It's supposed to be the dawn of a new age of consciousness. As in, humans would evolve to be more understanding of their place in the universe, and the universe as a whole.
It was never supposed to be the end of the world, only a new beginning.
As for the calendar holding true to its predictions, we can only wait and observe.
One quick parallel you could apply, is the protests all over the planet.
People are becoming more aware of the negative aspects of a capitalistic, ladder system, where wealth builds more wealth; and wealth leads to influence and power.
There are also almost a billion people hungry on the planet right now, while we use corn to produce fuel, instead of meals.
In no way am I saying this is directly related to these predictions, my comments are merely observations of the present state of the system and people who occupy it.
