December 22, 2012 and we're still here. No cataclysmic natural disaster destroying the earth. No invasion from outer space. No rapture whisking good Christians to Heaven. No apocolypse. National Geographic published a report of new discoveries that show the Mayan calendar wasn't predicting the end of the world, rather the beginning of a new age - the calendar generally thought to predict the end of the world was " long count" based on a 5,000 cycle.

My hope for the new era is that it be the Age of Spirituality where we recognize that we are all connected; where tolerance, empathy and acceptance become the norm; where differences are resolved through negotiation and the parties involved are willing to work for solutions that respect the value and dignity of all human life; where we can let go of decades old centuries old injustices; where every child has an opportunity to achieve their full potential; where mankind is seen as the steward of our natural environment rather than the conquerer and acts accordingly.

Imagine.