Things That Worry Me Which Probably Shouldn't

Lately I've been watching the History Channel, which sounds like it should be edifying but instead is an exercise in terror. With shows like 'MegaDisasters' or 'Monster Quest' or 'UFO Hunters' it's easy to descend into the madness of conspiracy theories. Throw in a little Nostradamus and you're one step away from debilitating paranoia. But because of the damn History Channel there's one thing in particular that has me worried:
    2012
   That's right, the year 2012, not 2112 the album from Rush, but the year after the year after next. Three years from now. Evidently there's quite a bit of eschatology building up around December 21, 2012, and that worry is spilling over to me.
   Let me explain. The Maya 'Long Count' finishes on December 21st, 2012. The intricate Maya calendar ends one cycle of 5,000 years (give or take) on that day.
   So what?
   While a reasonable person might claim that there's no difference between December 21 2012 and the last day of any other calendar - Muslim, Jewish, Chinese, Greek Orthodox, or Gregorian - an unreasonable person might assume this is the date when our fourth world ends in blood, fire, and a rain of turquoise snake feathers. And there seem to be a lot of unreasonable people out there.
   There's also the concept that the Earth, the Sun, and the center of the Milky Way will align on that day, the sun rising across the middle of the galaxy. While a reasonable person might realize that such a cosmic conjunction happens every Winter Solstice, an unreasonable person might see this alignment as a sinister cosmic doomsday signal, announcing the end of us all.
   As for me, I don't think there's really going to be any world-shattering consequences, but why take that chance? We should be proactive, we should be tossing the odd orphan into a cenote to placate Chaac. We should be asking President Obama where he stands on the 'end of the world question' since he's going to be in office on December 21st, 2012. We should demand that our Senators and Congressmen watch 'Decoding the Past' on the History Channel so they can share in the panic and paranoia.
   Yeah, that's the solution.