It's a great question and perfectly understandable that you would have these concerns, LadyBe. I'll give you my spin on this and see what others think...

I don't believe there is anything magical about 2012, nor that the Mayan prophecy necessarily targets 2012. I have heard many different accounts of what it means and what date it refers to - from archaeologists to new agers - there really isn't a very consistent story. Various religions and cultures have predicted the end of the world many times, and of course, it never happens. Check out http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm for a breakdown of apocalyptic predictions over the past few thousand years.

Civilization-ending or species-ending astronomical events occur in the frequency of tens or hundreds of millions of years, so not much to worry about there. Even if we knew we were going to get hit, what's the point of worrying about it? Just make the last days count, right?

I would agree that solar storms and the resulting damage that can result are a more significant concern. It seems like we have serious ones every hundred years or so. The one that knocked out telegraph stations in 1859 (Carrington Event) would be pretty disastrous today, because we rely so heavily on electricity for everything. If you feel that the local, state, or federal governments or the power companies aren't doing enough to prepare for these kinds of things, you might want to write your congressman or get involved at some level.

Many talk radio shows (by the way, Jesse Ventura was governor of Minnesota, not California) and specifically some of the guests can really scare people. It might be that they really believe what they are saying or it might be that they are being overly dramatic to get higher ratings. Unfortunately it's hard to separate out the truth from the drama without doing a lot of research. Which is probably the best way to put your mind at ease.

I don't mean the following to be at all "preachy" and I hope it doesn't come off that way. But I believe that worrying is a form of wasted energy. I think that the Reiki ideals are a great example to practice:

Just for today, I will let go of anger.
Just for today, I will let go of worry.
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing.

Note that it focuses on the immediate ("just for today"). Dreaming about the past might be fun, but doesn't usually result in anything useful. The same can be said for dreaming about the future. (As an aside, ENVISIONING the future is different and there is a lot of interesting research that supports the value of this practice - see "neuroplasticity" as it relates to visualization.) Certainly worrying about the future seems wasteful. One might argue that worrying drives protective behavior, which could be useful; e.g. stocking up on water and dehydrated foods. However, I would counter that the optimal protective behavior would be driven more by knowledge.

For example, I live in a big city. Worst place to be if an asteroid hits, a terrorist gets frisky, or a massive solar flare knocks out the power grid. But what am I going to do? Sacrifice my chosen lifestyle and career and be miserable living off the grid somewhere in Montana just because there is a tiny chance of a catastrophe? No thanks, I'd rather enjoy my lifestyle and career every day and roll with the punches when the solar flare hits. For some people, they may enjoy the "off the grid" lifestyle, in which case they should probably follow their instincts.

In my line of work (agile software development), we talk about the value of practicing "sense and respond" rather than "predict and plan." "Sense and respond" almost always works out better because the future is unknown and changes are guaranteed to happen that would invalidate even the best of plans. So, in effect, much of planning is even waste, unless you are planning for the best way to do the things that you are at least 99% certain that you are going to do. In addition to software development, I think this can apply to much of life as well. Eventually you get good at living in a "sense and respond" mode and stop worrying about the future.

That is not to say that some career planning, financial planning, and a little common sense planning doesn't make sense. If you feel better having a months worth of provisions in the basement, that's like buying insurance - it gives you peace of mind. Which has value.

On the topic of the Bilderbergers, Illuminati, financial elite, globalists, whatever you want to call them - those people and that agenda seems to be true, alive, and progressing. Our constitution is definitely being eroded, our standard of living is decreasing, and our basic rights are disappearing. Depending on your point of view and your beliefs, this may be worth taking a stand against. There are many options - voting, protesting, donating, writing, blogging, educating, etc.

I hope at least some of this helps, and again, I apologize if it sounded preachy. I think everybody is different and has to find their own way through all of this. What works for me might not work for others, but I thought I would at least share a little bit of my point of view.

Cuz that's what this forum is for! :)