It truly does seem like the average person will just go along with anything now and keep quiet. And that really scares me because that means there isn't an emergency brake for how bad things can get. I don't know how or when people lost their ability to push-back but they certainly don't seem capable of it anymore, except in France. They never lost it and I hope they don't!

Something that perhaps is not brought up nearly enough in this sub is the importance of our subjective feelings. What I mean is, if you are isolated, it's very natural to think and feel that 'no one cares', but once you entangle your life with others who care deeply, such feelings are almost impossible to produce, because everyday you see the evidence of how strongly people care. Same can be said about other feelings like love, hope, or passion. They are infectious. I think this is due to human nature that is inherently relational which makes is so that the local truth coming out of our relationships will have stronger effect on our subjective feelings than our abstract thoughts about the society and the world.

great point

it makes sense with how one of the best things you can do for your own mental wellbeing is take up activism as a major part of your lifestyle and immerse yourself in groups of people who are doing something. You might expect that to drain hope faster by staring down the problem, but the agency and sense of doing something to change things more than makes up for it, and the serious activists I know are some of the happiest, most hopeful people I know despite the turmoil it brings to their lives. You gotta stop the doomscroll though. Sitting around reading about everything falling to shit is demoralizing and wasted time and effort when your self preservation instinct demands action.

I think most people are in denial. Because the demise of humanity (and ultimately your inevitable demise) is a hard pill to swallow, even moreso if you've never dealt with the amount of stress that has come with these last few years lately. Most people don't think of their mortality, or think they could lose their jobs and go homeless, ect, so when confronted with the possibility, most people just throw it into their subconscious. I personally came from a crazy abusive family so things like this have always been on my mind and I've really never not been extremely stressed, but for the average person who is used to a certain standard of life or has never hit rock bottom.... they just don't know how to process those feelings. And therapy is expensive, let alone finding a therapist who is on the same wavelength about the whole end of the world situation. So they do the only thing they feel they can do.... they bury it all inside...

Yes, many (most?) people are in denial, but I'm seeing two other categories of people around me. First, those who are truly clueless. They have no idea about what's happening in the world around them. It's amazing and fascinating, truly. The second group are feeling the impacts and have a vague, general awareness about what's happening, but they're internalizing their own failures. For instance, those losing jobs are blaming it on their own deficiencies rather than the weak labor market. Those unable to afford a home (or healthcare or groceries) just feel like they need to increase their income. They can't (as of yet anyway) make the mental leap that systems are fragile at best and failing at worst.

When I started to become aware of the predicament we're in and slowly realized there's most likely no stopping it it was a rough couple years. I considered/ consider myself ok with the prospect of my own demise but somehow the entire civilization collapsing hit me harder. Like everything suddenly lost meaning.. seemed like there was no way to even leave a positive legacy (I believe we can do so now, just by making the inevitable slide a little bit less terrible in our own small way). Definitely went through all the stereotypical stages of grief and it took a while. I still get stressed and have trouble making decisions about an uncertain future, but what else can you do but muddle through and try and enjoy each day you have right? I actually think it's a unique personality type who can even look at all this head on and begin to process it. Not everyone is capable and it's not a value judgement on them, it's more like psychological/ physiological wiring. Kinda envy people who can't really see what's happening, but don't envy the people who refuse to, because they'll see it eventually and will have less time to process as things get rapidly worse.

I relate to this. Around 2018, once I really started reckoning with the data, the implications, the inevitability... it was full-blown grief for about a year. I had to go on medical leave! It's a lot to process. Idk if it's possible to be totally at peace with everything that's happening, but it's definitely different coming out the other side of that grief tunnel. I moved to a place with more ground water/fewer disasters, not because I can avoid collapse but just so I can think about it less on the daily. That helped a lot. The knowledge has definitely changed my life trajectory, though

I have trouble making decisions too. It's like how much should I invest in the future vs how much is just wasted time? Tbh I still really don't have an answer. It's like, for example, I'd love to go back to school to be a therapist but by the same token that's 2 plus years AND the time it takes to be licensed.... and it seems like everything is accelerating SO much faster now.... before it was more of a slower decline (one that I've been quite acquainted with because I'm poor so I've felt the effects of just about everything).... but now everything just seems to be finally kicking off....I'm extremely scared for this fall/next year.... And yeah, I completely feel you on the your demise vs EVERYTHING falling bit.... that got me too, thinking of all the people I do like or could've come to like dying as well.....it makes me sad..... and depressed.... Honestly, when it starts getting bad to the point of people openly murdering each other in the streets because there is no law enforcement (well, that's actually already happening where I am, we don't have gun laws in Georgia anymore and yup... it's about as great as it sounds 🤦🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾. Go republicans/s) but.... when it's officially full tilt boogie there's no denying it anymore, when the power and water start shutting off and shtf....I hope I die peacefully in my sleep BEFORE that happens because I honestly just can't....

I went to a wedding this weekend and have been feeling much the same as you the last couple of years. So I started mentioning it to people and every single person I talked to felt the same. I think most people don't want to start the conversations but when you do you realise how many people are feeling the same way.

I think deep down people know. You have to know something in order to be in denial of it.

'This is not the end of the world, but you can see it from here.'- Eliza Cassan I'm particularly concerned by the ongoing series promoting war with Russia, declaring that the UK needs to be ready for war by 2030. Isn't it nice of them to give us a timescale? Hearing that 'oh don't worry, we will DEFINITELY be able to keep the lights on this winter!', well that wasn't a worry until you made me worry. Why don't you put it on a t-shirt? Then you can just point to it. I've been an amateur prepper for a few years now, but I know that whatever is brewing, none of us simpletons are going to survive it. I'm terrified too.

Honestly, I think it's the frog in the pot thing for me. I know it's happening but it's not happening fast enough and I still have to make money to eat and not lose my house, yanno? What am I supposed to do? I've gone to protests, I've called my elected officials, I've bought some small stockpiles. What am I supposed to do??

I’m with you, it’s crazy that we’re just marching towards this blindly.

There's plenty to be worried about. Many categories of life are in the shitter. Now that said, maybe your government is worried about less rain or to much that flood and that effects the crops and food shortages could become a thing. The straight of Hormuz isn't functioning as well which causes diesel and gas prices to rise. So maybe a mixture of these things are the case and detrimental to society. Oh yeah, I don't know what the heck about AI, should I be scared, I don't know. It's crazy though.

The protests and riots taking place throughout Europe shows just how bothered people are.

Your feelings are very valid but what is it you want people to do? I think it is important we keep going and take things as they come. We have no control over what people chose to do with ai and what wars the powers at be start. We do however have control over how we treat people, spreading love and kindness in the ways we can. Finding small joys in the life you are in right now.

Honestly I feel like the real threat with AI is how it's used. Surveillance capacities are higher. Getting an employer to actually see a resume is harder. Data centres are trashing ecosystems. It's used for drones

Pay attention and trust yourself. If you dont, grow your capacity to be trustworthy. You are not wrong but collapse is going to be somewhat unique for each of us. Metabolise that fear and look toward compartmentalisation and grit. Im sorry.

Not to dismiss your fears, as no-one can predict these outcomes, but saying no-one cares is a bit exaggerated. Same for 'the extinction of the species'. Will it likely get harder? Yes, especially for non advanced countries like the UK. Will it end in civilisation ending imminently? Very few scientists are that pessimistic. Remember mankind went through a lot already and made it through the darkest of times, and knowledge has a tendency to persist even after catastrophes Lastly, and I hope this helps, I am hopign that as the 'challenge rating' ratchets up, mankind will figure better _not worse_ ways of existing, even thoguh it doesnt look like it right now. For example, if there is an A.I. incident that brings down major banks and create chaos, mankind might then figure it needs to curtail AI. SImilarly if there is a famine year, mankind might attack waste or greatly push against overconsumption. Its unlikely it will all 'unravel at the same time, everywhere, imminently'.

‘Non advanced countries like the UK’ brutal 💀

We're marching toward the end of organized human society, but not all of humanity. Which, for us, might as well be the end.

Hunker down, and take your time coming to terms with what is happening. Its scary and shocking, but that may change to other emotions as you adjust. A lot of people are going to feel that panic you have right now at some point. You're earlier than most. I think you're right about the start. Collapse could take a long time to play out, but if you had to point to a moment in time where it started, where its clear growth is behind us and tangible decline has begun, this does seem like this is it. The oil shock and war strife are straining resources and supply chains with uncertainty about how far that could go. That is my guess why the UK government asked people to prep. There might not be more to it than that, though it is a sign of how unstable things are.

Euro governments have a long tradition of asking citizens to prep a bit. Britain does not. Given how much extreme weather we've been experiencing - and particularly what the monster El Nino is going to kick up - it makes sense. On top of which, yes, the Russians are getting testy