Spared, for Now?

Researchers have decoded glyphs and a mural from a recently rediscovered ancient Mayan cave, and found that…

The calculations include dates some 7,000 years in the future, adding to evidence against the idea that the Maya thought the world would end in 2012 — a modern myth inspired by an ancient calendar that depicts time starting over this year.

“We keep looking for endings,” expedition leader Saturno said in a statement. “The Maya were looking for a guarantee that nothing would change. It’s an entirely different mindset.”

Ah! Bittersweet. The accompanying article is also worth a read, for a fuller backstory. The discovery is almost like the next round of humans stumbling across a well-preserved Thomas Kinkade calendar, when previously all they’d had was a panicked Doomsday billboard. Or, uh oh, maybe the reverse!

Anyway, back to searching for a guarantee that nothing will change.