A lot of people were smart enough to believe a civilization that couldn't predict their own demise was smart enough to predict the end of the world
As a whole we homo sapiens allow superstitions to control our thinking and as long as we do, then people will be gullible enough to fall for these sorts of things because they want to believe it.
Archeology has proven that our biggest threat to us is our selves, over population and the destruction of our environment and droughts, (some natural and man made), has destroyed civilizations in the past. There were areas they could move to to start again but today there is no where to move to, we are polluting our artesian water, diverting what water there is for crops and killing the fauna and flora where the water used to run, Cutting down the forests that keep the ground cool and was a home to animals that die out as a direct consequence, (no more game to kill), and creates dust bowls that blow away the top soil that grows our crops.
The earth has enough land to sustain 10 Billion people at its optimum. From 1960-1998, In that 38 years, we went from 3.04 B to 5.96 B, doubling our population averaging a billion every 12.7 years. In the last 13 years to 2011 we have increase by another billion to 6.97 B.
Our govt encouraged us to get out there and have 3 children, 1 for mum,1 for dad and one for the country, because we were not growing enough to meet the demands of our growth that an expanding economy demands. Our population had a marked increase in the years following, we were also encouraged by a $5,000 bonus from the govt for every child born.
Now the threat of the Mayan calender has passed, the panic buyers and doomsday advocates will go back to their video games and listen to the shock jocks on the way to work in their mundane lives, and not give thought to any of this because they don't want to believe that we could do this to ourselves, but are prepared to believe that an ancient civilization for told the instantaneous end to our life as we know it.
We are a pretty ignorant lot as a whole.
Any how i got to go to bed now so i can get up tomorrow and read about how the multinationals are looking after my shares and me so i can prosper and contribute to the never ending circle of endless growth that drives our economy and at the same time destroys the earth under my feet.