the benefits for themselves and for others. This sin includes indifference toward obligations, neglecting ones duties and living simply to be entertained.

Lust is evidenced by the proliferation of prostitution, the trafficking of women and children for sex, and the growing pornography industry, among other sexual and sociological compulsions and/or transgressions that include sexual addiction, rape and pedophilia. These are all ways of denying love as the highest level of feeling in human relations. Sex performed for money or for other rewards is an expression of the total loss of values ??and is an expression of social crisis.

The Vatican has submitted a list that has been reported extensively by the media. The Church has identified new social sins or deadly sins, since those that are already known have become obsolete in today’s globalized world. These sins on the new list include:

–Genetic manipulation

-Experimentation on human beings, including embryos

-Polluting the environment

-Social injustice

-Causing poverty

-Enriching oneself to obscene levels or at the expense of the common good

-Drug abuse

I think the present day and old sins all converge in today’s world and that their day-to-day manifestations are parts of the reasons for the hypotheses of the politicians and the scientists – and why not those of the fundamentalist too?

And if this hard truth around our continued sinning doesn’t change, we will end up seeing the fanatics as being right, with their theory of the Mayan calendar.