Does anybody ever just FEEL the horrific implications of the stuff that gets talked about here everyday?

Vikingblood · 3 months

Or perhaps you could take personal responsibility for last summer's clarity. Don't think of collapse or societal strife as a whole. It's a big idea, with a lot of moving parts. I liken it to trying to eat a 4 course meal in one bite; it's impossible and doesn't engender good feelings towards the meal.

When all of this hit me, I had already been looking at smaller ideas (oil, weather, resources, economic, etc) but never put it all together. I didn't have a physical reaction, rather, the epiphany caused my mind to explode with myriad questions. Instead of feeling dejected at the new information, I used it to better myself: gather information, gather resources, make short term plans, get into shape, etc. I used my newly minted mind frame to make informed decisions about my future.

The other thing I started to do, to help with the burgeoning information I was exposing myself to, was to show my friends, their friends, etc. This is the depressing part. No one wants anything to do with it and compounding the problem is the general population's stereotypical pigeonholing of the people who "prep". I don't see myself as a prepper even though it's what I do everyday. Out of the twenty or so people I've talked to, only ONE has taken any interest. This kills me because I can only look down on all my friends now. They don't care because they have video games, cars, women, money; this doesn't impact TODAY so what do they care? I know that the only reason they listened to me in the first place is because of me, not the information. The best part, is when I talk to them about recent gun purchases or future planning, as if in unison, they're reply is "... yeah man, when the shit goes down, I'm headed your way man." Riiiiiiiiight.

You need to immerse yourself in the human condition. Our history is not recliners, internet and delivery pizza. We first worlders have a problem with our entitlements, as if we are guaranteed them. Pro tip: They aren't. The sooner you understand the real value of the things we use on a daily basis; the sooner you understand the resources for our human and societal survival are diminishing at an astonishing rate; the sooner you understand the natural carrying capacity for your geographic location; the sooner you frame your understanding of your life and world in the context of reality is the sooner you feel better about it. At least to the extent that you can do something about it.

Honestly, the best thing to do, you've already done. You've accepted, to some extent, that our way of life is flawed. Organically shift through information that interests you. Don't look for answers to your questions in a 1:1 sense, rather, look for answers that beget more questions. Look at the optimistic side of things to see if their analysis holds water. If you listen to NPR, listen to FOX news.

You aren't taking it seriously enough. Challenge yourself.

edheler · 3 months

You're not taking it too seriously. You're taking it too personally.

Capissen38 · 3 months

I still look forward to the future, because I'm adept at making the best of things. Being 28 and not having a family helps, too. To paraphrase Bruce Sterling, "The future won't be good, or bad. The future will feel weird." He coined a phrase, 'dark euphoria,' that I think captures my feelings about the future nicely.

zachm · 3 months

You're getting hung up on the idea that "collapse" is some event that will take place at some point in the future, and that on one side of that event will be "civilization" and the other side will be "chaos." Easy to see how you could get that idea, since a substantial portion of this reddit subscribes to it.

There's another way of looking at collapse, which is that it's a process that we're in the middle of and which will take decades to play out. Not much cannibalism in this narrative, just a long, slow worsening of standard of livings. The world will change, and some people will die; but that doesn't make it the end of the world.

John Michael Greer has a great perspective on the topic:

http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2012/01/waiting-for-great-pumpkin.html

Read his blog and do some deep breathing exercises. Everything is going to be fine... for reduced values of "fine" relative to current levels.

Another helpful resource is Chris Martenson, who points out that the biggest problem with collapse as we're living it today is that our monetary system won't acknowledge it's happening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBiTnBwSWc#t=15m48s

Good luck coming to grips with all of this!

SatOnMyNutsAgain · 3 months

You are taking it like a healthy sane person should. Allowing this realization to enter your psyche, instead of fighting it, should feel like the death of someone very close to you. You are grieving the loss of the entire paradigm under which well all have lived until now.

This shift will happen... it could start happening very fast at some point here, and all the people who are unaware, or still in the denial phase, will be shocked to their core. They will not survive.

By picturing all this in your mind you are horrifying yourself, but at the same time you a putting your mind through a process of training that will prepare you for that reality. Myself, I have horribly disturbing dreams. I wake up each morning in shock at what I have seen in my sleep. But this is how we train ourselves to be able to respond to these things when they happen.

Besides having some canned food, when the time comes you will not be shocked emotionally, because you have already seen this all in your mind's eye. You will not panic - you will survive. You will have the privilege of experiencing the post-carbon paradigm of peace and freedom.

alllie · 3 months

I did my grieving over the end of American democracy, which began with the stealing of the election in 2000 and has continued since then. I think the wealthy and powerful are trying to set things up for after the collapse, to make sure this is a tight police state that can keep the population under control even as they starve and die, even as they are forced to brute labor in their fields, even as they become literal slaves. I think the engineered end of democracy is just a response by the wealthy to the coming collapse.

tw0str0ke · 3 months

Some of the people here are a little rough, some are the reason we have these problems, some are excited for the opportunity to shoot a human without facing consequences.

But there are people like me who understand that love and compassion are the key to our happiness and I don't want to see anyone's blood shed for our own ignorance.

I had a shock period, which led to all out rejection for about a year. Then I watched a really thought provoking documentary on peak oil, which if nothing else is a reality. So we need to prepare for this, we need to be self sufficient. We need to look after ourself, that is the only reason I come to this sub reddit. I want to learn to look after myself.

My major panic is to keep my eye on the news so that if thing's do start to go down the shitter fast I can get on the first flight home, I'm living in London UK just for some overseas experience and don't want to get stranded here in the event of some catastrophe. I'm so fortunate to be from New Zealand where I can be free no matter the circumstance. The population density and freedom to do as I wish there empowers me with a positivity. But there are bad people anywhere in the world.

I don't know what I'm rambling on about, but maybe this can help?

auchris · 3 months

You're probably taking it too seriously. I had a few months of panic too where I thought the end was nigh and I saw how woefully unprepared I was.

I've since realized how naive and childish this is. Nobody can predict the future with any degree of clarity, so worrying about it needlessly does nothing but stress you out.

The solution? Don't just horde stuff and buy PMs and guns (although you can do those things too), but take action. Join a CSA and try your hand at working in sustainable agriculture. Join or start community organizations in your neighborhood, work, or church. Give away some of your consumer frippery and embrace a simpler lifestyle. Walk more, drive less. Teach your kids to fish.

Don't give in to the doom and gloomers here. Many are just hoping that the world collapses around them so that they'll be able to toss aside the person they are now for some imagined heroic alter-ego. Others are just alarmist.

mijamala1 · 3 months

I'm on board with you. I just hate when I'm talking about it with other people, and when they admit it sounds bad they just change the subject.

No I don't berate people with it :) And yes I'm fun at parties.

aspectt · 3 months

As I am at a point where I would like to change my job, but feel as though it would be better to make the garunteed money while I can so I can further prepare. I am frequently depressed by the world around me. It feels sometimes like the more i learn about the world, the darker things become, as I grow older and understand more and more of my own existence. When I was a kid the worst thing was sitting on the steps for time-out. Slowly the awareness of my own impact spread, until I realized that impact was minuscule in comparison to greater things, to the way society sways. I am a single vote amongst millions.

Confronted with the truth of the limitedness of natural resources, and seeing the interdependency of it all, I began to question my life and career choices. I look around to all those around me whom I care about, those who I interact with on a daily basis who don't see the same thing. Frequently feel like I'm overreacting, that confirmation bias, the blogs I read and the information I see are all leading me down a foolish path. I hear those I choose to confide my fears in infer that I'm crazy, and I go back and analyze it but no matter how I write it, the equation's result seems to be the same. I can only see a culling coming in my lifetime, and I'm struck by how much I just don't have time or money to pursue. In these moments I wonder if I'm ever going to allow myself to have children, if I'll ever have time to find someone I love enough for that.

So frequently I feel like I'm just so far behind where I should be, that I should be doing more personally, and more socially. In the same way that I mourned my grandma as she faded slowly over the last four years before passing a few months back, I mourn my own future, and the futures of those around me. I have dreams where I find some solution to the energy crisis that delivers humanity a second wind, but then awake to see corruption, corporate influence, and ignorance all around, and reality hits me like a bucket of ice water. I would rather sleep.

I consider all those that I have met, who have their own goals, wants, and futures to consider and I realize that they may never achieve them. Its like being on a party boat that is inexorably headed for a waterfall. It most certainly depresses me, this dark future that awaits. In these moments, the focus of my attention, of what I hold close and dear to myself becomes sharper. If you knew your house was burning down in 10 minutes you would immediately know what things you would want to evacuate, and which things are unimportant. In the same way I am more intimately aware of what things I need, for my survival, emotionally, mentally, physically. In the last two years I have transformed into someone entirely different. More assertive, more confident, and more focused, and in short, better.

I am comforted by the knowledge that yes I do want to survive. I am not done here, I have been gifted this short period of consciousness and existence, this one body, this one life, and I fully intend to make the most of it. I am strengthened by the knowledge that I glean from research and practice. I steel myself and know that I am stronger, and more secure because of it. I am comforted by the knowledge that when things inevitably decline, be it tomorrow or in the next 50 years, I will have the knowledge, skills, and knowhow to lead those I love to survival, to their own life goals, and in doing so achieve my own.

It is a challenge that one can only rise to, or fall in despair. You question if you're taking things too seriously, I'm there with you. But I can't help but also ask if it is merely those around you not taking things seriously enough, and that inborn desire in all of us to be like others is creeping through your own thought process. This part of me speaks, but the voice of experience and reason tends to talk louder and more clearly. I have been in several situations where what I've become in my process of awakening have paid off, to the benefit of others beyond myself. I help others by helping myself first, and passing what I've learned on, be it in times of tranquility or in times of strife.

FractalDude · 3 months

I've known everything was going to collapse and change very young. However, the seriousness of the economic collapse hit me when I first saw Zeitgeist 2 a few years ago. I also attended occupy wall street and now I practically everyday have another wave of sadness when I think about where our entire world is headed.

Read the Anti-American manifesto and watch Zeitgeist 2 and 3. You can watch them for free online.

You're not taking this too seriously. Not in the slightest. I'd say learn to grow your own food. Have at least a rough plan. My plan is to in the next year visit various self-sustaining communes in the United States to learn the skills I am going to need. Even if the collapse is not as bad as I believe it is going to be it can't hurt to prepared.

Its not just the food its the fact we have nearly no say in the matter and we're getting arrested for standing up for our rights. I've been to various occupations across the US and I've seen and hurt about much of rights being violated. I feel the seriousness of this every single day.

If you start to feel really stressed remember you are not alone. Feel free to PM me.

Bbaily · 3 months

People here are too worried about their immediate future to do anything about coming events. They also have complete faith that their Government will save them and would never let something like this happen. It's just unthinkable.

In spite of all the most current events and mathematical evaluations pointing to a huge collapse, it's unacceptable to some people and quite a few will still call you a nutter if you mention it.

Reddit isn't what it used to be. Pockets of inspiring, clear thinking, informative, creative, sexy people still exist in subs but over all it's turned into a more agile Facebook. The denial and hubris at Reddit is stunning at times.

I've been watching it happen slowly over the years so I haven't been as surprised as some. The thing that I felt people were missing over the years was the change in the laws, they started favoring large institutions and corps. Then as time went on people started losing more of their rights and can no longer really defend themselves anymore.

When the laws of the land no longer apply to those running the country and only to it's "Subjects" must follow them, you have some really serious issues developing. Not surprisingly these same issues are happening all over the world right now.

I honestly don't think people understand they are being attacked by their own government. Sooner then later they will wake up - probably too late to do anything.

CalmSpider · 3 months

Collapses have happened over and over throughout history. Collapses are happening right now in some parts of the world. There are a whole bunch of places right now where societies have collapsed, and the people are in the process of rebuilding. I have grown up knowing that the same thing could happen where I live and that it would mean that life would become very difficult for myself and everyone else I knew. I didn't grieve, as far as I remember, when I first considered the idea that everything I know and love will be gone someday.

I don't take the subject of a collapse very seriously in normal conversation for one simple reason: We don't actually know what's going to happen. We can't know. Instead, I work to prepare myself for potential hardships, and I don't take myself too seriously. After all, no matter what I do, everything I care about will end up as mere dust someday.

Also, to put it in perspective, the most horrible thing to happen to life on Earth, as far as I know, happened 2 billion years ago and can't happen again any time soon.

CunningAllusionment · 3 months

Derrick Jensen once wore that or civilization is like a surreal and macabre dance party where grenades have begun rolling across the floor and everyone is doing their best to ignore them. Do not look away. His noon-fiction book "a language older than words" is both beautiful and terrifying. His two part book "end game" about the dismantling of civilization might also be helpful.

sess · 3 months

[On comments.]

The 10 prior comments to mine are all below threshold and presumably callous trolling. I've noted an unfortunate uptick in defamatory, low-brow, and overly lolcat-ish comments on this subreddit, recently. I'm not altogether sure why, but would certainly take comments like "You will hear the cries of your children's hunger pains..." with a generous pinch of salt.

As real-world events increasingly coincide with long-standing doomer predictions (albeit at a slower pace than such ideologues as, say, Kunstler might like), it stands to reason that the mainstream find "doomer"-oriented communities increasingly cognitively threatening. This means us. Hence, this (possible) recent backlash in overtly trollish behavior.

Whatever the cause, it's reduced the quality and dignity of discussion in this subreddit to rubble. (Yes, we once conducted ourselves in a civil manner. Mostly.)

[On collapse.]

I wholeheartedly hope for immediate collapse. Why? The rate of anthropogenic species extinct is most certainly somewhere between 10 to 200 species a day. While a wide range of uncertainty, even assuming the lower bound suggests the extinction of over 175,000 species over the next 50 years -- which most of us will be well alive to witness.

I'd rather neither I or loved ones die prematurely, but I'd more rather the biosphere itself not die prematurely. The biosphere is more important than any single species -- even one so lofty, crafty, and semi-conscious as ours. We have no plausible evidence or expectation of Life elsewhere. If we exterminate Life here (as increasingly appears certain), then what of Life?

I fast routinely and, suffering several incurable autoimmune diseases, am well-acquainted with chronic pain. I wish famine and death on none.

Yet, the inescapable question remains: if other species had a vote, would they vote our species off-planet?

I suspect the answer to be, resoundingly, "Yay." What right-minded species would vote "Nay?" Only the precious few we artificially select for. Domesticated felines, canines, and grain staples, perhaps... and few else. (Perhaps the cetaceans, despite our oceanic extermination campaign. They always did take the High Road.)

That's unfortunate. We're easily the most hated species on Earth, and we've well earned it. I hold no hope for change, and hence hope for collapse.

VintageGirl82 · 3 months

I had a lot of issues with the very things that you are dealing with too. I stepped away from communities like this for a while because, even though I really think that there will be some kind of collapse in the future, people were just mean about it. Then you also have to consider the fact that everyone is so cocky about the collapse because you're in a community where people feel that they are "prepared." I don't like reading things from people who are convinced that they are going to hole up somewhere with a gun and shoot anyone who comes around in hopes of getting food. That just seems mean and it isn't my style at all.

I'm still a part of these communities because I like getting tips for homesteads and the sort. I don't like the bad, elitist attitude that seems to come along with it. I think that, if a collapse does come, we will all have to band together. It could be a really beautiful moment for society. Try thinking about it in a different way. I've found a lot of people on collapse boards and in these communities like to focus on the bad stuff. It's always nice to feel vindicated and it gives people a chance to sit around and say "I told you so" if shit really hits the fan. Focus on the positive. Focus on ways to make the planet better.

I spent a lot of time focusing on how horrible everything would be and all the suffering. The words from people who are, to put it bluntly, planning on behaving selfishly make thinking about collapse worse. Try to think of ways that you can make things better and alleviate pain for others. Maybe plan a community garden or talk to your extension office about having classes on soap making or something like that. Do something that makes you feel productive and that will help you feel like you aren't pushing along a collapse, but that you will have made someone's life better when and if a collapse comes.

What_Is_X · 3 months

Contrary to the popular and honestly gratifying idea that a collapse will happen overnight (shit hitting the fan), history and logic tells me it won't. It won't take place over days or weeks; society will slowly deterioriate over months or years if at all. It won't be an emergency "OH BETTER GRAB MY BUG OUT BAG AND HEAD FOR MY MOUNTAIN CABIN" situation. That's complete bullshit.

drbunny · 3 months

Reconciling your previous perceptions with those brutally contextualized by this sub-reddit is a difficult task and left to the individual at their own rate of re-orientation. Waking up from a cozy slumber is never pleasant when clashing realities force a re-evaluation of circumstance and preconception. I absolutely went through a grieving period as I slowly grappled with the idea that my spoon-fed reality was a bunch of B.S. and I would have to determine my own definition of engagement and survival, and in what form I wanted to actualize it. It's a process, brother, and I sympathize. To take Hobbes out of context, "Life is poor, nasty, brutish, and short". These are the harsh realities we need to confront in a world of massive starvation, inequality, war and strife. The question is what will you do about it?

NoMoreNicksLeft · 3 months

It hit me last summer with all the debt ceiling hoopla that an economic collapse is more than possible, it's a matter of when and how fast.

It is more than possible, but not certain. And, considering peak oil and so forth, an economic collapse could stall civilization in ways that we cannot recover from. It's good you take this serious, without getting all kooky.

Yet I don't like to think about it too much because the horrific scenarios that would involve real human beings seems like too much to ponder. Literally, whenever I think about a collapse I get in a serious funk and I feel like weeping when I think of my children or anybody's children having to experience it.

I agree. These are not pleasant thoughts. And it doesn't make it any easier to read about idiots that apparently think it is good that this will happen.

But your children need you. If you take your responsibilities as a parent seriously, then you are obligated to start figuring things out now so that they will not have it as bad as those who are totally surprised by collapse.

I have to be honest, my first thoughts are not "Get a gun and hide somewhere"

You do need several. But this cannot be the sum total of your preparation. It is a contingency against a very specific kind of emergency. It won't feed you, it won't keep you warm.

You all are further along in the process of acceptance.

No. I'd be lying if I said I was happy or even accepting of this. I just haven't found the right kind of denial, I suppose.

But even if I'm going to act half-nuts, I can't let that get in the way of preparing. Neither can you.

I guess the question I want to ask is this: what was it like when you first began to entertain the idea that a collapse was immanent?

Maybe 10 years ago. But even then, I would have thought that only extraordinary circumstances could cause it. Nuclear war, rogue asteroid, etc. A few years later, it became a bit more obvious we were being lied to, not about the political bullshit they've always lied about, but about the nature of resource reserves.

I got to thinking about how if you trapped 100 people in a warehouse with enough food to last them 10 years... they don't wait til 9 years and 40 weeks to start panicking. Long before that they'll have figured out how much is left, and somewhere around year 3 or 4 they'll become violent and try to hoard it away from everyone else. Thus, it doesn't matter if there are 70 years of oil left, or 150 of coal. And this is bad even though it doesn't take into account in the real world that the last half of the resources are just more difficult to pump or mine than the first half.

I read a comment the other day saying "You will hear the cries of your children's hunger pains..." You know? There seems to be a lot of inhuman things said so callously here

You can let yourself read those things as mockery designed to torment you, or you can read those as some sort of warning that if you don't personally change your lifestyle things will get very bad for your loved ones.

Food wasn't always just some pre-packaged, pre-cooked product that comes in a handy little microwavable cardboard tray. Real people used to grow it, you still can. And while a farmer from 100 years ago was more skilled than you are, you have alot going for you that they never did... and you can learn their skills too, if you're dedicated. But this all takes time, you need to start as soon as possible.

You need to involve your children even if they are very young. And if your lifestyle doesn't allow for you to start, if you live in a suburb with a small backyard and they don't allow chickens or if you're on the 4th floor of some high-rise condo building, you need to move. If you can't keep your job if you move, you need a new one. If there's no money for learning to grow things... then you need to be more miserly with your money.

It won't happen tomorrow, it won't happen next week. But you need to act like it if only to force yourself to not put off preparation another 10 years.

LadyDarkKitten · 3 months

Fortunetly I don't have children to worry about. I do get the 'go weep in the corern' feeling now and again, but then I sit down and tell myself that I am a capable, strong, smart, multi faceted individual and I can get through this. By multi faceted I mean that I can sew, basket weave, wood work (things like wooden nails and eating utensils) I know how to make an array of primitive tools and I know how to tie useful knots and make rope. In addition to that I have a crafting book that covers thing such as how to make thread from scratch. How to build a loom, then how to use said loom to make cloth. I have pretty extensive first aid knowledge and I can grow just about anything. There's lots of things that I am still in the process of learning and if I can't learn it before the collapse I am confident that I'll figure it the fuck out.

Sharlach · 3 months

Jeez, where do I even begin? I first started thinking about a collapse in about 2007 when oil prices spiked to $147. That was when I started looking into peak oil and learned all I could about it. I can't really remember my initial reaction, but I think it was probably just dread and fear. I started worrying, trying to warn all my friends, and preparing right away. Eventually though I just sort of stopped talking and even thinking about it. For about 18 months it was out of my mind completely and I even went back to being a typical materialistic consumer in that time period--thinking that it would be a long time before anything happened. Recently though, I've sort of snapped back into worrying about this stuff and paying close attention to what's happening around the world.

The thing is, as much as I do believe that we're heading towards some bad times, I don't expect a total collapse anymore, nor do I think we'll see any kind of massive and rapid die off, at least not in the U.S. The truth is that the people that will suffer the most will be those that are the most susceptible (the poor, the old, and the sick), and the places most likely to have die offs and serious civil conflicts will be places with the most people (China and India).

howtospeak · 3 months

I know an EMP collapse is immanent because it has happened before, The Carrington Event was the biggest one recorded, for it to happen again it would mean the destruction of the electric grid world-wide.

This means nuclear power plants will most likely blow up since their backup generator has enough diesel for only a week. This will kill 90% of the population from radiation poisoning, it will be the end.

It's only a matter of time, I know it's gonna happen soon.

EDIT: Dangerous solar storms happened also in 1921, 1989 and 2003. The last 2 created blackouts in some regions.

Scumbo · 3 months

Yeah, of course. I'm right there with you every single day. The only way I cope is to pay attention to the environment around me and think about possibilities, eventualities, and how we're gonna survive if something goes terribly wrong. Odds are something will. BUT. They might not. And, like you, I think that even if I did just leave where I am and huddle down in a bunker, that would be a pretty shitty life even if you do survive. So in the end, I pretty much just pray for rain but prepare for drought, as they say. What's that thing. Realism. Most things are never as bad or as good as you think they are.

ScreamingAmish · 3 months

It is hard to put into words. I think everyone got here in different ways. It's been almost a year to the day when I watched "Collapse" which opened my eyes. Then four days later my father died. So in a lot of ways my entire world was destroyed within a week.

Everyone handles adversity differently. Plus, everyone has different thoughts on what's good and bad with modern society to begin with. I'll miss the Internet and it's vast knowlegebase, but I think less industrialization will be good for the planet. So there's positives and negatives.

I can't speak for everyone, but I think there is a natural instinct in most males to protect their family or tribe ( whatever you hold that to be ). That's where you get the "Get a gun and hide" mentality from. I did not start thinking in those terms, but now that I am about a year in I have thought seriously about getting and learning to shoot a gun this year. After I first learned about it... nah, I was thinking about learning to garden and can food.

infinitymind · 3 months

the collapse is surely around the corner. Sure, it's exaggerated to some degree and I wouldn't recommend buy into Everything you read here... I mean there's little you can do by freaking out, the best course of action would be to get informed about what's happening and Expect shit to hit the fan (slowly but surely) - try to share your knowledge with others and simply raise awareness... there's a lot of BS going on in and around the world (especially the U.S.) but most people are completely oblivious to it, that's the issue.

The way I see it, we are on the verge of collapse BUT if we (society) were to expect it and try to change our ways to better the outcome we'd be in good shape, unfortunately that's not the case... we're pushing faster and faster towards the inevitable.

Jman5 · 3 months

If we can ever fix our campaign finance laws, things will dramatically improve.

90% of the problems we have in our country stem from this mess. I think if things get bad enough people will demand a fix. However, it will have to get a lot worse than it is today.

NihiloZero · 3 months

I think the general public's response to the various crises we face, and even the response of those who readily acknowledge those crises, can largely be explained with term "cognitive dissonance."

nkktwotwozero · 3 months

Something Dmitry Orlov said has stuck with me; Collapse happens individually.

Meaning that while it is a societal process, ultimately, individuals live through it and experience it on an individual basis.

eleitl · 3 months

I am having a hard time taking this place seriously

You shouldn't. It's just a place on the Internet where people come to vent.

even though the threat of collapse seems very real right now

Welcome to the realization. You will get used to it, in time.

much because the horrific scenarios that would involve real human beings seems like too much to ponder

You're supposed to ponder the horrific scenarios in order to prevent them, or at least to cushion the blow. Desasterbation or survivalism is obviously not helping.

when I think of my children or anybody's children having to experience it

Or old people experiencing it. I've seen it, and it's not pretty.

can we get through it?

Yes, for various numeric values of 'we'.

Will civilization be lost?

Not if we prevent it.

I have to be honest, my first thoughts are not "Get a gun and hide somewhere"

This is good -- so masses of people subscribing to above notion will make it hard for saner people by becoming the problem they're trying to prevent.

what was it like when you first began to entertain the idea that a collapse was immanent?

Too many decades past to remember.

Did you go through a mourning or grieving period?

Nope. I see it as a challenge from the engineering perspective.

Anyone relate?

You seem like a good person, with the right emotions. However, on the long run emotions are not helping -- other than a driver, of course.

syuk · 3 months

I think things will continue to slide as slowly as they have been doing until 'the game is up' and there is no avoiding or dodging the problems anymore.

Today I have heard the news, 48 people have frozen to death somewhere and they are talking about restricting gas use in Italy in order to have enough to heat residences.

I think its fair to assume that our kids won't have the science fiction life we might have imagined for ourselves, there is too much greed and not enough compassion and friendship maybe.

Worrying about something you can't change is wasted effort, just try and be consoled that you are one of few who see what is coming eventually so it won't be so much of a surprise when it does.

triobot · 3 months

last night i watched collapse.

The truths behind it all is horrifying. You will go through the 5 stages of grief.

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

And in the words of Micheal Rupport "(Collapse) is not conspiracy theory, it's conspiracy fact."

KeepingTrack · 3 months

That's why we talk about it and prep. It's something to accept, not something to fret about. Live your life, don't make it into a miserable mess.

BTW, I think that world-wide collapse isn't something that is likely. I think you and other people have mistaken "collapse" for "Doom" like the 2012 nuts.

mikeystewart · 3 months

We are at the height of the roman empire. Instead of going to the Collisium , we watch the news for our daily dose of violence. And instead of the roman orgies we watch porn. Not that I am against porn, or the news, just something I noticed.

KazamaSmokers · 3 months

HST called it The Fear, and it eventually got him.

londubh2010 · 3 months

Nope. I'm in total denial.

MmeLaRue · 3 months

I grew up during the late 70s and early 80s when the threat of nuclear war was embedded into popular culture and into the psyche of my generation. We grew up thinking quite literally that we were not going to grow up. For some of us, it was yet another layer on all the moral panics that gripped us; for others, it was an opportunity to imagine what would follow: whether it would be a land of sex and horror (as said Frankie Goes to Hollywood), or some Utopia waxed poetic by many other artists of the period. The reality of this situation, like most other realities, sits somewhere in the middle. We will each need to create our own Eden from the ashes of this Madison Avenue-created divide.

To answer your question, OP, those of us who know what's coming may be taking things too seriously, but those in denial or in ignorance are taking it far too lightly. For the kind of guidance that will help us along without throwing us into a panic with every headline, the vast majority of us might do well to read up on the simple living movement in general and get a somewhat more positive spin on what could be a reality for us all over time. I figure it's far better for us to be creative and frugal and aware now because we want to be, than it is to have to fly it by the seat of our pants when we hit an economic wall personally. Psychologically tightening our belts will make the actual push towards a corrected standard of living much, much less painful.

Will_Power · 3 months

I had been thinking about the decline of the U.S. that began in the 1970s before I really started to consider various collapse scenarios, so I kind of had my mourning phase out of the way.

biomassive · 3 months

I began to think that a collapse was possible (not nessecarily imminent) after watching the response to hurricane Katrina. That event evaporated what little remaining faith I had for government. The fact that the gov't was unwilling or unable to help made it very clear that the individuals have to be responsible for their own wellbeing and security. I tend to follow the maxim: hope for the best but prepare for the worst. It allows me to be optimistic.

Jiffy_Squid · 3 months

It's unlikely that, in the event of a collapse, that people will start freaking out and hiding somewhere with their guns.

People in war zones around the world live (and have lived) in what was a state of collapse. What happens is there is a terrible degradation of the standard of living and way of life. People still try to maintain a society.

My parents grew up in Europe during WWII. Although the "authorities" still existed, they existed in name only. You didn't go to the police to complain about a crime, the police came to you to commit a crime. So yes, you were responsible for your own protection, but the fact that all your neighbors were also vigilantly watching out for you helped in that aspect immensely and crime was rare and swiftly punished.

The only truly horrific scenario you would have to prepare for would be something that would be very unlikely, like nuclear war or a zombie apocalypse. Neither is very likely to happen imho.

So, when it comes to making preparations for a collapse, it is simply an exercise in prudence and self-sufficiency. Can you grow your own food if you need to? Can you defend yourself and your friends/loved ones/neighbors if need be? Do you have people you know and respect to work together with in a time of need?

This is something we should all be able to do, at least to some degree.

As for the more extreme comments, I regard them as people who do think that nuclear war or a zombie apocalypse is around the corner, and quite honestly, I kind of feel that their feet aren't quite on the ground and that they're not here for the right reasons.

Yankeehero · 3 months

I think a lot of people, like me, entertain the more horrible and far fetched collapse scenarios more for fun. I'm in to the whole doomsday end of civilization scenario, but I don't think it will happen at all. This imminent collapse will certainly be very slow and never completely a collapse. But I do believe we will be facing times where food may be hard to get, employment scarce, and riots and revolutions will be a real danger.

dubman42 · 3 months

You won't survive if your strategy is to head to the hills and live in a hole. But following a transition period from an economic collapse I see communities working together and re-aligning to a localized economy rather than the global one we have now. People will need to migrate to hospitable locations, everyone will learn to grow their own garden, generate their own electricity, harvest their own meat and live within their own localized means. Personally, spending the rest of my time here on earth in a community of self sufficient homesteading hippies doesn't sound all that bad. The tricky part is surviving the transition.

Ddraig · 3 months

This is kind of what I've been dealing with, and started my internet radio show as a result. I however am one of the unfortunate ones that requires society to run at least at its current levels due to the need for medication. :P

webdoodle · 3 months

"Check yourself before your wreck yourself"

-Ice Cube

The context may not be the same, but the realities of the statement certainly apply here. Doubt about something as important as collapse is a good thing, it's denial that's the problem.

xbk1 · 3 months

You need to hang out with someone hopeful, like science journalist John Horgan

pinkcoco · 3 months

I don't think its wrong to have these feeling of remorse and uncertainty. When it first occurred to me that I might be forced to deal with a societal collapse in my lifetime, I had nightmares (still do). I decided it was plausible before I found /r/collapse and it made me feel a bit less insane to realize that there were other people out there who saw the warning signs around them. I think the callousness you're describing comes from the division people have about society. For some, collapse means survival of the fittest (a kind of social Darwinism) and the general propagation of the human race. To others, its the perfect expression of complex society to help one another to survive.

Personally, I feel a combination of both. I have some friends that are pretty hardcore and are willing to do whatever it takes in a bug-out to make sure they survive. Another good friend of mine thinks I'm crazy for just having some basic supplies like water tablets and camping gear. She has a small family and I worry that if the worst were to happen they might not know what to do. It breaks my heart, but its her choice to ignore even the most basic of survival skills.

Just a thought, but when I was a kid (I had hippie parents) my mom made me read this book called the Celestine Prophecy. It was about a societal awakening and gradual realization about a collective knowledge. I wrote it off as scify. When I started to feel like something was wrong with the world, some of the ideas in the book started to make sense, but mostly the concept synchronicity. Basically, people in the book all share a sense of uncertainty and uneasiness. As you begin to wake up to the signs around you, more appear. Gradually, everyone sees the truth. I've found that the more I come to realize, the more I meet people who share my concerns. It's a similar concept to the idea of a societal 'shift' in the Maya calendar.

Whether the end comes sooner, later, fast, or slow is almost irrelevant. The important part is that we come out of our coma and brace for impact. Some people wont make it, but some people don't know how to distill water or which forest greens are edible. Altruism has a role post collapse. Gathering knowledge to rebuild is an important task that doesn't involve stockpiles of guns or self-isolation. Maybe you'll feel a better sense of fulfillment and security in knowledge, it helped me :)

Joelzinho · 3 months

I did feel it when I was subscribed. It was depressing and it weighted on my mind heavily throughout the day. Everything I said seemed to have a dark outlook towards the future. It seemed to find itself in every aspect of my life, from playing sports, socializing with friends, reading, everything seemed negative.

So I unsubscribed and now I just check in every so often. Much healthier.

penguins_913q · 3 months

A collapse would occur over a period of several months to a few years (the latter being more likely). Don't stress about it OP, just have a slightly more robust disaster prep kit and have a garden in your backyard. When shit actually hits the fan (for those of us in most 1st world countries) you can start being a bit more paranoid.

BarkingCynic · 3 months

Chin up, comrade, it gets easier as you go. The way I see it, your intellect is telling you that you've got good reasons to be fearful, and you've got enough guts that you're not just ignoring the problems and trying not to think about them. The way I see it, it takes a lot of courage to admit that you're scared silly.

So here you are - you're pretty worried, and you're getting more so every day. I am too, incidentally.

What I would suggest is to make a plan. Keep the steps in the plan down to simple, manageable, bite-sized chunks. Then make patient and consistent progress on the plan.

Somebody else, on my wanderings across the internet, suggested that everybody get prepared to survive without any outside help first for just one day. You've get yourself and your family squared away such that you can be totally on your own for one day - no doctor, no pharmacist, no grocery store, no power company, no running water, and the police officers are not coming either. Once you're ready to be on your own for one day, you prepare for ten days. Then for a hundred days, etc. That struck me as being very clever - not only because it's much more manageable to proceed that way, but then you've got real milestones to set your mind at ease with.

That's the bulk of my advice - get a plan, start making progress with it, and I think you'll have a lot more peace of mind as a result.

Personally, I also take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for us all and that he's in charge.

However, that doesn't excuse us the responsibility to do everything we can, with what we have, for as long as we can. I read a really neat quote on www.survivalblog.com today - "When the time to perform is at hand, the time to prepare has passed.

So, I'd say shake yourself out of the fear-induced numbness, make a list of stuff you'll need for a day, and get it squared away! You'll feel worlds better.

Raddra · 3 months

Keep in mind that 'collapse' does not mean some kind of armageddon where everything turns into max max (though things could get dangerous, especially in the opening stages due to all the worst elements of society + riots) collapse pretty much means reducing your living standards to match those of the less rich nations of the world.

creepindacellar · 3 months

it is a life shattering realization, and there is nothing you can do about it.

mynameisdave · 3 months

"You will hear the cries of your children's hunger pains..."

Pangs. Hunger pangs.

PompousAss · 3 months

I don't know what all you chickenshits are so afraid of. Pop a round in each of your kids, so they go quick, then the wife, then the last one is for you. You won't have to deal with none of that shit. Just make sure it really is the end, so you don't end up like that dude in The Mist.

BarkingCynic · 3 months

Oh, yeah - and the "Get a gun and hide somewhere" idea is kind of appealing to me, too. However, I think teamwork, coordination, communication and loyalty will work a whole lot better over the long and short term.

That's not to say that I'm trying to talk you out of buying a firearm if you're currently unarmed. Owning a firearm (and knowing how to use it!!!) is just prudent, I think. 'Course, that's a part of my background, training and the way I was raised, too, so I'm admittedly biased.

Think of it this way - is it evil to be a great big guy with muscles out to here? No, of course not. The good or evil in it is what the great big guy does with his strength. The same thing applies to firearms.

"God made man, Henry Colt made 'em all equal."

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