End of the World?

December 21, 2012 marks the end of the Mayan Calendar and some believe the end of our world and a start of a new one.

The Mayans believed that before the gods made Earth, they made 3 failed worlds. The third world lasted for 13 b’ak’tun or roughly 1 872 000 years. Our world was created on August 11, 3114 BC so our 13 b’ak’tun will be up on December 21, 2012.

Because the Mayan culture is so old, many believe that Mayas knew everything, including when the world will end. The Mayas predicted many other things that came true. Also, many other people predicted the end of the world like in 1981 when Chuck Smith predicted that the world will end, or in 1736 when William Whiston predicted a comet would collide with Earth. All of the previous predictions did not come true so it seems inevitable that the world will end.


2012 was an unlucky year, many believe. From Hurricane Sandy in the United States, to the earthquake in Canada, people believe that it is a bad omen and warnings about the apocalypse. In fact, whenever there was a natural disaster or an unfortunate event, people would blame it on the end of the world.   


However, some people disagree with the end of the world. Firstly, compared to people that have not graduated from university, statistics show that people who graduated from university are less likely to believe in the end of the world. Scientists say that the end of the world is all a big misunderstanding. Archaeologists found nothing in the thousands of Mayan murals and tablets that talked about the end of the world. Also, scientists did not detect any natural disasters, like a comet for example, that will destroy the Earth.

Adding on, the end of the Mayan Calendar does not mean the end of the world, just a new beginning. The Mayas thought on December 21, 2012 the gods that created the world would come back and refresh the world, not destroy it. Many other old cultures like Romans have not predicted the end of the world. Even great scientists and mathematicians were not able to figure our when the world will end. So why do people believe in the Mayas when they say the world will end?


The end of the world may also be just a hoax to earn more money. Grocery stores and survival shelters are earning more money than before because of the end of the world theory. Grocery stores are selling a lot more canned food than before because of all the people stocking up in case the world will end. Survival shelters have made protective underground shelters that protect the people inside from floods, earthquakes, radiation, etc. If it were not for the end of the world, these companies would not have made as much money.

Epilogue

Steve woke up to a bright sunny day. He looked over to his calendar. December 21, 2012! The end of the world! “I guess since it is the end of the world, I can do whatever I want”, thought Steve. He got up and went to the beer store and bought a 20 thousand dollar bottle of wine. He settled on his couch and opened the bottle of wine just as his wife came out of the room.

“You shouldn't drink that! In fifteen minutes, you’re going to drive!” exclaimed his wife.

“It doesn't matter; it’s the end of the world!” Steve laughed as he shrugged into his jacket and staggered into the car. With his wine bottle in hand, he started to drive to work. Halfway there, he was stopped by the police.

“Get out”, one of them said.

“No!” yelled Steve and hit the accelerate pedal and sped off to work.

He stopped at the jewelers. “I might as well buy something for my wife”, Steve thought as he looked around. He bought a diamond necklace worth $650 000.

“Charge it on my credit card”, said Steve.

As he walked down the road, he tripped and dropped the necklace. It flew and fell into the sewer. Steve shrugged. “Who cares? It’s the end of the world” he thought.

2 hours later, Steve finally arrived at his office.

“Your late by 4 hours!” his boss hissed, slamming his hand on the table. “I will not accept a lazy worker in my office!”

“Well”, growled Steve, “I quit this job! You are the craziest person I have ever met. You think that you are so great but you are just some fat man sitting on a chair acting like you are so cool!” Steve walked out the room and slammed the door of his fuming boss’s office.

Steve then rounded up all of his colleagues that he hated. He criticized every one of them. “George, you are so fat” “Julie, you are too dumb” “John, you have disgusting children” etc. He left 5 hours early and spent all his money on gambling. He went around and bought anything he liked, and charged it on his credit card. When he finally arrived home, it was 10 pm.

“I’m sorry”, Steve said to his wife, “I actually liked another woman and cheated on you once”

His wife, shocked and furious, ran into her room and locked the door. “Oh well, today is the end of the world”, he thought as he fell asleep on the couch.

The next day, he woke up and looked around.

“Oh no”, he groaned, “It IS the end of my world”. 

Riding the TTC

Riding the TTC

In grade 4 and 5, school buses were nicely given/offered to the children of Dunlace. Everyday, a child could just walk to the nearest school, and then board the bus. Though come grade 6, students must take the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). It may seem unfair, why do grades 4+5 get school buses? However, school buses cost money and the money comes from us (from fundraisers). Besides, grade sixes (11- year-olds) are capable to cope on their own, something I’ll be doing this year.

The schedule

One day, I was going to school with one of my friends, Kaitlyn. We were quite confident, and we knew the route perfectly. We were waiting for the 115-bus happily. After some time, there was noting left to do. We now waited anxiously for the bus to arrive, until we noticed a TTC bus time map of the 115-bus. The time? 8: 25. The next bus? What? 8: 55! That’s 5 minutes before school starts! We looked at each other and thought the same thing. Trouble was in the air, and the birds chirped mockingly. The green grass looked yellow, for some unknown reason. The cool unexpected breeze blew ever so gently on the crispy leaves. I could’ve sworn that they were whispering: Uh, oh, uh oh… As seconds ticked by, our hope lessened, until it was but a single thread, about to snap. Then the question lingered. Should we walk? School was just a few hundred meters away. Just as fast as that thought came, another one popped into my mind. Did this ever happen, where a frustrating type of feeling comes? It screams, “Don’t go! The bus will come, once you leave!” The minute you leave the bus just might come.

We were on the verge of leaving, when something caught our eyes. Another bus was slowly turning towards us. The rustle of the leaves ceased and the birds fell silent. Our eyes averted towards the number on the bus. Alas! It was 115! However, it wasn’t quite 8:55 yet. It was actually 8: 31. No one else was at the bus stop and we marched on, silently thanking the driver. He had white hair, slightly curled at the end. His face lit up with a smile that brings hope. It lifts your spirit, sky-high. Most of the other drivers would stare straight ahead, ignoring, though acknowledging your existence. However, he would smile his smile and nod his head after seeing our transfers. His face would say gently, “Hello! I see your ticket/transfer! Come aboard my bus, and I’ll take you to school!” His face brings sunshine to a stormy day. His eyes glitter and sparkle at the sight of the word’s future. His whole body screams, “I’M NICE!” He came early (or maybe the time sheet is wrong) but most importantly, we were saved from deciding whether to walk or not. He saved and also repaired our beaten souls.

After that, he was the daily/regular 115-bus driver. Each day, he would smile and nod, and smile and nod. We were eager to go to school everyday. Once, Kaitlyn couldn’t find her transfer. She stood outside, searching for it. The driver gestured to her, Come inside! So she stepped in, still frantically finding he piece of paper that was so important. He motioned, Stop! while saying, “It’s OK. You can go sit down. I know you have to go to school.” Kaitlyn said thank you and bounded over. The birds were whistling a happy little tune all the way to school.

That went on for a long time. We had no more worries about getting to school. Then on one special day, “it” happened. The air was freezing and our breath created a puff of misty smoke each time we exhaled. We were still confident once again not knowing what was to come. The temperature dropped suddenly. Was a ghost passing by? Hugging our jackets close, we strained our eyes over the horizon, seeking the bus in vain. 95-buses zoomed past with an occasional 5-bus, crushing our spirit into smithereens. 2 other pedestrians came over to the bus stop, 10 minutes after us. They too, were bundled in their jackets. The air was biting our skin senseless. Then a bus pulled over, slowly, once again with the number 115 flashing on top. The nice guy came to the rescue again! We lined up, with the 2 other people in front. When the bus was close enough, we noticed it wasn’t the nice guy! The new driver opened the door, let the 2 people in, and then shut the door before Kaitlyn and I could get in. We couldn’t stand the cold any longer. Our fingers were about to fall off!!! Not even 10 minutes passed before another 115-bus came. It was strange, for a 115-bus only comes every 15­­-20 minutes. I caught a glimpse at the driver’s face-it was the nice guy!! Kaitlyn and I cheered inside. He let us in with the same smiley face. The heater was on-Thank God! and we toasted our iced fingers.