"Great cataclysms, which are cyclical and the next one is due soon, followed by a new era of peace for the 'leftovers' who survive." That is, at least, the largest concensus of opinion I've heard from researchers and those who call themselves "experts". Yes, that's a big claim and it's a lot to live up to for them.
Someone on the radio last week said the Mayans narrowed everything down over the thousands of years of their calendar, to 2 possible ultimate events, and didn't know which one would happen. Either an age of enlightenment or the end of civilization as we know it. Possibly both, maybe neither.
In his book "Human Devolution", Michael Cremo expresses the opinion (and it's just his, not necessarily mine - I don't know yet) that each long-count cycle ends in cataclysm, followed by an age of peace and unity, which gradually spirals down into what the bible calls "as in the days of Noah". We surely are seeing great chaos with everything speeding up and getting more out-of-control. I think human and animal abductions are also indicative and comparative to "the days of Noah", but that's just me personally and others I've read who say this. Not that I'm trying to convince or persuade anyone else to do so.
Nine of these cosmic cycles lasts for what I think Cremo said is 4.32 billion years, when all life manifests, followed by 4.32 billion years of "sleep", when all life is unmanifest. He currently places us in the middle of one of the cycles, so he says the next cataclysm will have survivors, but 4 more cycles away from the one he expects now, and no life will remain until the next one begins. These are called the Days and Nights of Brahma, and as someone interested in the study of Consciousness and the Matrix, I see these days and nights as seeming to be part of the Matrix, but am open to changing my view with further information.
He is also the author of "Forbidden Archeology" and believes the Vedic Puranas are being scientifically proven to be correct as far as the cosmos itself goes. More information is available at his
website.
So, I couldn't vote in the poll because my perspective on this right now is 2 events, not just one. I hope it's wrong, and I wish if it was right that there was something that could be done to fix it ahead of time like with Y2K. Well, actually, Mr. Cremo believes there is, but I haven't quite figured out how to understand what he's saying yet.