In my downtime following recent hand surgery, I've sought activities to keep me occupied. I've taken an intentional break from social media and news—both choices made for my mental well-being. From my perspective, the world seemed increasingly grim.

As boredom set in, I turned to YouTube, the vast repository of human knowledge, to learn something new. My search history seemed to confuse the algorithms, leading me to a prepping documentary. "This should be interesting," I thought, and it certainly was. The characters were eccentric, with one individual notably appearing nude during interviews.

For those unfamiliar, "Prepping" refers to individuals preparing for significant global disruptions. These individuals differ in views, body types, and mental states, yet they all anticipate a so-called SHTF situation—or when "Shit Hits The Fan."

Fast forward a few days, and as I cautiously returned to watching TV and checking Twitter, I noticed parallels between the documentary's themes and current global events. The participants all seemed convinced of an impending societal collapse—whether through nuclear conflict, drought, widespread famine, rampant inflation, a pandemic, an EMP, or even a zombie uprising. Essentially, they believe society will crumble, followed by a loss of money, law, and order. Civil unrest will be met with police brutality, leading humanity to revert to its primal instincts for survival. It's a rather grim outlook, to say the least. While the undead haven't risen yet, several scenarios appear increasingly plausible rather than exaggerated.

As I approach my 44th birthday, I find myself neither young nor old. I've experienced enough in life to avoid complacency about what lies ahead. My decision to unplug after surgery stemmed from the relentless stream of disasters I witnessed on the news. It was both disheartening and demoralizing. Strangely, my YouTube viewing led me down a similar path.

While never veering into extremism, I must admit I DO believe in climate change, escalating global tensions, potential financial collapse, and the utter incompetence of my government. My views align suspiciously with that naked individual from the documentary, which is concerning for both my fiancé and me.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a learning experience for me, revealing how I panicked and overreacted initially. In those early days, I obsessively followed the news, fretting over every detail, like the effects of bat guano on humans or the effectiveness of the bleach in my cupboard. In retrospect, all that worry was futile; I gained nothing of value and only heightened my anxiety. I feel foolish for getting swept up in what I thought were critical issues.

Delving further into the prepping world revealed a mix of characters and their motivations. Unsurprisingly, many were ex-military types who could make a trap out of anything, alongside some eccentric individuals stockpiling bullets and canned goods in an old air raid shelter. Every prepping video I watched forecasted the end of the world happening RIGHT NOW! The intensity was overwhelming. These wide-eyed YouTubers emphasized the necessity of accumulating supplies—solar panels, folding saws, baby formula, rice, and water filters—anything to prepare for ANYTHING. It was all becoming a bit too much.

Their fervent presentations reminded me of the zeal I once felt for cryptocurrency, where I convinced myself I was part of an exclusive club, fortified by my research. I was wrong then too. Misled by hype, I crafted a narrative to justify my beliefs, only to have the realization hit that I had made a mistake. I felt foolish for the second time in a short span. I promised myself never to react impulsively again and pondered how the preppers from seven years ago reflect on their prior predictions.

The prepper mentality resonates with me now, especially as supply chain disruptions loom. Fuel prices are surging, and government corruption appears rampant in many Western democracies. Europe teeters on the brink of war, North Korea is targeting crypto exchanges, and China is eyeing Taiwan. And let’s not forget inflation, dubbed “The Everything Bubble” by economists, could lead to a total collapse.

All the sensationalist clickbait—“must see now,” “this is it,” “the collapse has begun”—achieves the opposite of its intended effect. As I, and hopefully you, recognize, constantly hyping something as imminent dilutes its message, especially when that day never arrives.

Significant changes have unfolded in our lifestyles over the past two years. Our economies are straining under excessive money printing, and unusual weather events—like Texas snowstorms and Australian wildfires—have become more common. Discussions around ‘water rights’ have emerged from corporations like Nestlé. Reports of reduced crop yields are surfacing globally. Yet, we’re still managing to avoid complete catastrophe—for now.

What was notably absent from all this prepping material was a sense of humor. I grew bored and disillusioned as facts and figures filled the screen. I may not be an ex-military survivalist, a trapper, or a homesteader, but I possess some skills and insights from an everyday perspective. I believe serious topics can often be conveyed more effectively with a light-hearted approach, akin to Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide.

A less extreme prepping video opened with a quote that struck a chord with me:

“Hindsight is not a strategy.”

This perfectly encapsulates my feelings. I don’t have all the answers, nor will I ever. However, I feel inspired to learn new skills I hadn’t considered before—like making beef jerky, fishing, and perhaps taking self-defense classes. I also need a flashlight better than my phone's and should familiarize myself with compass navigation. While I’d like a well-stocked pantry, I don’t want to follow the extreme prepping advice I’ve seen, which often revolves around hoarding cheap pasta and beans.

Ultimately, I worry I might be caught unprepared in the coming years. I regret not using my time off post-surgery to think ahead instead of binge-watching mediocre Netflix shows. Preparing for potential challenges seems wise, especially since I feel time is not on my side, unlike those YouTubers and the documentary participants from years past.

My long-suffering fiancé asked me, “What are you preparing for? Nuclear war, drought, famine, financial collapse? Four horsemen? What exactly are you so worried about?” My honest response was, “I don’t know.”

I truly don’t. The doomsayers all have their theories—from solar flares to zombie apocalypses—bolstered by their beliefs and echo chambers. I’ve learned to trust my instincts. While I don’t believe the dead are about to rise, I do foresee challenging times ahead.

Global events, pandemics, or cosmic phenomena are beyond my control. I can only fret so much over hypotheticals. What I can do is present this information in a less alarming and more enjoyable manner. Panic hinders rational thinking, and I hope to reflect thoughtfully on how I've approached this series, being mindful of what I know and where I need to learn more.

I’d love to be proven wrong about my current concerns, just as I have been on many other topics. Nothing would please me more than discovering that I am as irrational as the “nature boy” from that documentary, and that my anticipations were for naught. That the world is just fine, with no issues in the food supply, and that we have robust economies led by the finest politicians, philanthropists, and business leaders humanity has ever known.

Nevertheless, I still wish to develop those practical skills—just in case.

You can find episode 2 here, which includes tips and advice on getting started. There are suggestions for water storage considerations here.

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This year, my content has shifted from solely comedic pieces. My last article was challenging to write, and it may be a while before I tackle more somber topics. It delves into my experience with depression, anxiety, and PTSD following an acid attack, along with the dog that helped me heal.

The now award-nominated Worst Album Covers in the World has its latest installment here.

If you’re interested in current events, Cold War 2: The Disinformation Age might pique your interest.

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If you need a custom piece for your website or project, a staff writer, or editing services, feel free to reach out here or to [email protected]. I'm exceptionally charming and have very nice legs.

At the time of writing, I’m recovering from surgeries on my carpal and radial nerves. Over the past year, I’ve undergone four operations on both arms, with at least one more scheduled this year. Writing is my livelihood, and this year will be financially tight due to necessary recovery time.

I’m sincerely grateful for any donations and want to extend a massive thank you to those who've contributed. If you can help a struggling (and injured) writer, you can do so here:

Paypal: paypal.me/ColinOcelot BTC: 16tm8JpdPEviY2buxxydwNptd6vLdfGgth SOL: sECFp8HXCmnBwR6mvG6rgbXwm9gDntW78vq78fv4E6X BNB: 0x729658b27633bda2a12ff91d0c4ab1dca20a836a

Some images may be copyrighted and are used under Fair Use. Many were sourced from Pictures of the End, an excellent Twitter account you should follow.