2012 Is it the end of the world?

Most people have heard of the 2012 phenomena. The prophet's of doom have been plugging it for years.
The supposedly 'End of the world' date is December 21st 2012. The movie of the date was based upon this prediction.
Well the year is almost here so what does this mean for humanity and our planet?
I've been doing some research and unearthed quite a bit of interesting information.
How did this scenario come about?
It didn't come from one source but instead was generated by those who've connected a series of events due to happen in this year.
The main ones are; 'The Mayan Prophecy,' Astrological and Galactic Alignments and even the use of Numerology.
Let's take the Mayan Prophecy first. The Maya were noted as the earliest known civilisation that had a fully developed written language. They also had mathematical and astronomical systems. The Mayans are said to have reached their highest state of development during the period 250 BC to 900 AD.
They had their own unique calender system, very different to our own today. This calender system was recorded to include future times, a long way into the future! Our 2012 is when their calender ends.
So that's one of the reasons for the prediction. But scholars of the Mayan culture have dismissed the claim. They say the Mayan calender was based on their culture at the time, religious and mythological traditions. And there's only one part of it that ends! It's such a complex system compared to ours today. The last piece to damn the prediction clicks in when you realise the calender had a mythical starting date of the beginning of the world! Wonder how they knew that?
Galactic Alignment is another myth in the doomsday prophecy.
What is this all about? An alignment is when several planets line up connecting to each other in astrology. How this myth came into being is because of the Sun's backward movement. It moves back one degree every 72 years. This backward movement has been likened to a spinning top when it wobbles as it slows down and the 'End of the world' brigade use this as proof of a catastrophic event happening to the planet. But astrologers and astronomers refute this prediction.
Astronomers say if there was anything big enough in our universe to do such damage, we'd already have seen it coming long ago!
Astrologers say alignments come and go all the time. They say what is happening is the heralding of a new age. The world is moving from the sign of Pisces to the sign of Aquarius and a lot slower than in one day. A change in the structure of societies all over the world is what they're predicting.
Numerology has even been used by some cultures in the creation of this myth.
The funny thing about all this predicting is the one by Nostradamus. His prophecies end in the year 3797. The next 'End of the world' maybe! Or someones got their dates wrong.
Scientists are a bit more optimistic. They have predicted the sun will grow too hot for life to exist on earth, in a billion years!
A lot of people have made money from perpetuating this rumour. So, sorry to burst your bubble guys the world is gonna be with us for a long time yet.