G. Jeffrey MacDonald noted, “Authors disagree about what humankind should expect on Dec. 21, 2012, when the Maya’s ‘Long Count’ calendar marks the end of a 5,126-year era.” [“Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse?” USA Today, 27 March 2007] As 2012 has approached, the frenzy over the date has increased because it’s going to be hard to sell books or movies on the subject in the future (whether the world ends or not). In some ways, the build-up is reminiscent of the frenzy that preceded the advent of the new millennium (i.e., Y2K). I agree with Sandra Noble, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies in Crystal River, FL, who told MacDonald, “For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle. … To render Dec. 21, 2012, as a doomsday or moment of cosmic shifting, she says, is ‘a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in.'”

Apparently we’ve already passed one milestone that predicted the end of the world. Dee Finney writes, “In the mythology of the Aztecs, the first age of mankind ended with the animals devouring humans. The second age was finished by wind, the third by fire, and the fourth by water. The present fifth epoch is called Nahui-Olin (Sun of Earthquake), which began in 3113 BC and will end on December 24, 2011. It will be the last destruction of human existence on Earth.” Since you’re reading this post, it looks like we’re safe until next December.

My operating assumption is that the world isn’t going end this year. That’s why Enterra Solutions® is making long term plans about how it can continue to help companies optimize their supply chains. Hal Borland once wrote, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” We at Enterra hope to build on the successes of the past, draw on the knowledge of the present, and apply it wisely to the challenges that we will face in the future.

We hope that the new year brings you great joy and prosperity. If, like us, you don’t believe the world will be ending any time soon, we would be more than happy to help you find long-term solutions for your supply chain challenges! Happy New Year.