One of the most glibly sensationalized years in the modern calendar, 2012, is nearly upon us. With it come the predictions of apocalyptic doom and the unceremonious end of the Mayan calendar.
From a skeptic’s point of view, “total demise” is something of an overstatement. Change, on the other hand, is inescapable.
Take the new movement that has swept our country. Occupy Wall Street has inspired both fervent adherents and vehement detractors, but it has also prompted a universal hard look at the virtues and drawbacks of the status quo. In the economic sector, too, the obliteration of the status quo is a foregone conclusion. In order to preserve the euro, those countries with slightly more vibrant economies will be stuck bailing out European “sick men” such as Greece—which in turn, economists say, must endure ever-intensifying instability. The United States faces not only continued economic upheaval, but also a possible credit downgrade that will further erode our once-hubristic hegemony.
Lest we forget, 2012 also brings us local and national elections. Whether more money will be spent cementing the authority of incumbents or throwing them all out of office is anyone’s guess. The former option will further piss off the occupiers, who are pushing for change anyway; the latter may actually usher in that change.
In sum, whether the world ends or just spins crazily into a new reality in 2012, just a few short weeks of sleepy 2011 remain. Herewith, SFR offers an abbreviated “bucket list”—a few of the très Santa Fe activities you should accomplish before a new year takes us all by surprise.
—Alexa Schirtzinger
