2012: The End?

While leaving the year 2011 and entering the year 2012, one specific thing comes to mind: the end of the world. The Mayans stated in a prophecy that on December 21st, 2012 (12.21.12), a cataclysmic event will occur. This event has been interpreted in two ways; the first way is referred to as a New Age interpretation, believing that the Earth will be transformed in a positive way (either physically or spiritually). The second way is thinking the 21st will be "the end of the world" and is very similar to the idea of an apocalypse. To read more information on this prophecy, you can read here.

Over the years, society has been anticipating and has had a lot of fun hyping up the "big day".  A film released in 2009, 2012,  is a disaster movie that illustrated the impending end of the world and the struggle of a specific family trying to survive. Sure, it was a huge flop with the critics, but everyone came to see it--not for the deep, underlying meaning of the film, but the riveting experience of watching the world that we have built up all these years come to a crumbling end. The audience was simply fascinated.

Why do you think, as Americans, we choose to interpret a day that can have a potentially positive effect on the world as the ultimate end? America is seen as a place of opportunity and full potentially great things--not a place that expects failure. Why do we have such an un-characteristicly negative outlook on the future?