Question for preppers and prepper adjacents

Now, I think stocking up on the essentials, honing one's survival skills, and generally preparing for a breakdown in society are basically good things. So keep on keepin' on. My question is more a philosophical one.

See, I'm a very depressed person under normal circumstances. If faced with The S*** Hitting The Fan (and I mean in a permanent way), my plan comes in 3 parts: 1) Hope I don't survive. 2) If I do, kill myself quickly. 3) Or get someone to kill me for me, since that kind of person should be abundant. I don't want to do what I already do now, but with no Internet or running water. That's when I throw in the towel. I don't have children, so that's removed from the equation for me. I certainly wouldn't want my children living in that sort of environment.

My question is: There are many people working very hard to survive an impending catastrophe, but to what end? Why do you want to survive? What do you hope to accomplish?

>No Internet
>Why live?

I don't know if this is the reaction you're after but I've split my sides laughing.
I'm pretty sure you will survive the coming calamities, since you've been so good at not killing yourself to date.

Why do I want to survive? I dunno. Instinct I guess. I'd rather die in a ripe old age, in my personal harem of Asian girls, tea in one hand and typing on ATS with my other.

Why would anyone not want to #post another day?

Perhaps it's just the instinct to survive, something all living things possess to some degree (except those Lemmings from that computer game growing up, lol!)

Personally, I just can't fathom going out and leaving this life with the world/my community in the state that it is now.

I would be a ghost, eternally stuck in the middle of two realms, due to 'unfinished business'. I feel like my entire purpose is to help the world and help the people (in some fashion at least), and I feel like I haven't done that yet.

For me, personally, to die or give up right now would feel like Michelangelo quitting on his masterpiece of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel after having only painted a few strokes. I just can't quit or surrender before doing something more, making some kind of contribution, first, to my community / family.

a reply to: Evergreen

PS I am also giving you a flag because I hope this thread can attract the attention of some of our other insightful ATS community members. It is disheartening to hear someone who is so determined to give up if SHTF. I really hope for the sake of the rest of the world that you can discover your potential/purpose before anything like that happens. We all have something great we can give back to the world...
a reply to: Evergreen

Why would I want to survive? Besides the fact that I cannot throw in the towel I would have to say it would be the hope of the things to come. Remember that whatever collapse were to come has happened before in history. There is always a story to find and a new culture/country will arise. Now I don't think things will get that bad but one must be prepared. I just can't encounter cannibals. If I did I may change my tune to one resembling yours.

What's a prepper adjacent?

If the SHTF and doesn't kill us all, our society and civilization would completely collapse.

This means the next morning when you wake up, for the first time ever you would be truly free.

Food Water shelter, work with not for you fellow humans to mutually survive.

It might not be all bad.

We're definitely on the same wavelength!

Some time ago we had a neighborhood block meeting for emergency preparedness. I told my friends that my Emergency Preparation Plan was to NOT SURVIVE.

I was 90% serious. As far as the recent "crises/doom porn" of Ebola...I'm not nearly as afraid of dying from the virus as I am living with the inevitable breakdown of society....and especially the breakdown of "civilized" services. I am no Survivalist...I like my creature comforts. I like heat in the winter, a soft bed, food in the fridge, dry socks, electric lights, cable TV...and most especially INDOOR PLUMBING. If I thought I would have to get up my normal 3-4 times a night, slog through the weather to the privy and use the latrine for the rest of my life, I'd find me one of those roving bands of renegades and point a wooden stick at them and yell "READY? AIM!! FIRE!!"

I have absolutely NO desire to survive the SHTF and live for twenty more years in a post-apocalyptic world.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
If the SHTF and doesn't kill us all, our society and civilization would completely collapse.

This means the next morning when you wake up, for the first time ever you would be truly free.

Food Water shelter, work with not for you fellow humans to mutually survive.

It might not be all bad.

Yes! Boil it down to one word, freedom.

C'mon cruel world, bring it on !

I believe your question may come from lack of perspective.

The answer is "we" not "me" - The collective species...not the individual

That's why

originally posted by: FamCore
PS I am also giving you a flag because I hope this thread can attract the attention of some of our other insightful ATS community members. It is disheartening to hear someone who is so determined to give up if SHTF. I really hope for the sake of the rest of the world that you can discover your potential/purpose before anything like that happens. We all have something great we can give back to the world...

a reply to: Evergreen

He isn't giving up when the SHTF, he has already given up.

If the only thing keeping you going today is running water and the internet then you have already given up on life.

It's a shame life has so much to offer, more than most people can even fathom (myself included) and yet instead of trying something new or going someplace new you just give up.

You are not tied your moms basement forever, or the same town, or the same state, or country, or job, or school.

You are an animal on this planet who can go anywhere in the world and do about anything.

Want to go to China? Can't afford to fly there you say? Try getting a job on a freighter and work your way to another country and make money on the way.

Walk to South America. Don't have time you say? What else you doing besides feeling depressed and whining about life.

There is so much to do in the world the only way anyone should be bored and hate life where they are is because they are too scared and lazy to pursue something better.

a reply to: mwood

Just my perspective on your perspective...

I am a homeowner, I've worked the same job (a good job) for the past 18+ years. But I currently struggle with health problems. I'm single with no children...and no local immediate family. I feel I'm a contributing member of society, but I don't think it's wrong of me to not wish to live in a bleak, post-apocalyptic future where survival is a matter of making it one day after another.

It's great to have a plan, to be prepared to bug out, camp out, hunt your own food, sleep in a tent...and if you want to do that and can do that - have the skills and training - to do that...more power to you. I have no place to bug out to...I have no survivalist community to rally 'round me...if and when the SHTF the "S" will stick to me and I'll struggle to live with it. It's not a pleasant prospect...so try to judge me a bit less harshly...okay?

I brought three children into the world ,

its my duty to make sure they actually have a life, and if that means getting my hands dirty and crawling over rubble and broken glass to make sure that life is as best as it can be regardless of environment.

so be it.

Q

TBH if it was just me i would also fight to survive and have been prepping since the Dallas Ebola hit the news, life always finds a way and i'm gonna help.

You may have more of a thirst for survival than you think if you were actually put in that situation. You might find that your mind is taken completely off your troubles because you are so busy trying to survive. It would be very challenging and exciting to live by your wits, to adapt, to innovate, to negotiate so many new situations. You would be alive as you have never been alive before.
We survive in order to create. We create the next generation and we create the world around us. In a catastrophic situation we would have the opportunity to create a new and better kind of society. That would truly be something to look forward to.

Sal

a reply to: Evergreen

The thought of no food and hungry kids looking at me to do something makes my blood curdle. I'll fight like hell or do whatever possible to survive. I can understand the giving up side of life to though. I feel there would be a point that death may seem better but I think Sometimes I was meant to suffer. I haven't stock piled food and don't have my house set up to break away from an electric company. We struggle now just to pay the man and keep the kids fed and educated. Maybe a survival class needs to be implemented in public schools.

So,we're floating along in this boat, you and me and a few others. Up in the front of the boat, I notice a big hole in the hull and try warning everyone that we're going to sink. No one listens, so I take some gear and and a life boat and tell you to come with. Wouldn't you want to get off the sinking boat ?

a reply to: conspiracytheoristIAM

Depends if you have a cute daughter or a bottle of bourbon.....

Seriously man, if you can't think of a single reason worth living then you haven't bothered to really look.

originally posted by: Evergreen
Now, I think stocking up on the essentials, honing one's survival skills, and generally preparing for a breakdown in society are basically good things. So keep on keepin' on. My question is more a philosophical one.

See, I'm a very depressed person under normal circumstances. If faced with The S*** Hitting The Fan (and I mean in a permanent way), my plan comes in 3 parts: 1) Hope I don't survive. 2) If I do, kill myself quickly. 3) Or get someone to kill me for me, since that kind of person should be abundant. I don't want to do what I already do now, but with no Internet or running water. That's when I throw in the towel. I don't have children, so that's removed from the equation for me. I certainly wouldn't want my children living in that sort of environment.

My question is: There are many people working very hard to survive an impending catastrophe, but to what end? Why do you want to survive? What do you hope to accomplish?

Sometimes when people don't have silly shallow distractions they actually get a full, rich, busy life. You should at least try it. You might meet a partner or friends who need your help. Also, there are plants you can take to help with depression but you'll have to research that.

a reply to: Evergreen

Hi, I can understand totally everything you are saying and a lot of the time I feel like you describe. I have a debilitating chronic illness in my leg and my life has deteriorated. My partner has had a mental break down and only recovering from 2 years of hell. I have 2 children aged 2 and 6 with the older one has hydrocephalus and is dependent on a shunt from the brain to the tummy. These reasons combined have put me in a poor mental state. However its been during this time my eyes have been really opened. Although there is so much crap in the world and I feel the majority of people are beyond selfish, but I have started to realise that in the end all this stuff doesn't matter. I know this sounds terrible and the thought of people suffering breaks my heart, but the world is so #ed up that if there was an instant restart button ( like on the playstation 1) I would start from scratch.

In the situation where the SHTF you have to look at your situation as a positive. Having no dependents will allow you to do things many other cant. You wont have to go through the terrible choices and sights of your children dying and making decisions for the best for more than just you. Therefore you will instead of being stuck protecting you can be out helping those alone and in need of someone who has went through the hard times in life, times when you don't want to be here any more.

There isn't much to save in terms of community and infrastructure imo and I can understand you in saying what is there to save and live for. But maybe when the smoke has cleared you realise your purpose and can contribute to a new beginning.

One thing I do know, you will come out so much more stronger (it may take a long time and feel like an eternity) but when you get past your depression you will see past all the obvious flaws in the world and see the subtle beauty around you and the small acts of kindness that you probably haven't seen enough of in your life.

I think its time to check your prep list and take stock. If you need to talk about anything pm me.

Good luck