“The Skin of Our Teeth”

von Heinz Gupta

Thornton Wilder may forgive me, that I have annexed the title of his play – but it fits so well with all the prophecies of the last few weeks about 21 December 2012.

And how many sources have been cited concerning the end of the world: the Mayan calendar as foremost, the calendar of the Hopi Indians, the Vedic cosmology, the Revelation of John, as well as the difficult to interpret prophecies of Nostradamus.

Now, 21 December 2012 has passed and nothing happened. However, we should be careful – some major events may be delayed. Even the German railways are not always on time.

Genuine reasons for a possible doomsday were rarely given. The Mayan calendar is like an egg timer, which rings as soon as the set time has elapsed.

In the Vedic prediction Kali-Yuga only comes to an end, when hatred, greed and confusion get out of control. Thus, now would be the right time for an apocalypse – since then, a new and golden period begins.

A rich variety of doomsday scenarios were offered to us: asteroid impacts, solar flares, pole shifts, and volcanic eruptions.

I wonder how many people have been anxiously waiting for the end of the world. They must be doing very well, because for the hungry and homeless, this event would not have mattered.
The prophets of the apocalypse are in an unfortunate dilemma:

Had they been right, they could triumph – but would all have died. Now they were wrong, but can continue living.

And who were the preachers of disaster? Perhaps the same, who in their main jobs predict the growth or recession of the economy and also are rarely right.

Especially nowadays, on one page the financial newspapers are reporting about economic growth and companies looking for workers, while on the other they are warning of pending recession.

Dear Readers, please do not be confused by the quantity of prophecies! Go your own way – steadily but with caution. For this, we wish you all the best in 2013.

Yours Heinz Gupta