Last night, I found myself watching The History Channel, which is normally excellent. However, I was watching a show on the predictions of Nostradamus, a 16th century Frenchman who was trained as a pharmacist. Everybody has heard of his prediction, based on Mayan lore, that the world will end 12-21-2012 or in about eight months from now.
Long ago, when I lived in Texas, I became very interested in pre-Columbia art and culture. I learned the Maya believed in several cycles of time and expected the world to end when all the different cycles of time ended together. Yes, you guessed it! That will be 12-21-2012.
However, after all these years spent studying economics, the world poses more questions than alarm. For example . . .
Long ago, when I lived in Texas, I became very interested in pre-Columbia art and culture. I learned the Maya believed in several cycles of time and expected the world to end when all the different cycles of time ended together. Yes, you guessed it! That will be 12-21-2012.
However, after all these years spent studying economics, the world poses more questions than alarm. For example . . .
1. If Nostradamus was right, why did he speak so obliquely? He must have been the worst writer in France during the 16th century. And, why did God pick some insignficant pharmacist to reveal his divine plan? Were there no worthy clergymen? Don't even tell me that God is French! Also, does God think some combination of 1s and 2s is interesting? Why wasn't 2-12-1012 good enough? And, what did Nostradamus expect us to do with his prediction anyway?
2. Assuming the Mayan calendar is right, why does the mathematical coincidence of different time cycles ending have any meaning anyway. Such numbers have no significance. And, why would God give such information to the Maya? Didn't he like the Egyptians or Hebrews or anybody else just as much as the Maya? And, what did the Maya expect us to do with their prediction as well?
3. Should everybody stop producing goods and services, since we're all going to die this year anyway? Or, should we just spend a lot of money on stories, books, and T-shirts heralding our untimely demise? Is the time spent wondering about all this "end-of-the-world" angst very productive, since it is out of our control anyway?
Free Enterprise is a wonderful system, even if it does supply end-of-the-world predictions to meet the demand for such predictions. It is just like the production of horror movies. In both cases, a demand is being satisfied for a profit, but neither is real.
Free Enterprise is a wonderful system, even if it does supply end-of-the-world predictions to meet the demand for such predictions. It is just like the production of horror movies. In both cases, a demand is being satisfied for a profit, but neither is real.
