With the year of the supposed apocalypse looming right around the corner, there has been significant debate and worry about the possible end of the world. But whether you’re a nonbeliever or an apocalypse activist attempting to spread the word, my question to you is, does it really matter one way or the other?

If the world is intent on bursting into a flaming oblivion, being drowned by worldwide tsunamis, or getting pummeled by a rogue asteroid, there is literally not a thing anyone can do to change it. So why the big concern?

If anyone has learned anything from movies like “The Day After Tomorrow,” “2012,” or “Armageddon,” it’s that if the government knows anything about the end of the human race, they won’t be telling civilians anytime soon. Maybe they have secret arks or spacecrafts that will save the most important figures in the world, but surely the average civilian is not going to be saved or informed of their imminent death.

Imagine President Barack Obama addressing the nation saying “Sorry Americans, you’re all going to die and there’s not a thing anyone can do to change it. Oh, but I’ll be on a spacecraft watching you burn to a crisp!” Doesn’t seem too likely. There would be riots and war and, honestly, who wants to spend their last days in sheer terror?

If we are going to meet our maker anyway, we might as well go out with a bang–no pun intended. But seriously, shouldn’t we enjoy the time we have left on Earth and spend it with our loved ones doing our favorite things? I vote yes!

There is a group of Americans (as well as people all over the globe) who up and quit their jobs, abandoned their families, and hit the road to spread the word that the apocalypse is upon us. This just seems so insanely backwards. Why scare everyone and cause panic and mayhem? Just enjoy the time you have left.

Or you might be wrong–the world might actually not end. And what if it doesn’t end? Should your family accept you back with open arms after you abandoned them? Should your boss give you back your job because it was your duty to falsely inform people of their sure death? I think not.

Of course the increasing intensity and amount of natural disasters in past years is not a comfort. The tsunamis and earthquakes in Japan and Indonesia and the hurricanes in the Caribbean could all be mini-storms signaling the main event of total seismic destruction. But again, this is all just speculation. No one can for sure know how the planet will react to such drastic changes.

Could the end of the world be God’s punishment for the constant war, poverty and hatred that has spanned the globe for centuries? Could the natural disasters be due to global warming because of the significant pollution and destruction humans have forced upon Earth? Maybe if we stopped killing each other and cleaned up our act, the world wouldn’t end. Think about the implications of the human race destroying the world and causing its finale. We would be known throughout the galaxy as the race who destroyed one of the most beautiful and bountiful places in the universe.

Whether we end up fossilized like the dinosaurs or continue on into 2013, it seems pretty obvious that things around the world need to change. But if that change fails to prevail, and the world seems like it’s going to freeze over any minute, go out and enjoy your last few moments. Don’t waste them cowering in the corner.