Tim O'Rahilly Life Coaching

Archive for December 2012

Happy 12.12.12

Celebrate this special date and do something to make it memorable. For geeks like me who love numbers and patterns it’s a great day. This date was last seen 100 years ago and will not be seen again for another 100 years.  It also happens to be one of only 12 sequential dates (01.01.01 to 12.12.12) and so the next sequential date will fall in 89 years time.

Today there will be a significant increase in the number of people getting married and many are booked to take place at 12 noon or even at 12.12 this afternoon. There will also be people celebrating 100th birthdays and to me that is an important point. This is probably the first time in human history where hundreds of people have lived long enough to see 2 sequential birthdays. Advances in science, medicine, social improvements and healthcare have brought this about and I have no doubt that human longevity will stretch even more in the next century. For me, one of the most powerful thoughts today is that there are people who are old enough to read these words now, who will still be around to read them on the next 12.12.12

For my fellow geeks the fun does not stop there.

Mathematicians love the number 12 for its inherent divisibility. 12 is one of the few smaller numbers that can be evenly divided into multiple subsets of halves, thirds, fourths, sixths and twelfths. Because 12 can be so easily divided, it’s commonly used in measurements. There are 12 inches in a foot, 12 ounces in a troy pound (used to measure gold, silver and gems), and 12 in a dozen.

The number 12 has found its way into religion with the 12 apostles. In mythology there are the 12 Olympian gods and astrologers have the 12 signs of the zodiac. Not only are there 12 animal signs in the Chinese zodiac too, but in Chinese numerology, 1 is a yang number ruled by the sun and represents independence and individualism. 2 is a yin number ruled by the moon and represents symmetry and balance. Combined, the number 12 brings harmony to the yin and the yang.

Of course the number 12 often represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. December is the 12th month of the year and every 12 hours day turns to night or night to day.

So many random facts about the number 12 too, such as the 12 pairs of ribs in most humans, or the 12 picture cards in a deck of playing cards. Finally yet another mark of human endeavour is the fact that 12 people have walked on the moon.

What will you do to mark this date then? If you are a parent or a teacher then make it a memorable one because most of the children in your care will still be alive for the next 12.12.12 too. How about asking them to imagine celebrating this day in the year 2112? What do they think their world will be like? What will they personally want to have achieved?


Have a wonderful day!