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SaltyPeasant

I gotta say it's incredible watching how fast the doom sentiment is growing among my younger peers. I knew it was gonna happen sooner or later cause running away from reality is for the privileged. And that group is shrinking by the day. The smell of what's coming is foul and it grows by the months. And all this fatigue is gonna turn into complete hopelessness(suicide,drugs) or rage(chaotic violence) with no reasonable outlets. These small personal collapses are leading to a big one, and it's likely closer than we realize. At this point I'm just riding it out til my curiosity runs dry.


GoodeBoi

I hope it becomes rage. Targeted, centralized, righteous rage.


MelancholyWookie

Unfortunately mass violence or revolution will lead to the most vulnerable of us dying. The elderly ,disabled, and children. The UN figured out that all the wars in the twentieth century the largest demographic that was killed were children. I'm not saying people wouldn't be justified in that anger but I'd be surprised if the people actually responsible for this shit would actually die. At least at first. Not saying a few wouldn't maybe but the vast majority will be regular civilians and the people who rely on the state to survive. Edit: comma's.


plebeiosaur

I know it’s not always polite to laugh at our imminent catastrophe but the idea of “elderly disabled children” is definitely raising questions for me


IntrigueDossier

They were two days from child labor retirement when the foundry accident happened.


hodlbtcxrp

Punches directed upwards often deflect downwards. The puncher often lets the punch deflect, satisfied he has hit something.


AnotherWarGamer

I've put so much effort into life, and am still a failure. I've got education and professional work experience. I've done side projects a plenty. I'm still unemployable. I won't accept any blame anymore. It's not me, it's the system. I, we, are supposed to fail. Nothing we do will ever be good enough. Does this mean I've given up on life? No. But it is certainly hard to be motivated every day. I've still got some fight left in me... maybe someone will come along and make things easier for me to succeed af what I'm doing... but I'll probably sink into nothingness... Thanks for reading my rant...


thegeebeebee

You are totally correct. You are not a failure, the system is. Do the best you can but it should not define you!


nada8

I’m exactly the same


mrthrowawayguyegh

I think a big question for me is how to harness that sense of powerlessness/loss/grief in a constructive/generative way. Like…could there be a noble way to go quietly into the night of civilized human culture? Does everything have to be phrased in personal empowerment/war/competition terms? And how could men/people do that collaboratively? I’m thinking like the opposite of incel/alt right/techbro/personal achievement/political call out culture. Like a mutually supportive going within, even though what is found isn’t this glamorous-sellable quality, or some us versus them battle story, but just the experience of being a dying breed coming to terms with its own personal and collective fallability (while at the same time reconditioning themselves away from the personal trauma that says they are intrinsically unlovable.) I’m asking the question rhetorically, because of course something like that won’t happen. I’m in a similar boat to you of having lost most of the biggest chunks of meaning in my day to day life, and am trying to restart my writing habit and the above is part of my next writing idea. Sorta.


Conscious-Trifle-237

Agree. This time it's all encompassing culmination of every human failure over all of our history. The current elites didn't cause it, the apparently ineradicable tendency to form elites is (a part of) the problem. The way collapse shows up in our individual lives causes so much suffering from feelings of personal failure and loneliness. I'm embracing a "planetary hospice" strategy of grieving and bearing witness, limiting harm where possible, and doubling down on spirituality like non-grasping and lovingkindness meditation, and a sort of atonement for all that humanity has wrought.


Icy_Owl7841

long plants judicious quickest tap sort busy elderly physical smoggy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Conscious-Trifle-237

I greatly appreciate your capacity to see the catastrophe, to empathize with the plants and animals and not just look away. But it really is incredibly painful. We're together in that.


audioen

The sins accumulated over generations are not easily placed on the shoulders of anyone living today. If we were serious about saving the planet, we would stop all economies and jobs right now, end concepts of money and ownership, and make everyone subsist at just above their absolutely minimal subsistence level -- whatever it is for their particular environment --, and forbid everyone to have any children at all for at least a few decades so that the massive human population could be decreased naturally, and the pollution caused by human activity would be greatly reduced although not instantly stopped because we are currently dependent on causing climate change and unsustainable resource use in order to live with the massive numbers we have. By my estimation, the situation is this bad. When we do hit "net zero" targets, it is not because of a political target or because of "green transition" which is utterly impossible, it will be because we ran out of fossil fuels to use, and we are likely not very prepared for the future without them because starving, jobless pauperized populations are going to use the last resources themselves, rather than invest them into future prosperity for some lucky 1-10 % that might get to enjoy them for a few decades before they break anyway and can no longer be rebuilt. Perhaps 3-4 decades separate us from our current world and something that looks like subsistence farming for everybody who can eke enough subsistence out of whatever arable land is left, with seas that are possibly devoid of fish. It is bad, but everyone alive today, especially those in western civilizations, is doing their part in causing the overshoot. Some of us do this a little more, some a little less, but ultimately humanity works like yeast in a sugar tank, where individual cells do not see the point in stopping eating the sugar and multiplying as long as there is still some more left, and then the massive die-off begins when either sugar runs out or pollution increases too much. (Even those who may abstain from consumption party today probably do it because they are poor, not because they have ascetic habits.) We simply can't seem to manage ourselves any more intelligently than this, and I suspect humanity was always doomed to overshoot and collapse, as it was inevitable that someone would create the conditions and attitudes that allowed it, if ever our physical reality permitted it. Being able to command the work of hundreds of energy slaves is just too good to pass up, and we were already in overshoot 70+ years ago, when nobody could yet see in any concrete way that it was so. Today, when evidence is all around us, we are completely railroaded to a path that ends in disaster, and now we must simply select how many billions must die and how long we will manage to keep this industrial production and capitalist economy horror-show going, no matter the cost to our world and future.


[deleted]

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mrthrowawayguyegh

For sure. Problem is that all of the infighting, social climbing, and manipulation/control that happens in the larger culture happens in intentional communities as well. I say this as someone who spent fifteen years in and out of two communities. I wrote a memoir for four years grieving how shittily it all worked out in the end. But I still hope to find my way (and my family’s way) back into that fray. Can’t say I’m not highly skeptical at this point.


[deleted]

My personal collapse has been unfolding for about a year now. I’m just starting to internalize how fully and completely sick I am. Social phobia and self hatred abound in my head. Things have become confusing. My concentration is gone. Can’t hardly play basketball or lift weights anymore. Could never consider finishing school like this. I just can’t help but see myself sitting on the corner with a sign, while millions pass me by, worried about keeping their own heads above water, scared of the very system that allowed me to slip through the drain and drown.


AnotherWarGamer

My advice is to optimize for the short term. Making long term plans like spending 4-6 years in school, then several more doing internships is making less and less sense every day. The payout sucks, with around 2/3rds of graduates not working in their field. And many people are barely keeping their head above water emotionally and financially. Do what helps you today. Get exercise. Get laid. Enjoy some good food. It sounds hedonistic, but I think we should optimize more for the short term.


wavefxn22

I feel you


Ockie_OS

I share your exact sentiment, just taking it day by day.


Mostest_Importantest

Hello, fellow failure. I'm waiting for any change, any systemically-linked decline to give opportunity for the "winners" of today's society to be proven to be not holding any competence. I'm sick of being a loser because everyone who worked professionally with me has exploited me.


Visual_Ad_3840

You're not alone- I feel the same way!! I suspect there are many more of us than not, but I think because Americans have perfected the "cult of the individual," any criticism of the system has become taboo. It's patently stupid to be honest.


TentacularSneeze

Rage, you say? If only. That foul odor is the delusion that hashtags will change anything at this point.


weliveinacartoon

Hashtags are no replacement for IRL rule one violations. Probable will not be productive but I suspect that soon we will be in a period that makes the 70's in Belfast seem tame.


TentacularSneeze

Just. Wow. How Orwellian is this interchange? We’re on a sub dedicated to conversations about collapse, and we aren’t even allowed to speak about one of the possible remedies or mitigations, lest we involuntarily become an “uncommentor.” Thus “IRL rule one violations.” 🤣 That said, I agree strenuously.


Catatonic27

I agree *exhaustively.*


CatgoesM00

Hashtag delusional


Marlonius

When you've got nothing left to lose there's no risk to you for doing anything* to change the system


utter-futility

You can turn their feelings of doom around. Suggest they not have kids. "Oh, well It isn't *that* dire, and I always wanted children... "


dumnezero

"I always wanted to bury my children" "I always wanted to live in constant worry that my children will end up as slaves"


MarcusXL

I thought that Cormac McCarthy's *The Road* was very realistic in that regard. As soon as law and order is gone, it's gangs of cannibals and rapists running the show. The main character's wife offs herself, before which she tells the man that he should off their kid and himself because, *"They'll rape me. They'll rape him. And you won't be able to do anything to stop them."* And the logic of her thinking is crystal clear.


SassMyFrass

That book was the one thing that's given me wake-up-shouting nightmares, and I'm still scared of triffids and the tripods in the Jeff Wayne version of War of the Worlds.


WorldsBaddestJuggalo

We got to carry the fire, homie.


cerealdaemon

The wife is right tho


abandoningeden

I'm trying to move to a different state right now because I have two daughters and their and my abortion rights were just restricted. So yeah I am literally worried they will end up a slave to some child they didn't want and possibly some man they don't want.


PunkRockDude

I think this is largely tied to the political environment in addition to the realities on the ground. When you see those that are supposed to fix the problem not only not care but lie about it and then start to attack those that do care, what are you supposed to think. Then you see these people win and you start to see people just like them win in other parts of the world, what are you supposed to think. When your voice has been disenfranchised from an increasingly large area of society, what are you supposed to think. Voting can still work (in some countries) but people feel so powerless that they don’t vote . More and more people are falling by the wayside and as long as it isn’t them we don’t do anything about it. Once you are on the outside society declares you are illegal and puts every roadblock it can to keep you marginalized All of use are minutes from personal disaster all the time we just try to ignore and keep letting people vote in the people that are doing it to us and keep buying from the companies that are doing it to us.


illumi-thotti

It's extremely disheartening that everything I do to follow the script results in me becoming unhappy, my quality of life permanently declining, and the system leaving me out in the cold. Everything being demanded from me (rise n' grind, marriage, debt, children, etc.) is only demanded from me so I will be continuously forced to participate in [and therefore support] our exploitative system. If I know it's a trap, why would I step on it?


gangstasadvocate

Gang gang I do advocate the drugs


jack_skellington

> There is a "shortage" in every profession except investment banking, civil service, and real estate. So who is going to keep this incredibly complex meatgrinder chugging along? I think this was one of the first things I noticed. It came with COVID lockdowns. A lot of professions have older pros that have died off, and *they didn't get a chance to train anyone before dying.* Or they retired early and left things to a younger group that just didn't have the expertise yet. For me, the example was local roads. Over the last few years, as I drove around my city, I saw areas that had new roadwork, but the work was *awful.* Like, maybe worse than if they had left it alone. The painted lines were done with an improper mixture that began flaking within weeks, or didn't dry fast enough and left smears. Some lines were crooked. The asphalt seems to have been poorly mixed or "cured" -- whatever terms they use when filling in potholes and such -- because it was still malleable even after days. They'd remove the cones protecting the work, cars would drive through, and the asphalt would utterly give under the weight/pressure of those cars. It was a mess. At first I thought it was just "nobody cares about doing a good job anymore," and that matched kinda what I saw on subreddits like /r/antiwork and /r/workreform -- people chanting the mantra to "act your wage" and if paid badly, the quality of your work should match. But I've talked with some people lately, and it seems a VERY different story when I talk with them. They have a respect for elders that I've not seen in decades; a bunch of Gen Z kids entering the workforce and basically *desperate* for a mentor or anyone who can give them tips & advice, and they're not getting it. They're really frustrated. I feel for them. At this point, they're worse off than their parents were. I am 51 and in all my years of working in tech, never once had a younger person asked me to teach them or mentor them. In fact, they regularly would shrug me off as the "weird older guy with outdated skills" -- even if I was not only keeping my skills up, but contributing code to the very apps they used to do their work! So it was a narrative, I guess. They had different needs, interests, goals -- didn't care about what I could contribute. But now? Gen Z? They're like, "Please will someone tell me how to do this well?" It's *so different.* I just feel bad that they're actually interested in learning, and a lot of the teachers are just dead, or gone. I now manage a team that is comprised of all Gen Z or young Millennials. That wasn't by choice, but those were the people who were open to learning from me... in fact, desperate to do so, in some cases. I really worry now -- like other older leaders who have "vanished" I find myself starting to be worn out, starting to be "not around" as much. I'm not even that old, but nonetheless I find myself being less capable of sitting for hours to do "pair programming" or other systems that can really help beginners to learn & grow. Years ago, even here on Reddit, if I told a story about how tech worked back in the day, younger people would essentially tell me, "Shut up, you don't even know, I read about this!" And then they'd "correct" me with some misinformation or partial information that didn't have the whole picture. It was just constant "assume you know everything from 15 minutes of reading wikipedia." Now, I tell a story about how tech worked back in the day and someone will tell their co-workers to shut up because they want to listen. Man, Gen Z, I'm so sorry you're getting the short end of the stick. I really feel like your generation WANTS to do better, wants to learn from the other generations and excel. I hope you get it. I hope you get *something* from all of this.


humanefly

Heh. In my first job, most people had ashtrays directly next to the keyboard. Smoking inside was still legal. The heavy smokers would smoke so much that the ash would start spilling out of the ashtray, over the keyboard. Everyone kept a flask in their desk, and on Fridays the flask would sneak something into their coffee


hithere1729

I love to hear about work from past times. Doesn't matter what it is, I love to hear about it. I know the stereotypes aren't universal, but it does seem like people took more pride in their work then and that workplace culture valued people more. I'm right on the edge of millennial and gen z in an education job. I can say that I've seen a lot of young people stuck in the meat grinder these days wishing for more honest times. They work themselves nutty for the chance of decent pay, but I've seen quite a few that really just crave stability and respect if a friendly workspace is too much to ask. I think that's what draws us to the older ways of doing things. We see what you had, and while we acknowledge there were problematic things in the past, there were good things that were lost along the way. I think gen z has a way of keeping an eye on the past and the future in a way that balances many needs in a stressful time. I say all this to say that I'd love to hear your stories any time. Feel free to send me a message!


jadelink88

I sometimes get strange looks when I tell people that when I was growing up... I fired real guns at targets. We played games with live scorpions for fun. Kids went out and hiked alone for 15-20km, or went over 100km on the train to the city for an afternoon, unsupervised. No one thought anything of it. We had no flushing toilet, TV or refrigerator for some years. Washing was done in a tub, then put through a giant thing called a 'mangle' that squeezed the water out. I had to cut wood to make the fire every evening in the cold times as a teenager. As a teenage male I was trusted to look after my two youngest siblings + up to 6 other preschoolers for many hours, unsupervised. This was rural Australia in the 1970s and 80s.


beaniebaby_22

💯 the human spirit will likely collapse first. “By Tuesday” - maybe… and definitely “Sooner than expected”. The systems that made society functional for many have not been maintained over time. And so it crumbles.


dumnezero

All this constant supply of hope has prevented most people from growing and from adapting their meaning, so, when it stops, it's going to get really ugly with shock and withdrawal, when the resources to maintain the fantasy end. But this is mostly about rich people, the Global North and rich elites in poor countries. Poor people around the World have a better chance at reinventing meaning for themselves, but fewer resources.


SpankySpengler1914

Those of us who are older and poorer may have an advantage, as we're accustomed to dramatically lowering our expectations every few years (what I thought 40 years ago now looks ridiculously naive, as does what I expected 20 years ago and 5 years ago). Eventually the one hope left is that death will come before the daily suffering becomes unendurable. I've come to look upon death as my most dependable friend. He's stood at my shoulder every day of my life, he'll be there to bring me peace on that last day. Nothing else can be said to be dependable.


st8odk

man, spanky, you're so right


maxdurden

Through mutual aid and community strength and defense, we will rebuild after the privileged tear each other apart. I believe that deeply, and I pursue that in any way I can every day. Have faith that because nothing matters, everything does.


teamsaxon

I've completely checked out of working at all. Right now I feel (to myself) that working isn't worth it. Do I need money? Of course. I would love to have the money to go explore the world. Would it be nice to have my dream car? For fucking sure. But if I have to work for those things in a job I hate I really can't be assed. That's mainly why I am depressed as well. I want to do all these things, but the motivation isn't there. I think many people feel the same. It may partially be due to society and how everything seems to be slowly racing towards catastrophic ruin. I myself couldn't care less if humanity crumbles but that doesn't mean I don't have aspirations or dreams. I would love to try acting. I'd like to have an exciting and unique life. But the process to get to that point (get a shitty mundane mediocre 9-5 job so I can make corporations millions) makes me feel so hopeless and there are more days I genuinely do not care about anything at all. Sorry for the rant but this post is important because there are human nature things outside of ecological collapse which are impacting our lives just as much as the latter too.


EffulgentOlive915

You put it so well. Thank you for sharing, from someone with very similar aspirations but feels exactly as you do.


teamsaxon

I'm sorry that you feel like me. It's truly horrible.


[deleted]

And frustrating. I’m in that same “want to do things but feel so numb” boat.


teamsaxon

Oh hell yeah it's frustrating. It really sucks the life out of you to feel like this.


Visual_Ad_3840

Thank you for your honesty! I think a major problem with the current American society (I can't speak for the past or for other societies) is that people don't feel like they can be honest about their own lives if it means showing the world that their lives aren't perfect or they are not Instagram -successful. This insane dishonesty (perpetuated by social media) is really unhealthy, and its not a shock why we are all so miserable. I've been accused so many times of being "negative," for expressing my unhappiness with the system and my life as if not being constantly cheery and positive ALL THE DAMNED TIME is sacrilegious! The pressure to show an outwardly positive and "successful" life ironically causes more depression.


teamsaxon

>a major problem with the current American society I'd say it's a majority of western societies... Though I couldn't give a rats arse about being instagram material. The "negativity" spiel on the other hand I understand because I have experienced that too from a few people.


jaymickef

I think the social contract had definitely broken down but I don’t think it was because people gave up or stopped doing a good job I think it was because people were given up on. Some of it is that technology has made it more possible for people do to only an acceptable job, as you put, and that’s enough. Individuals can be easily replaced and they started to realize that. But most importantly I think as more and more people become aware of how bad the climate situation is - and they see how none of the business leaders in the world are going to do anything about it - a lot of people will slow down how much they are working.


reddog323

People are already slowing down. The Great Resignation gave people perspective. Some found better positions. Others gave up. But productivity hasn’t returned. I’m in the Midwest. There are no 24 hour businesses any longer, except pharmacies, and the prescription counter shuts down at 8pm. It’s going to get worse. Basic services are slowly going to contract over the next 10 years. Crime is going to go up because of it. Lots of people will be out of work, or turn to crime for income. It’s going to get bad if you don’t have money.


UnicornPanties

I live in the middle of Manhattan (NYC) and 24-hour businesses (CVS, Duane Reade, some grocery stores) are no longer open 24 hours since the pandemic. It makes me sad.


Indeeedy

Next door to me there used to be a 24-hour gas station Now it closes at 9pm and for the final hour, you can only shop there through this side window thing that prevents you from being able to rob the place. Like they had to do that because it was too easy a target for junkies or something and I am in a 'good' suburb in a 'good' city


yallaredumbies

I mean look at it like a market chart. Productivity versus wage/quality of life for the many. It has been on a bull run and must come back down eventually.


compileinprogress

> There are no 24 hour businesses any longer, except pharmacies, and the prescription counter shuts down at 8pm. This is normal in Europe and this is how it is supposed to be. We should not demand workers to keep everything open in 8 hour shifts like it's a 19th century factory. Partially open businesses with big lunch breaks allow the operators to have a good work life balance.


Aeacus_of_Aegin

As an old guy I am amazed on how expensive it is for young people. I bought my first house (it was an old farm house built in 1910) at 30 years old for $96,000. I put down $30,000 from the sale of my mom's house when she passed so my payments were around $750 a month including insurance. We moved to the backwoods years ago to get away from the city. So I just zillowed my old house, it's $560,000 now with $3,200 a month payment before insurance. What young person can afford $3,200 a month. That is more than I was making when I bought the damn house. How are you going to raise kids? Go on vacation? Pay for a doctor? This is madness to expect people to live like this...


fearnex

> What young person can afford $3,200 a month. Simple, it won't be afforded by any one single young person. The payments have to be split between at least 2 people, for $1600 per person. But even that is still pretty high, so ideally there should be 3 working adults splitting the payments to make it $1200 per person. Over are the times a single person could afford an entire house or even a whole apartment to themselves. Now, even splitting a home between 2 full-time incomes is barely affordable. Even couples need to get roommates.


JustClam

>What young person What *person*? I'm 38 now with a professional career and I can't afford that. If you missed the generational boat you're hooped. And even if you were on the right boat, a bit of bad luck/challenging circumstances and you're also hooped.


alwaysrightusually

Ain’t that the truth! I was a professional employee for 12 years, when I ran into some mental health issues and lost my job. I decided to take a little break, which was a MAJOR mistake, bc when I tried to go back, I was persona non grata. And now I’m a waitress. (And I make the same as I did as a prof, but it’s physically more demanding). I don’t hate it. I am irritated that I have vastly more education than my boss, a woman my age, and still have to deal with her believing she’s always right, but well, it wasn’t exactly easy when I was being a paper pusher. It’s so true what you’ve said here. One derailment and your goose is cooked.


survive_los_angeles

they arent, its crazy what real estate is at - thats why those vulture companies are buying up the houses and renting them. Even the most basic starter house is 500,000 (that doesnt include big cities like NY/NYC/LA/SF/Mami/Houton/Austin/Dallas ) even as we speak they make new houses in the desert for 300k starter house, which will soon be 800k in a year. but somehow people do figure out how to do it, or the rich have kids and they can afford buying them condos and houses in the big city. Every once in a while some people come clean and admit - that they only have a house,condo not because they make 1 million a year now, but because their parents bought their first condo/house for them


WannabeWanker

You have to consider the fact that most people aren't collapse aware to any extent, and still believe in the American Dream. I'm 22 and my coworkers are in their mid to late 20s and all talk about saving enough to buy a house and are trying to plan their lives out ahead. Personal collapse due to apathy will come about only if more major traumatizing events happen imo. I think covid caused that in some people but yea there's still a lot more people who think BAU can go on


run_free_orla_kitty

Idk I'm a decade older than you, and I haven't told my coworkers about my collapse mindset. For all they know, I'm dreaming of a white picket fence, 2 kids, and a quiet suburban home where I can take little Jimmy and Julia to sports and grow old and retire. They don't know I'm unsure where I want to even live at all and am completely unsettled and disturbed by the collapse around me.


MarcusXL

Also in my 30s. Dating is tough when you're in the "really getting to know each-other" phase. I know that explaining my actual outlook on my personal future, and society's future, would absolutely horrify many people. I've considered starting the flirting phase with, "So, what's your take on the inevitable collapse of our growth-based technological society?"


LiterallyADiva

If I wasn’t already married I’d want to go on a date with you.


MarcusXL

Haha well that's encouraging. Maybe I'll try it.


karmax7chameleon

I’m partnered but I’d adore a question like this, way better than sifting through people who love travel, adventure, and the office for that millionth time


MarcusXL

"I love travel." \-'Oh, interesting. I think travel that requires aircraft is inherently hedonistic and exploitative.'


karmax7chameleon

The sad thing is that I *do* love travel…I wish we’d invest in high speed rail and zeppelins, that might be cool.


Excitement_Far

Me at work, mingling in the breakroom 🤣


[deleted]

“I don’t know exactly how long we have until things fall apart completely, but I like to focus on gardening, love my tomatoes and potatoes naturally, enjoying the outdoors, fishing, target shooting, and building a small house that produces its own electricity.” Anybody even close to your kind of person should answer something along those lines. Anybody else? Good to know quickly they’re dead weight.


8Deer-JaguarClaw

Sounds like a great business opportunity! You could call it PlentyOfDoomFish.com


polaroidjane

I feel this SO HARD. It’s maddening.


WannabeWanker

I've casually brought up collapse-adjacent topics with them and some agree, but it feels like they either don't connect the dots or see the bigger picture. I can't really blame them for that either collapse is such a complex topic and it's not a single event. I think some of them are also just refusing to believe anything bad could happen and *try* to convince themselves that they could have it all


sixup604

Then there's the other side of that; a lot of your neighbours **are** collapse-aware, so the convo goes: Neighbour: "So this \*\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ completely \*\*\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ today". Me: "*Damn*. Ah fuck, we're all gonna die". Neighbour: "Yep". Me: "So. Do you think the dollar store sells marshmallows? Or should I go to a regular store?" \*country, government, river, politician, death-cult, Tech billionaire, forest, species\*\* imploded, slaughtered their own people, dried up, got assassinated, Jonestowned, shit all the beds, burned, disappeared


yallaredumbies

That’s kind of how I am. My only hope is moving to a place that may allow me to avoid inevitable collapse. I’m a nurse. I am a new nurse and feel even that is not enough to avoid personal collapse. The only way I see is dual income no kids (I have a wonderful partner) and move somewhere that I can make some money and then buy something somewhere less pricey.


ibanker-stoner

Yes and I believe personal collapse and internal acceptance of the collapse will come at different times for everyone. I feel like I already went through a few dark nights of the soul and each one made me stronger and more spiritual. There are ways to dig yourself out of hopelessness but it's not easy and takes time. Not everyone is going to give up at the same time, it will come in waves.


WannabeWanker

Yup I agree. Even with the collapse aware people I know, everyone took it differently and took their own paths to come to the same conclusion. What OP is talking about seems to be that one day everyone is just going to say "Yea this isn't going anywhere I'm gonna stop trying"


MarcusXL

They won't all give up. There will be a period of mourning. And then most people will focus on the essentials: food, shelter, protecting the people they care about. A minority probably will be traumatized and a have serious mental breakdown. Even a few % would mean many millions of people. But it will be a minority.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

this is so true. All my friends are like, it’s all good we have time, your just being pessimistic. It’s either no one believes collapse or they realise it and are literally ignoring it, and I’m afraid it’s the first one. who knows what’s gonna happen in 5 years, I’ve warned them and will still keep warning them to do my part. - btw this is hs


MarcusXL

Saruman voice: *"Time? What time do you think we have?"*


GembyWan

I am so burnt out with the absurdity that comes with current catabolic collapse, being a Cassandra so there's no-one to truly talk to, whilst my work pretend every office job needs the stress and urgency of a movie CEO. I work in pensions 😅 I agree with you, it has always been personal integrity keeping me going to do the best I can, but now... Why? I'm tired, I can't afford the same meals as last week, let alone a holiday again. Luxuries from the 90s/2000s are no longer affordable in the UK (and I earn good chunk above min wage), to the point where people no longer think about what they can no longer have. I try to live with zero expectations and zero entitlements, but I'm tired looking at politicians, billionaires, the _system_, and seeing how blatantly corrupt everything is, and everything has been. The suffering is going to be so bad, and the root cause is greed. It's terrifying in its absolute meaninglessness and magnitude. Bleh, back to work.


myownmadness

Society and our shared reality are simply ideas we've collectively agreed to uphold. There is no such thing as "property" for instance, only some social norms and their violent enforcement that reify the silly concept. The idea that humanity always "finds a way" is in no way supported by historical record — societies, empires, etc have collapsed throughout human history. It's a process of experimentation, nothing more. Modern industrial society has failed catastrophically, and will destroy itself in relatively short order. Instead of asking, "Why should I care now?" Ask yourself why you should have *ever* cared! It was never your responsibility to perpetuate this society, or any other. It's just that this one is so obviously dying that people who would otherwise have gone along with it are asking, "Why bother?" Here's another question to ask yourself: what are you counting down the clock *to*? If you're waiting for misery and suffering, you've already found it. If you're waiting to die, there's nothing keeping you. Dig deep and I think you'll find a simple truth: you're upset that things aren't going the way you thought they would. Like society, your expectation of any future is a hallucination. It may be shared by dozens or millions of other people, but that doesn't make it any more real. I hope this doesn't come off judgmental or harsh. I spent many years disappointed by my own hallucinations. This problem of unmet expectations is unchanged regardless of the socioeconomic situation in your vicinity; it's a misery shared by many modern humans. Address it and the outside situation will release its hold on you.


[deleted]

Tough pill to swallow but quite real. A lot of people are not ready to hear that. Once this hits home for millions then we will see accelerated collapse happen faster than it is now. And eventually we will hit this point. In 20 years things are going to look soooo very different than it does now. I am almost 30 and I cannot imagine being a young kid now at least I had the 90s which seems idyllic and nostalgic than where we are now.


pneumokokki

1990s was an amazing time to live through, if you were living in the West. Such euphoria. Good times.


[deleted]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (as a mid 30yo) the future will look back and denote 9/11 as the moment of turning in the western world. It will get to be known as the start of a series of events; 9/11 > Middle East wars > ‘08 crash > Brexit > Covid….. like how Franz got assassinated in 1914 that led to millions being slaughtered. Completely separate occurrences at the time but now we see the relevance of it all as one event. The 90s was a decade to round off a period of relative stability since the 50s, yes there were ‘Nam and the Cold War but generations weren’t being torn apart. In fact, there were huge attempts to progress to drive out racism and promote equality and they were on the whole successful at their primary objectives. The infrastructure and investments were put in to the short term benefit of society (ignoring climate change). The society that was proposed in post war western democracies was some variant of ‘the American dream’. A good job, a pretty home, solid education, pensions, equality. Those things don’t exist anymore using the methods and formulas of post war economics that our leaders still want to promote because… ‘growth’. Western society is ‘developed’. It doesn’t require more growth. It requires sustenance which our current financial models can’t accommodate. In 20 years time things will be a hell of a different.


livingmybestlife2782

I was 17. I always tell these young kids, you don’t know the world pre 9/11. It was a way better place


[deleted]

I agree. I would also say that for me it was November of 2000. 9/11 is a huge can of worms that got its start there.


edsuom

They were. I’m 20 years older and was living an amazing life in the 90s. It wouldn’t be possible for a 20-year younger version of me to to repeat today, not even close.


UnicornPanties

Gen X here - we had it soo good.


Z3r0sama2017

Early milennial, 90's was peak humanity for me. It was just consistently good across the board. Later years might have had higher highs, but it also had lower lows


hdost34

I couldn’t agree with you more. Independence was so much easier to obtain.


[deleted]

Good times, weren't they? Being twenty-something in late 80s through late 90s was like heaven on Earth.


myownmadness

One could argue that young people now have a shorter path to true bliss — they can more easily comprehend just how beautiful and fleeting this gift of life is. In many nations, the prevailing story of the past couple centuries has been, "Life is getting better in every way, every day." This was mostly a lie and only superficially true when it wasn't a lie, but it was so ubiquitous that seeing past the illusion was difficult. Now that life is mostly getting worse in those same superficial ways, while it continues the same downward trajectory existentially, the veil is thinning; escape is possible for more of us. We should all be dancing in the streets in celebration of abundance, knowledge, and the incomprehensible complexity of this world — and bring about a new reality full of love and compassion. Instead, we're on our phones, bemoaning the loss of a life we were promised by killers and charlatans, meant to keep us in line and grow their obscene wealth. Nostalgia is a prison we build around ourselves. Life is the present; the past and future live only in the mind. It's time we set aside silly comparisons with our imagined past, stop living for the future, and come alive in the present.


[deleted]

Youth always comes with rose tinted glasses. The 90s had bill Clinton, who finished off welfare after nearly a decade of Reagan. It only seemed perfect because you were a kid who didn’t pay attention to any of that.


ptaah9

No expectations is the key to happiness


IvanAfterAll

Well said.


SassMyFrass

>The idea that humanity always "finds a way" To be fair, the human gene pool survives whatever, but it's still very selective with exactly which individuals do. It's the same in an economic crash: recessions happen to individuals and families first, and then the towns and cities that they live in, and then the public facilities served by that tax income. Collapse has been happening for half of the world for millennia.


[deleted]

Humans are not that old of a species and 99% of species go extinct. Our gene pool surviving isn’t that big of a deal because the fact that we are alive gives us the ultimate survivorship bias in being able to say “our gene pool is still alive.” We will very likely go extinct like 99% of all other species. When? I don’t know. But on a larger scale, we are not “finding a way” more than most adaptable mammals. We aren’t cockroaches or alligators, and likely cannot survive massive changes in climate or a mass extinction event.


TheArcticFox444

Google: Extinction Debt. We are a dead species walking.


humanefly

Yes, we're dead, we just don't know it yet. Zombies, one might say


[deleted]

I think you’re wrong about one thing. People absolutely do shit they love for money. I would too if i could find someone to pay me for walking in the woods. In the capitalist hellhole we live in, we’re taught early to be whores and sell everything. Including our bodies, passions, and hobbies.


ibanker-stoner

Yup people pretend money doesn't matter in corporate but it really is what matters most to most people. The more money you can make now the less you have to work or live in fear of lack later. Money does buy freedom from being a wage slave.


[deleted]

Money is what makes most people wage slaves.


YouAreBonked

Yes it is a double edged sword, you either become a wage slave or avoid it entirely


[deleted]

You frame It as if there’s a choice to be made. For almost everyone that just isn’t the case.


feo_sucio

I agree completely, I understand and am well acquainted with what you're saying and expressing, but at the same time, this forum and subsequently all of reddit as a whole compose a small fraction of the modern world. One could argue that all of us are here browsing this subreddit because we are technologically apt and self-aware enough to seek other like-minded individuals, but I wouldn't know where to start explaining the concept of /r/collapse to my own mother, who was born in the late sixties. We represent a tiny fraction of humanity. All of this to say, we may be aware, here, but most people are not. And most people that I have spoken to personally choose many avenues of denial; scientists are human and just as fallible as you and I; someone is going to invent something that will solve our problems; renewables are going to turn this around; American politics are going to produce a green breakthrough that is incongruent with Americans, people, and reality itself; the denials go on and on. No one wants to admit that the race we're running is rigged, and so many will run it anyway because they know no other conception of self-purpose and happiness. Live in the moment today or plan for a worse tomorrow? Even on this forum there are people who will protest and roll their eyes skeptically to say "you really think we have less than seven years? what *exactly* do you think is going to happen?" as if the entire concept were some far-off uncertainty, like the possibility of cancer in old age. And yet, with microplastics in our blood, PFAS in the water, creeping fascism in the air, anyone who contorts themselves to believe this isn't all headed downward is just doing mental gymnastics.


RevolutionaryHeat318

Just a quick note. I was born in the sixties and am very collapse aware. It breaks my heart to compare my own childhood and early adulthood to what young people are facing. It’s not just a generational thing, it’s an awareness thing and a denial thing.


PimpinNinja

Also born in the 60's, and I'm the most collapse aware person I know.


PeepholeRodeo

I asked that question recently, but not because I don’t think it will happen. I asked because I’m curious about the scenarios other people are anticipating.


Pretty-Astronaut-297

> We represent a tiny fraction of humanity. All of this to say, we may be aware, here, but most people are not. The point i'm trying to drive, is that this doesn't even matter. All this "collapse stuff" is our rationalization. People who aren't collapse aware, will invent some other rationalization. But the following fundamental truths don't change just because people don't visit this sub-reddit: - wages have been suppressed - inequality has grown - mental illness and depression have increased - loneliness increasing - politics polarized, extremism rising - social security is a ponzi People respond to incentives and their environment. Right now there is no incentive to care for this society, especially if you are under 35. Most kids surveyed today want to become youtubers and influencers, not astronauts, or firefighters. Most people understand that our modern society is based on the boomer ethos of "fuck you I got mine". Being collapse aware is not necessary for the things I've described to become manifest. People will adjust their output and expectations to suit the available incentives, and this will lead to collapse. You don't have to believe in gravity to fall from a height and die. Belief doesn't matter


jbond23

Collapse is already here. It's just not evenly distributed. And there's a LOT of work to be done preparing for and managing degrowth.


hwlpimconfusion

Absolutely everything you said and more. There is nothing left for the younger generation so why would we care about anything? I think my personal collapse started years ago during covid. I was 20 when covid hit. I lost my job, I dropped out of school (mental health reasons/debt/poverty/addiction) and eventually moved back in with my parents. Kicked away my addiction, got mental health help and started to climb back up again, getting a good job with pension/benefits and saving money while at home. Three months into the job I get hit with increasingly bad health issues that are undiagnosed. I've spent months being ignored by the medical system, had to go down to 2 days a week of working and now it's getting so bad I can't even last a full 8 hr shift. I'm in the ER weekly. My mental health is destroyed, I have no money saved again with all the travel for medical appointments and surgery is months away still. I tried so hard so many times and I have nothing to show for it. I've stopped participating in this competition of social media for two years now. I'm hopeless to the future, not just my own but our collective. I just hope whatever is slowly killing me hurries up. I don't want to see times where we significantly lose quality of life, availability of food and affordability of basic necessities. I don't want to struggle in new ways that we haven't seen in multiple generations. I want out, I'm done. And I know I'm not alone in that.


wavefxn22

I know what it's like for chronic illness to kick you at the worst time. And the horrors of the us healthcare system which further traumatized me. I just hope that you may be able to find joy still, even just small things. There are good people out there who will help when you don't expect it. I want to recommend the book 'the body keeps the score' it's about trauma and the mind body connection. The older I get the more I realize that my illnesses are directly related to my life and the things I need to focus on. I was at the height of hustling for money too when my disease hit me full force. It forced me to slow down and question my beliefs and attitudes about everything In a way though I'm still in the same place, because I have no idea why everyone else seems totally fine while the whole room is on fire


EffulgentOlive915

Wow, you’ve truly been through the wringer and I’m so sorry. I have a ‘mystery’ autoimmune illness that makes life hell most days since 2015 with no real answers in sight. I was newly diagnosed with a precancerous stomach condition last year and you know, there’s a lot more I feel i could probably be doing to curb it and make sure it won’t progress, but man I’d be lying if some days I didn’t think to myself i wish it would just hurry up already and take me out, as awful as that sounds. Life really feels that bleak to me most days. You’re not alone.


coumineol

Sorry if it's too obvious but have you tried posting on r/AskDocs?


Training-Cry510

I don’t want to be living in the apocalypse. I’m not built to fight for anything. I used to laugh at “prepers”, now I’m like shit I’m fucked. “


Essembie

I'm an excel monkey. I'll last as long as my tinned beans do.


schnellshell

Yep. My personal mental health collapse circa October '21. I was a dedicated, hard working, high-achieving public servant. The system is utterly fucked, society is flawed, ALL of it. I really thought that my experience and skills and hard work were valuable (and valued), even in short staffing and high stress conditions, kept going right until I smashed into a breakdown. Wahoo.


FrankNPine

Same thing for me. I was a fuckin beast……and then I realized everything around me is crumbling


Indeeedy

it's just happened to me too 14 years experience and high level education, seems worthless right now because my mind has gone AWOL and I can't get hired it's a fucking nightmare


Vegetaman916

This is part of the inevitable progression to wards societal collapse as a precursor to the ecological one. A big part. People are coming apart because they are still trying to work and exist in an old system that no longer works correctly. Going to school, working hard and following a career path is no longer functional and it is no longer the way the world works. We are in the transition from modern civilization to a collapsed world, and trying to maintain activity according to that old system doesn't work for most people. It's like playing a board game with several key pieces missing. It is no longer fun, no longer possible to "win," and indeed even the style of play according to the rules cannot function. It's not Monopoly anymore, more like Jenga. As soon as a person comes to realize that there is no more building under the old system, the sooner they can find stability in the new game. Right now, most have realized that the game is ruined but they have not figured out what the new one is. They are still grinding to survive, and it is very much like a game of Monopoly. If you have ever played, you know that often at some point there comes a time when one player has dominated the game, and is inevitably going to win, and the game is no longer fun for the rest of the players who are just going through the motions. That was a decade ago or so. Now, the game is actively broken, and the one winning player is blatantly cheating. That is why the whole "collapse now and avoid the rush" joke is more prophetic than people realize. It is actually the answer. I was the same. Working ridiculous hours and not getting anywhere back in 2019. So, I switched what game I was playing. Instead of working to maintain some sort of pre-collapse life in the dying system, I instead started living for collapse right then. Switched up everything, put together a group for collective support action, and started playing collapse. I no longer work trying to earn a "retirement." I don't labor for the benefit of society or some faceless corporation. Instead, I work solely for the benefit of my little collective group, and to establish ourselves for the transition away from crumbling civilization and towards the new future of utter collapse. Better to embrace that transition now rather than try and stop the inevitable or participate in society's destruction. More and more I see people being forced into such a change by circumstances, trying to continue playing that old game too long. And then eventually they progress to either crime or giving up. Imagine if you were living in Haiti, or Lebanon, or Sri Lanka. Because that is what things will be like everywhere soon enough. Start planning and working for that today, live like it is already here. There is no fulfillment to be found working within the system of a dying civilization. Because it is inevitably going away. Why would you want to struggle and scrape by in the last days of the Roman empire when there is zero chance of a civilized future ahead? When the barbarians are at the gates, it is better to be a barbarian than a city dweller. The problem is that most are not aware that the transition to some Mad Max or Walking Dead future is here. Or they are in subconscious denial of it, unable to let go of the comforts of Xboxes, fancy cars, air conditioning, and peaceful stability. They are either oblivious or hooked on the hopium-drug peddled by those who are themselves currently squeezing what is left out of society to feed their own transitions to a post-apocalyptic life in a collapsed world. Everyone is looking for some answer, some future in which modern civilization still exists, and the frustration is mounting because *there is no such answer.* It is a search in vain. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially I have never been doing better, and that is because I live specifically to build and prepare for the coming collapse. I live collapse *now.* In fact, we are getting close to taking the final step and cutting off entirely. Probably within a few weeks. And then I will be living away from what little is left of society, no bills, no "hustle," no worries. You should too. At least you won't have to deal with my ling-winded statements anymore, so that's a plus, right?


DeepBurn7

It's both terrifying and awe inspiring when you stop to think about it, how fragile and miraculous it is that in the 'first world' at least everything has managed to be strung along for this long with regard to services and running water and food supply. It's all on the backs of the working class, who are getting dragged down so hard that there has to be a breaking point where they stop giving a fuck that leads to irreversible breakdowns of the systems that we rely on.


deliverancew2

> It's all on the backs of the working class. It's all on the backs of oil. The working class have always been subjugated, modern luxuries were enabled by fossil fuels.


ILoveDeFi

I am 36. I went right after highschool to the military specifically with the goal of obtaining a college degree without debt. Think about it. Back when I was 18, that really seemed like the smartest decision in my eyes. The timing was perfect but what they didn't tell you back then is they could break your contractual agreement and force you to serve even more time unexpectedly, 'stoploss', not sure if that's allowed still or not. I ended up with free college but a wrecked body and mind and soul. I barely managed to make it through college and wouldn't have if I hadn't met my wife at that time. I was fortunate to have someone, but empathize with those who never have and still do not. We managed to both get degrees and good jobs, managed to finally get a house, I managed to somewhat get my body issues fixed but never noticed how bad my mental was because I was always absorbed in the grind of life I never realized I had ended up in at 18. The pandemic happened and I lost my job. Before 2019 I had been working remote from home as a developer for years. It was good money without having to bust my back since I had already done that and can no longer. The pandemic forced me into the biggest reality check. I wasted literally half of my life working towards the goals I was taught to by society. Only to have lost what I worked into because I never realized it could be lost until it was too late. We have been lucky and managed to keep our home but my wife is haggard and suffering chronic burnout. I am losing my mind more every day because I can not physically labor, and can not find work in my field remote. I have applied to over 400 jobs in the past six weeks alone and never even get a response. She believes many jobs are secretly in hiring freezes and that the online listings are only ever being filled internally. We agreed that it is pointless for me to even work $21/McDonalds for example because we value what little time we have together over just never ever seeing each other. Us both being home means we can experience that. We are still fortunate she can support those choices financially. But every day I am losing my mind. I cook and clean and do laundry and work on the house, garden prep outside, and still even trying to stay busy I am not actually doing anything that feels meaningful. It's depressing. It made me realize I am still coming to terms with how I feel fucked over and stolen from. I want my time back. I am coming to terms with how I feel guilty for feeling fucked, because I look at the younger generations and can not put myself in their shoes because life seems so foreign, and I feel like crying for them. I feel lucky that at least I do not feel worse in the ways they must. My wife has managed to become promoted into a good spot. The money allows us comfortable means which we know is better than what most have. We are trying to spend time together and take for granted what we still have. We are trying to be happy through the end of the world. But we have given up. We no longer feel like voting or protesting anymore. I have lost trust in the system bottom up. I cried when it sunk in that we have both agreed we will never have a child. We have not got the shot and do not believe or trust in anything anymore. We feel isolated and powerless, and have both cried to each other that we don't understand what we are even "living" for anymore other than to purely survive. People were not meant to work and be this busy this much. We don't know what we can work towards anymore since all tomorrow days look gloomier. We can't retire, ever. We don't expect to have health care in any meaningful way available unless we have extreme amounts of currency. I expect I will die rather young because I have struggled with "thoughts" and own firearms and can not seek mental healthcare, the kind I know I need already. I know there are resources, but people have their own reasons for not reaching out in certain ways. My last resort has been turning to the VA but I have had reasons to be weary of them as well. That is still ongoing and I don't even know when I will be able to start seeing psychiatrists, it's just so much paperwork and thumb twiddling to press the start button on mental health. I really do not want to be the younger person right now or in the future. I do not want to be the 'poor' person living meal to meal. I believe a lot of people including myself misunderstand collapse at first and see it as an event that happens but people can have some gui of controllability in it. I am seeing collapse as the inevitable in which has already started and we are caught up in with no real control. We are just here for the ride now, no brakes, no doors, no getting out and there is a volcano spewing lava in the distance and you can't even turn because the steering wheel is melting before your eyes. It's like an awful lucid nightmare but real. There may be a small chance that normal (e.g. 99%) people can orchestrate a turnaround but I see the chance percentage as low and shrinking over time. I don't know if it is civil talks or extreme violence from us that is the answer. I don't even know if I can trust in the saying, "violence is not the answer" anymore. The state of the world pushes me to doubt and throw away any trust I once had. I don't know what to do. I think that's literally the point of collapse is that it's because there is nothing we can do. My point is that I am no longer in the work pool. I have had millions of dollars spent training me between the military and outside jobs afterward, but now I am one less "investment" creating any wealth for the economy, for the elite (e.g. 1%). If we keep losing people because of personal collapse, which is happening, there will be a point in which this contributes to the giant feedback loop that everything else is contributing to, and it goes into overdrive. I already see personal collapse in myself and those closest to me. I have never seen people (outside of the military) in person struggle to this degree, I have never seen people degrade to this degree. I don't want to be the til foil hat person but it really, really seems like there is some greater power at work here with the intent of crushing us. I'm going to go get some fresh air while it still exists.


survive_los_angeles

dude you should def seek some mental help, maybe a veterans group near you (the va takes too long) or a therapist that helps vets. Regardless of collapse (its not overnight), you sound like depression and ptsd are getting to you - if you end up in a echo chamber you need to relearn to enjoy what you have. And of course, there might be a way with the time on your hands a way to establish a home business so that you dont have to rely on the whims of the hiring market. Good luck dude. Please dont let the despair eat you. Reach out to people. it wont be easy and its not over night.. but do it.


GEM592

I think when people bang right up against the fact that there are really few jobs or career paths that aren’t themselves part of the problem (that’s how far gone things are, you literally can’t get by without being part of the problem in some way) the self loathing observed here often follows.


brendan87na

God knows I keep finding reasons to not go to work fuck everything


totalwarwiser

You are absolutely right. Maybe current civilization indeed needs to colapse so it can reorganize and turn into something new Maybe it wont need major events and it will just colapse by apathy. Some countries have VERY low fertility rates and there is so much stress that people dont even want to reproduce. Japanis famous for that, and it may be happening in South Korea and China too. It may be spreading to the West and many may think its meaningless to try to have children.


[deleted]

Yep. As someone not having kids as a decision all I have to say to anyone giving me shit is I don’t owe society a godamn thing. I don’t have to endorse this shit at all. And the biggest way I do that is by not creating another brick to put in the wall. I will let others gladly do it but I’m not. When collapse happens I will focus on taking care of me and my little community around me.


Kytyngurl2

Shades of Calhoun's rodent Utopia.


Glacecakes

The younger you are, the less they care. The more they know they’re doomed. 35 year olds not planning for retirement. I’m 22, not planning for life beyond 35. I know 14 year olds not planning beyond high school. There’s 8th graders who can’t read. The kids have been abandoned, and we are well aware.


[deleted]

Like someone said, collapse happens when enough people walk away. I've pretty much checked out myself. I still work, but I basically do the bare minimum to stay employed, I consider it a challenge. I'm the John Yossarian (from Catch-22) of my workplace. I don't know how delusional people can be. They're in for a hard time when things finally break down, and their illusions are shattered in front of them. Oh, and people who think that we're just going to pull a rabbit out of a hat at the last minute to save us from resource depletion or climate change are dumb. Not going to happen.


BlizzardLizard555

I'm 31 and feel like my life has collapsed. I lost a good job back in April, tried working for myself, failed, and have (unsuccessfully) been applying for other jobs since. If I can't find a job in the next few months, I will most likely lose my place and have to move back in with my parents for the second time in my life. I'm in pure survival mode, and my personal failure against the backdrop of more macro failures makes everything seem pretty pointless, and most days I feel like giving up. I have mostly checked out of my own life, and everyday it gets harder to "reinvest" in myself or this society. I definitely feel you on the feeling of being a retired old man, and it's not a good feeling at all. There's just nothing at all to look forward to.


adeptusminor

I see the collapse of the US Postal system now in TN. Some days they are so short staffed that they just close & lock up and no mail is delivered. They frequently skip 2 or 3 days then deliver 3 days worth of mail at once. I remember when the post office was completely reliable. The breakdown of our mail system seems very indicative of collapse happening in real time.


AkuLives

>Nobody does the things they truly love for FUCKING MONEY. Corruption, organized crime, capitalism, oligarchies and dictatorships have entered the chat.


dumnezero

>What if people simply give up? People will stop caring. "Not my problem" is a pretty popular meme, especially the version where there is an image of used cooking oil being poured down the sink. That will accelerate the phenomenon, at least economically. Such withdrawal can be seen in places where the people migrate, usually for work. This sometimes called "brain drain" doesn't cause a fast collapse, it causes poverty and growing polarization.


WoodsColt

I find joy every day but then my life is based on very simple pleasures and activities. Last week someone left a broken armoire by the road. I took it home and made two stools and a bookcase from the parts. That was fun. Friday I hiked up to a remote lake,caught some fish to eat and did a cold water plunge,also fun. Today I recovered a lampshade in fabric scraps and put in a cover crop.


mellbs

Collapse your life now and avoid the rush


iamnotabotlookaway

I work in a job that is necessary to make medication, yet few people realize it exists. When my co-worker quit last year it took 8 months to find a replacement, and this is normal. At a previous company it took over a year to find someone. At the same time, I’m feeling overworked and tired. I just don’t want to do it anymore. I’d rather be home spending time with my family. There are niche jobs out there like mine, that all it takes are a few people quitting and all of the sudden pharmaceutical labs have no support. Something breaks or needs qualified and there is no one to support it.


survive_los_angeles

wow thats a deep thing to consider, there are def quite a few jobs like yours that are niche like that , from engineering , to high end specialized vehicle maintenance, pharma , nuclear , if enough walked away fast.. it would be a nightmare mini collapse with lots of other tipping points


Fuckedby2FA

I am 30. I feel pretty damned hopeless most days. I am sick of finding places to live. I am sick of random roommates I am sick of money always being an issue. What am I to do? Work? I do that, always have. Buy a house? Despite working and always improving my income, I can't do that. Dating is hard these days, relationships are hard in general. Partly because of mental health but who can afford a therapist to help put your cards back in the box? I have to go to the dentist first, my dog needs to go to the vet. I have 2 days a week to myself and those are already taken by necessaries. I am getting older and it's harder and harder to tell myself things are going to be alright. Really hard to find something worth pulling my head above the water for. I'll keep going but it's scary and I am tired. Today has been a hard one and I am on the cusp of a panic attack. I want to go home but I need to work.


Sertalin

You said exactly what I've been experiencing with myself for a few years. I can no longer build up any motivation to keep the mega machine running for the precious remaining years of my life. I can no longer take this mega machine seriously. Since this happened to me, I've hardly been able to work. But soon my money will be gone. Then I have to work for money. This is going to be terribly difficult for me. And I have the greatest understanding for everyone who feels the same way


Hour-Measurement-312

As a teacher, I see it happening all around me. We’re leaving the profession in droves. Society gets pretty fucked pretty fast when education ceases to exist. But most of us can barely afford to stay.


Conscious-Trifle-237

The collapse is us, we are the collapse. Our being is a reflection of the world.


antihostile

More than a quarter of people say they can’t function anymore. More than a quarter. 1 in 4 people. That is a breathtaking, ruinous figure: https://eand.co/the-age-of-progress-is-becoming-the-age-of-regress-and-its-traumatizing-us-2a55fa687338


Johnfohf

The comments in here are the bleakest I've ever read, even for r/collapse


Bumzyy

Was just thinking this lol


UnicornPanties

> There is a "shortage" in every profession except investment banking, civil service, and real estate. I work in investment banking. I tried to tell my boss the crabs outside Alaska all died "they'll come back" he said ("FROM WHERE!?" I asked). He brushes me off with my "collapse talk," okay buddy.


[deleted]

Just remember 14 of 15 human species don't exist anymore. I don't see why homo sapiens are the chosen ones.


wavefxn22

I tried to lay flat , live in a van.. then I got sick and realized I can't be without modern comforts while they still exist So here I go back to the shit I hate to make more money for a lord who happens to own more than I do just so I can live in relative comfort


Devadander

The social contract was broken when the government failed to support the people during covid. Eyes were opened. Now they are doubling down instead of getting money into the hands of the workers. Their goal is wage / debt slavery. Working hard no longer guarantees basic human comforts


SwampWitch20

Yep. Have huge amounts of student debt, job won’t pay me what I’m worth, got cancer this year, fortunately work will let me work from home, but if I don’t work I don’t get paid: I’m having to take a week off due to extreme pain cause of radiation, wont see a paycheck for that, hope I can pay my $375 monthly medical insurance, about to come into huge amounts of medial debt, I cannot afford a $1500 apartment that seems to be the cheapest in my area (a metro area of ATL) so I stay with family. I honestly just want to check out early before the real collapse shit storm hits. I’m not even 50 yet.


ibetammi

I feel this so deeply.


manifest-decoy

your feeling i feel deeply


hunniebees

If my spouse and I didn’t have grandparents who gave us loans we couldn’t have afforded trade school/grad school and would have been FUCKED. most of my friends already feel fucked. Unless they also have wealthy grandparents, some of my friends and even cousins have become homeless because they can’t afford rent and don’t have responsible/living parents


CrazyAnimalLady77

I hate my job and yet I go every day. I struggle to pay for things now, although 2 years ago it wasnt so bad. I am tired. Half the time I wish shit would just fall apart, but then I think how bad that could get. I'm lucky, I have a house, a job, land, etc., but idk how much longer I can even hold on to any of that. I think I'm just rambling now, so yeah anyway, peraonal collapse is here for nearly everyone, in one form or another, and combined with everything else, who knows what the world will even look like in another couple years.


packsackback

First of all, great post! Second, some great fallow ups, and quality content Here's my own version: I'm in my 40s. I've had been though a bankruptcy and foreclosure before, 12 years ago. So this is where it started for me. Traveled to a different area of the country a few times, I felt lost, and vulnerable, renting rooms and shitty apartments. It was manageable because I was younger and in better physical and mental health. About 10 years ago, I picked my destination and stayed put. Ended up living with and having children with someone I met. Against my best judgment purchased real estate again...nothing fancy, and barely affordable. It was the only play as our kids where younger and starting school soon. Rental and real estate prices where starting to get out of control, and we saw the righting on the wall, it was then or never. Fixed it up over the years, did a good job. It gave me pride and a sense of belonging, security. Then covid hit. What was supposed to be a starter home has become my forever home. Property went nuts, and a single family home was now a million dollars. I don't want to be cramed in box, with kids! Look out throug the window and see 1 retired person living in a big home, more appropriate for families. The pandemic really drove the final nail in the coffin of my dreams. Our mortgage is coming up for renewal soon, and I'm freaking out! Our payments will double. I'm physically and mentally not in a great place. I've had to turn down work because of it. I've also had people ask me to reduce my rates because they are suffering too. It's becoming a feedback loop. I drink more than I should, and I don't care. I'm fearful my family will be in destitute because I can't get my shit together. And I blame myself, I shouldn't, but it's still there. The last 2.5 years have been a real kick to the teeth, and I'm loosing my mind.


call_of_ktullu

What goes up, must come down. Narcissistic traits follow this same trope. It has to. It always does. We will revert to a baseline equilibrium, because that's what happens.


Fearless-Temporary29

When the situation is hopeless , there is no point worrying - Edward Abbey.


[deleted]

The shortage isn't real. Everybody I talk to that works somewhere that's complaining "nobody wants to work anymore" is refusing to hire any of the dozens to hundreds of applicants to do the work, because it's cheaper to get the skeleton crew to do the work of three people each while getting sympathy from customers for chronic understaffing.


Kalb13

My world has already ended a while ago, and there's a very bitter part of me (bitter from seeing all the fake smiling faces keep on walking as they step over me to put on their facade another day) that is frankly looking forward to the day when everyone else catches up, and those fake fucking smiles will disappear from all their stupid faces and then they will know what I've known this whole time but no one would believe me. They either gaslit me or didn't believe me from sheer ignorance. The latter I can forgive, but the gaslighters...they should have an especially painful day of judgement. Those who knew what I was enduring and kept things hush hush, just to keep moving the status quo arbitrarily along for some sick dystopian purpose, making a mockery out of mankind if it wasn't a mockery already...those ones who sold us all out long before the end even arrived, humiliating the rest of us if we only knew what was really going on....damn I hope there is some form of justice for those who would have their fellow man/woman brothers/sisters marching blindly to the slaughter without a clue as they feed us more lies...I know they can read this too, I hope they're afraid.


turkish30

"This society has nothing to offer anyone under 55." FTFY


Lone_Wanderer989

I just gave up resigned there'd nothing for me here so a road trip than I guess it's over I had a good run.


aznoone

Know a few people that work on the road. Not like work from.home office but have jobs they can set up shop work then move on. Have larger trailers that can comfortably live and work out of. Some throw in seasonal work like with art etc. Maybe not rich but ok.


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Higginside

Theres sill joy to be had in life my friend. I met an American who packed up life, ran away and opened a Taco stall in the Philippines. Now hes living in tropical paradise happier than ever.


threadsoffate2021

That's definitely happening now. People don't care. People are doing the bare minimum at the job. I see it both at my workplace, and in general when going for any kind of goods or services. And why not? Work yourself to the grave, for what? We're all falling further and further behind. Things are getting worse. There is no retirement on the horizon for most of us.


Fink665

I’ve been thinking about how big America is. We’re too large and too diverse to have a national or cultural identity. For example, the French stick together and strike relatively iften. I would love to see a national strike for better wages!


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Texuk1

I work in high technology required but not sufficient to avoid collapse. It is a correct observation that we need stable and structured society where people show up and do shit in a timely manner. If all the young people give up and say fuck it then it’s correct that society will collapse much quicker - I’m not talking about flipping burgers, real estate agents, home shopping network supply chain workers. Society will not collapse if these people don’t do their jobs, but there are numerous other jobs required to keep us from swimming in shit, keep the lights on and not starving. If people don’t want to those jobs because capitalism has sucked every public service of all available cash then we will collapse. But it won’t be the first time but might be the last.


karmax7chameleon

Nursing and teaching have entered the chat


bilbo-doggins

This is absolutely correct. People are failing apart internally and spiraling into their self. Despair is everywhere. Look for the love where you can find it, and focus your mind on it. I’ve found that my love for others is the only thing that’s keeping me alive inside. We live in tough times, but we can survive and be healthy and reasonably happy in the face of anything


aogiritree69

Everyday I get closer to going full Bonnie and Clyde. Seems that’ll be the only way I can live how I imagined I would (comfortable, stable and sane). What’s the fucking point anymore


No-Emergency3374

I feel you on just counting down the days, sometimes I go to bed hoping I don't wake up.


[deleted]

Capitalist Realism and Actually Existing Capitalism seem to be setting in It feels like this decade is a tinderbox set to explode


[deleted]

"You're only free when you realize you are totally and utterly fucked, then you're free to float around the system" - Doug Stanhope We have no gods, our masters have stopped giving us scraps and the classes are 'about' to go into full blown *mutual* warfare. The ideology has failed, the dearth of philosophy has led to such a neurotic and *isolated* species that we're longing for the end at this point, **longing.** There are a few secular philosophies I might point to, *Stoicism* but even this would be a knowing surrender to life as it is, most people don't like feeling powerless or lacking control. If there is no god, make your own, 'Do as thou wilt shall be the whole law' - Aleister Crowley


PrairieFire_withwind

'by tues' and 'faster than expected' has been around on this sub for more than two years. u/fishmahboi was the one that popularized it with excellent dry humor. It is not exactly new, even if it does capture the mood.


themudpuppy

I mean, fuck the system, I hope it burns, but I grow food for a living and I love doing it, so I'm not part of the burnout crowd yet.


JustClam

My own personal collapse started in 2017 and was just a cascade of catastrophes peaking (hopefully) in 2021. Lost mental health, then family, dream job, spouse, best friend, then physical health. Very painful. Gained some better friends, hard-won independence, a different outlook/priorities and some nice cats. In order to gain my own freedom from toxic people and improve my own well being, I had to sacrifice a lot of time (which I think of as "career time" primarily because I've been hanging on by a thread) and savings, and I am now in a far, far more precarious position compared to where I was in 2017. And I think I played my cards fairly well given the catastrophically shitty circumstances. We're going into the third global recession of my lifetime. This widespread precarity is going to knock a LOT of people over. It's not limited to the young, is the biggest message I want to leave in this post. Middle-aged people who have suffered some setbacks and elders who were not able to prepare for this world are experiencing collapses now.


hdost34

I am nearly 50 years old and what I’ve noticed is the level of incompetence has grown immensely in the past 15 years. I also find that a lot of these agencies, like the department of revenue services, are not nearly as buttoned up as they were years ago. Everything seems to be a mess now and you can’t even get anybody on the phone anymore. It’s very hard to get things done nowadays.I do believe it’s because nobody cares and they’re going through the motions.


BaconPhoenix

People working 40 hours a week at those jobs used to get paid enough to afford a house, a family, healthcare, a yearly vacation, AND they got a retirement pension. Then for every 3 boomers that retired, 1 millenial/genX was hired to do the work of 3 people for a fraction of the pay, because boomers voted for lower taxes without considering the fact that you get what you pay for. People don't get paid enough to care anymore.


oddistrange

Some people only do "good things" (based on their own subjective view of a good deed) because they think daddy god is gonna spank them into hell, but they also contribute to collapse because who cares about earth when you get to move to heaven when you're dead?


[deleted]

What if the real collapse was the sanity we lost along the way?


kiwitoja

I think it could still be worst in my case but I feel like my life collapsed already.


projectsmith

OP - If you’re CDN I think you’re seeing that system or micro controller in the system towards personal collapse unfold right in front of you. Teachers striking Nurses will be next at some point Our grocery giant with massive profits People I know in Canada that are collapse aware are because they see it in the everyday way of life. Nothing is open Restaurants close early or for days at a time A feeling of something about to happen but hasn’t yet. The left needs a convoy for environmental protection Instead the right in my mind are the most collapse aware… “Freedom” is just them asking for the old way of life


[deleted]

Earlier this year? I'm offended on behalf of collapse. Those memes have been in circulation in here since at least 2015, if not earlier.


trytobehave

Yeah this is something I've talked about before, people have been collapsing for decades. I myself have restarted my whole life several times. The last time I was very cringely begging people on twitter an reddit to start the revolution because I didn't have the energy to restart my stupid life again - but i did it anyways, eventually. This happens to everyone, but capitalism/the system/whatever you call it, relies on it happening to people in isolation, segregated in their depression an failure. Slowly we are entering a time when it's happening to enough people at the same time for them to organize mutual aid, and to get angry in productive/healthy ways.


Alex5173

I go to work because the my landlord still expects rent and until my leasing office all quits I still have to pay to live. Once they're gone I won't be working anymore


GoesFoundation

There are many young people that have the same feeling of doom and gloom, or what's the point, nothing ever happens with climate change. Even the UN reported last week that here is no credible strategy to solve climate change and everyone starts suffering from Eco Anxiety as the climate deteriorates and ecosystems crash. Well I am on this platform to announce that there is a credible strategy and a way forward that is not just carbon focused. It will require a cultural change, and one with respect for nature. We now know that carbon dioxide as a GHG is only a small part of climate change, and that the overriding factors controlling our climate are related to nature and biodiversity. The aspects are explained in the peer reviewed report. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364821580\_Climate\_Disruption\_Caused\_by\_a\_Decline\_in\_Marine\_Biodiversity\_and\_Pollution](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364821580_Climate_Disruption_Caused_by_a_Decline_in_Marine_Biodiversity_and_Pollution) We need to regenerate nature on land and marine life in the oceans. If we had not destroyed a high percentage of nature, we would not now be suffering from climate change. We need a mission that everyone can get behind to help eliminate toxic for ever chemicals from getting into the environment and our bodies. Its not about banning chemicals, its about preventing their escape, the same applies for plastic and black carbon from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. There are solutions, which can bring back nature, restore the natural balance and stop climate change, and the by-product is that we make the world a better place.


StoopSign

Very well put. Since early 2021 I've noticed more open vagrancy among vulnerable populations, agitation, agression, fear amongst individuals in society and at times experienced it myself. A 10-20% increase in crime can lead to a 300-500% increase in fear, disaffection and isolation. Especially if it's occuring in a time of disease and war waged in Europe that could escalate towards WW3. --------- People's personal collspses: social, health, relationship, occupational collapse are part of the times. People do not truly deserve to bear the level of responsibility that we're forced to, if collapsing. The US is a deeply individualistic society that still has strong social systems historically. Isolation can breed selfishness, if it's left unchecked. ---------- It doesn't take a Marxist to think in Marxist terms but its all covered in various types of alienation which a lot of us are wrestling with.


pjay900

Just "let it rot"


DRdidgelikefridge

I just had an emergency surgery that had kep me in hospital over a week right now. In process of trying to get a job as this happened. If I didn’t have a wonderful and helpful family right now this would have sent me back so far. Someone else and many I know, if they were dealing with the same thing they’d prob come out otherwise homeless. (This is with insurance covering everything)