The prepping we should be doing is in our communities: mutual aid societies (which happened to some extent in the pandemic), knowing your farmers, growing and sharing your own food, things like that.
It's weird, I remember feeling some mockery towards Doomsday preppers in the past, but they've actually got some sense in getting things in place (to a certain degree). It's somewhat impractical in the city in an apartment, though. No bunkers for me here! 😆
But lockdown did make me realise we have things that we need to get by for a while, though one of the things I do wonder about it fresh water. I'm not hoarding bottles of water at the moment.
As you and others have said, though, the prep needs to come from within the community.
Also, I saw a video not long ago about a MAGA supporter at a rally being asked about climate change. He said it didn't bother, why should it, because it's not going to affect him and he doesn't have any children so why care about anyone else? 😱😬🙄
I remember as well watching a couple of movies about people who build bunkers to shelter themselves from a potential nuclear war that didn't happen. The most bizarre was one character who actually lived in the bunker for years only to realize everything was fine above ground.
This discussion is far too rare, and the perspective you bring to doom/survivalist/prepper climate stories in your essay is spot-on. Your Substack entry reminded me of a visit to a family member who mentioned that she’d bought a new gun, and when I asked why, she reported it was to protect her family when society collapsed. I pointed out that it would be more effective protection to work toward society not collapsing, but from her reaction, apparently that’s just not as fun!
Climate fiction is rife with apocalyptic stories and most aren’t any better than any other guy-gets-gun-and-girl fantasies (e.g., zombies, EMT, plagues, post-nuclear holocaust, etc.) that casually ignore the millions or billions of people any particular scenario bumps off as a plot point. These sorts of books fail to have the readers identify the fictional characters and situations with their own lives, and worse yet, distance the readers from society-saving empathy.
There are excellent writers brave enough to take on some form or another of climate change apocalyptic world—Paulo Bacigalupi comes to mind—who write well and with style, and you come away from such accomplished books thinking about our world today. There are other excellent writers creating climate fiction that presents a human context in other ways, but I still wish such books were less scarce!
When it comes to climate and storytelling I have to think of Amitav Gosh the author of 'The Great Derangement'. He pointed out that our current day hero tropes or introspective literature won't cut it. We need new forms of storytelling where forces beyond ourselves shape our lives.
Your family episode about collapse is quite telling. It's natural to want to protect oneself but a gun won't be enough.
Well said, David. I look forward to that CliFi PhD dissertation categorizing the different angles and tying them to various degrees of empathy or hyper-individualism. I was recently recommended this book by Elizabeth Lesser, "Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers the Human Story Changes." Very promising.
Generally speaking, I shy away from the darker apocalyptic CliFi. In my view, it's lazy and unimaginative to extrapolate the worst, most visible aspects of collapse into a bleak future. Since media favors drama over feel-good stories, we only hear about a fraction of the repair and restoration that's happening all around the world. Why not extrapolate those? Which is why the "Grist Imagine 2200" series is so powerful.
Claudia, if you so choose, you should read our collaborative writing, The End of Autumn. Several have contributed to this message to others, from their perspectives of soul, spirit, and life. You can either read the writing, which explains how to contribute, or you can listen to it via the adaptive videos. If you do elect to add to the message, it should be from your listening to, or reading each perspective by the various writers, then, begin where the last writer left off, adding their contribution, but too, adding to the message as a whole. It is a way we can each and all help others, the worldly see beyond the lures and edicts of the world, and, hopefully, be a light for others to find the light of their unique essence. Please, let me know if you choose to contribute, and, have fun with it.
There's every possibility that we will enter a dark age with a kind of collapse and there are many signs that this is going to occur in this century. It's important to think about and analyze even in fiction.
It's nice to see this discussion in a more mainstream environment. Thank you, Claudia.
I see preparation similarly, but too, from a different perspective. A bit of semi-recent history, my family and I began "prepping" upon the banking bailout here in the USA. Not that we did anything wrong, but it was based on hyped fear-based media. So, we spent a fair amount of money, what we could afford, getting basics in order i.e., some of the things mentioned in you writing. Fast forward a bit. I lost my wife of 30 years, which knocked me to my knees for nearly three years. (Best laid plans of mice and men). It was during those years that events manifested that changed my perspective of everything.
While my son and I kept preparing the best we could, I began to see from a larger perspective. In that, definitions changed, of life, preparing, really, everything changed. Upon realizing that my definition of life expanded, or changed, so did my preparation mindset. First, I knew, from personal events, that life and death were not relegated to confined humanistic concepts. There was more; like when ice turns to water, and water to vapor, and then back. So, if life was different than what we have learned here in this three dimensional box, how do I prepare. Well, I decided to homestead, to get off the grid, cut my ties with the matrix of deceptions and illusions, and fend for myself. Huge Change!
Preparing, in part, became separating from the liars and lies, which means from fear marketers, control of our thinkingness, and who and what we have been told to be. When one steps out of the matrix, what was once one's truths, becomes lies. (Now this was a Huge Change!) Now, I still do what I can to homestead, better insuring my family and I are as prepared as possible, in a world that is throwing more at us everyday. But, I now do not worry about the outcome of the world, nor me. You see, you and me, we are far beyond the lies we have been told to be. Life is indefinable. That is part of the lie, which keeps us fearful of a death that will never come. Death lives within one's beliefs. Life, however, is infinite, an ever-changing energy, always transforming, but more so, always existing. You are more than you think, more than what you are told. Why do you think we have been told what life is? Because, it confines us and keeps us living in fear and under the control of pipers telling us they have our best interests at heart. So, we obey.
My suggestion, do what you can do to mitigate the discomfort of the changes unfolding. Make your transition, less dramatic. Now, realize that change happens, and those who adapt more quickly, will fare better than those clinging to their past. Lastly, you are truly an infinite wonder, the most beautiful thought, ever imagined. Live your life as if you can never die, that no matter what happens, you will exist. Have some fun, look at what is happening as your next adventurous challenge. And, decide what you prefer your life to be, and Be. In that, whatever comes will be a positive for you.
I leave this perspective with you: A Dance With Chaos
It looks like you went through a very difficult journey and came out the other end with more wisdom and kindness. May your wife rest in peace. I'm sure she's happy that you found peace and joy amidst the sorrow.
When I lost her, I spent nearly 3 years sequestered in my room, only eating a can of beans or the like every 2 or 3 days. Mostly I slept and cried, but then, I would be awakened between 3 to 5 am, by a hand on my shoulder and my name gently called. This went on for over a year. When I would awaken, I would open my laptop and type until I somehow knew I was finished. I would save what I had typed and return to my slumber. I had never written anything until then. In fact, I used to sleep in English class. What I write and share, it is from and part of a plane of existence, another dimension that this. When I felt that hand, heard my name, there was never anyone in the room that I could see with eyes or hear with ears. The voice had no gender, it just existed. The wisdoms that I was given were for me to see and be more than what life here is. I give what I am given then and now to anyone who will pause long enough to look beyond how they live their lives as defined by the world. I can tell you this, none of us are defined. How we live, be it sorrowfully tortured, or joyfully beyond description is from what we agree with and believe. If you tell me, Mark, look at this beautiful sunrise, but I say to you, all I see is a hill in front of me, all I need do, is change my perspective.
This is all we need do, and is why for the last many years, I give what I am given to all who will look beyond their livingness.
Sadly, or joyfully, we live in a time of dramatic upheaval. Many will not fare well, for they live no further than their societal and worldly matrix. It is my hope that we each and all will look beyond life as we know here in this dualistic third dimension. However, we have choice for a reason. All I am is a sower of seeds. I hope some grow into their infinincy.
Thank you again for your kindness, Claudia. My heart, me, has been shredded, but here I am, still here, still caring and still sharing with others. I do this, because we truly are all connected. In our essence, we are of one soul. When we return to that essence, our innocence, there will be no reason to kill each other from deluded egotism.
I can relate to your pain as I know what it means to lose someone near and dear. It puts everything into perspective and you truly lifted yourself to the next level, Mark. Thanks for sharing from your heart.
I grew up on a working farm, where I was at least exposed to most of the skills necessary for what people sometimes call self-sufficiency. We even had a horse, a gelding named Silver, who plowed our tobacco a couple times per summer after the plants got too big for the tractor to move through them without damaging them. Aside from that he had a pretty easy (boring) life.
It sounds like a book written about a very slow collapse. A liminal phase where there is time for cynical exploitation, eg. years enough to see the creation of a new utility besides water, gas and electricity: breathable air. Who knows if it will be a sudden cataclysm or a protracted period of degradation featuring even more war, famine, and disease than we already have?
Yes! There was a lot to explore. They cited the actors’ aging as one of the main reasons, which seems a bit lame. I wonder if it's stupid Disney politics, and it reminds me of what happened with ‘The Expanse’.
Thanks for this takeaway - I couldn't really get into the novel myself.
Re: collapse > it's cyclical. Things, systems etc all collapse and rebuild. The idea that anything could only progress upwards is a bit silly, probably very western and liberalist. Collapse may be ugly, or lethal for many but it's part of life. What we need to be ready for, is to rebuild something better. Imagine harder the world we would love - whether we get to create it in our lifetime or not. So keep writing ♥️
Really enjoyed this exploration of the book, Claudia. I'm getting close to the end, enjoying the clever structure and themes. What's sticking most with me is the Biblical either/or of hunter-gathering vs farming. Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael" gets into this, but Alderman's take is so well said. A real a-ha moment. You're absolutely right, though - hunter-gathering only works if half the human population dies in a pandemic or something. (Interesting that's her choice, much like "Station Eleven," which she cleverly references as one of the books loaded into the survival suits.)
What's wild about this book is how close to current reality it is. The tech titans and their galactic egos, thinking all they have to do is build bunkers and own islands. Let the rest of us NPCs suffer and die. Versus the clear understanding that humans have most successfully thrived in organized communities for millennia.
I'm with you, though -- I've long wondered why not put our efforts into creating just, livable societies NOW, rather than planning to survive an apocalypse. And to recognize that many people, in the recent past and today, are living through apocalypse even now.
The prepping we should be doing is in our communities: mutual aid societies (which happened to some extent in the pandemic), knowing your farmers, growing and sharing your own food, things like that.
You put it so well, Larry. This sounds more robust in terms prepping than just having an emergency kit and praying that all will go well.
Great read, Claudia.
It's weird, I remember feeling some mockery towards Doomsday preppers in the past, but they've actually got some sense in getting things in place (to a certain degree). It's somewhat impractical in the city in an apartment, though. No bunkers for me here! 😆
But lockdown did make me realise we have things that we need to get by for a while, though one of the things I do wonder about it fresh water. I'm not hoarding bottles of water at the moment.
As you and others have said, though, the prep needs to come from within the community.
Also, I saw a video not long ago about a MAGA supporter at a rally being asked about climate change. He said it didn't bother, why should it, because it's not going to affect him and he doesn't have any children so why care about anyone else? 😱😬🙄
I remember as well watching a couple of movies about people who build bunkers to shelter themselves from a potential nuclear war that didn't happen. The most bizarre was one character who actually lived in the bunker for years only to realize everything was fine above ground.
No one wants to be those people 😂.
Haha, ooops. That’s quite impressively stupid. 😄
I know 😅
This discussion is far too rare, and the perspective you bring to doom/survivalist/prepper climate stories in your essay is spot-on. Your Substack entry reminded me of a visit to a family member who mentioned that she’d bought a new gun, and when I asked why, she reported it was to protect her family when society collapsed. I pointed out that it would be more effective protection to work toward society not collapsing, but from her reaction, apparently that’s just not as fun!
Climate fiction is rife with apocalyptic stories and most aren’t any better than any other guy-gets-gun-and-girl fantasies (e.g., zombies, EMT, plagues, post-nuclear holocaust, etc.) that casually ignore the millions or billions of people any particular scenario bumps off as a plot point. These sorts of books fail to have the readers identify the fictional characters and situations with their own lives, and worse yet, distance the readers from society-saving empathy.
There are excellent writers brave enough to take on some form or another of climate change apocalyptic world—Paulo Bacigalupi comes to mind—who write well and with style, and you come away from such accomplished books thinking about our world today. There are other excellent writers creating climate fiction that presents a human context in other ways, but I still wish such books were less scarce!
Paulo Bacigalupi's 'The Windup Girl' is my favorite cli-fi novel. I even wrote a book review: https://www.storyvoyager.com/p/the-future-of-food-and-of-being-human
When it comes to climate and storytelling I have to think of Amitav Gosh the author of 'The Great Derangement'. He pointed out that our current day hero tropes or introspective literature won't cut it. We need new forms of storytelling where forces beyond ourselves shape our lives.
Your family episode about collapse is quite telling. It's natural to want to protect oneself but a gun won't be enough.
Well said, David. I look forward to that CliFi PhD dissertation categorizing the different angles and tying them to various degrees of empathy or hyper-individualism. I was recently recommended this book by Elizabeth Lesser, "Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers the Human Story Changes." Very promising.
Generally speaking, I shy away from the darker apocalyptic CliFi. In my view, it's lazy and unimaginative to extrapolate the worst, most visible aspects of collapse into a bleak future. Since media favors drama over feel-good stories, we only hear about a fraction of the repair and restoration that's happening all around the world. Why not extrapolate those? Which is why the "Grist Imagine 2200" series is so powerful.
Claudia, if you so choose, you should read our collaborative writing, The End of Autumn. Several have contributed to this message to others, from their perspectives of soul, spirit, and life. You can either read the writing, which explains how to contribute, or you can listen to it via the adaptive videos. If you do elect to add to the message, it should be from your listening to, or reading each perspective by the various writers, then, begin where the last writer left off, adding their contribution, but too, adding to the message as a whole. It is a way we can each and all help others, the worldly see beyond the lures and edicts of the world, and, hopefully, be a light for others to find the light of their unique essence. Please, let me know if you choose to contribute, and, have fun with it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/dakelly/p/hans-roslings-factfulness?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=gc2d2
Looking forward to the 25th!!!
I'm editing at full speed! 😁
There's every possibility that we will enter a dark age with a kind of collapse and there are many signs that this is going to occur in this century. It's important to think about and analyze even in fiction.
That's what I keep reading as well. I hope for the best even though I explore the worst in my fiction.
It's nice to see this discussion in a more mainstream environment. Thank you, Claudia.
I see preparation similarly, but too, from a different perspective. A bit of semi-recent history, my family and I began "prepping" upon the banking bailout here in the USA. Not that we did anything wrong, but it was based on hyped fear-based media. So, we spent a fair amount of money, what we could afford, getting basics in order i.e., some of the things mentioned in you writing. Fast forward a bit. I lost my wife of 30 years, which knocked me to my knees for nearly three years. (Best laid plans of mice and men). It was during those years that events manifested that changed my perspective of everything.
While my son and I kept preparing the best we could, I began to see from a larger perspective. In that, definitions changed, of life, preparing, really, everything changed. Upon realizing that my definition of life expanded, or changed, so did my preparation mindset. First, I knew, from personal events, that life and death were not relegated to confined humanistic concepts. There was more; like when ice turns to water, and water to vapor, and then back. So, if life was different than what we have learned here in this three dimensional box, how do I prepare. Well, I decided to homestead, to get off the grid, cut my ties with the matrix of deceptions and illusions, and fend for myself. Huge Change!
Preparing, in part, became separating from the liars and lies, which means from fear marketers, control of our thinkingness, and who and what we have been told to be. When one steps out of the matrix, what was once one's truths, becomes lies. (Now this was a Huge Change!) Now, I still do what I can to homestead, better insuring my family and I are as prepared as possible, in a world that is throwing more at us everyday. But, I now do not worry about the outcome of the world, nor me. You see, you and me, we are far beyond the lies we have been told to be. Life is indefinable. That is part of the lie, which keeps us fearful of a death that will never come. Death lives within one's beliefs. Life, however, is infinite, an ever-changing energy, always transforming, but more so, always existing. You are more than you think, more than what you are told. Why do you think we have been told what life is? Because, it confines us and keeps us living in fear and under the control of pipers telling us they have our best interests at heart. So, we obey.
My suggestion, do what you can do to mitigate the discomfort of the changes unfolding. Make your transition, less dramatic. Now, realize that change happens, and those who adapt more quickly, will fare better than those clinging to their past. Lastly, you are truly an infinite wonder, the most beautiful thought, ever imagined. Live your life as if you can never die, that no matter what happens, you will exist. Have some fun, look at what is happening as your next adventurous challenge. And, decide what you prefer your life to be, and Be. In that, whatever comes will be a positive for you.
I leave this perspective with you: A Dance With Chaos
https://iamwisdom.substack.com/p/a-dance-with-chaos-and-beyond-control
It looks like you went through a very difficult journey and came out the other end with more wisdom and kindness. May your wife rest in peace. I'm sure she's happy that you found peace and joy amidst the sorrow.
When I lost her, I spent nearly 3 years sequestered in my room, only eating a can of beans or the like every 2 or 3 days. Mostly I slept and cried, but then, I would be awakened between 3 to 5 am, by a hand on my shoulder and my name gently called. This went on for over a year. When I would awaken, I would open my laptop and type until I somehow knew I was finished. I would save what I had typed and return to my slumber. I had never written anything until then. In fact, I used to sleep in English class. What I write and share, it is from and part of a plane of existence, another dimension that this. When I felt that hand, heard my name, there was never anyone in the room that I could see with eyes or hear with ears. The voice had no gender, it just existed. The wisdoms that I was given were for me to see and be more than what life here is. I give what I am given then and now to anyone who will pause long enough to look beyond how they live their lives as defined by the world. I can tell you this, none of us are defined. How we live, be it sorrowfully tortured, or joyfully beyond description is from what we agree with and believe. If you tell me, Mark, look at this beautiful sunrise, but I say to you, all I see is a hill in front of me, all I need do, is change my perspective.
This is all we need do, and is why for the last many years, I give what I am given to all who will look beyond their livingness.
Sadly, or joyfully, we live in a time of dramatic upheaval. Many will not fare well, for they live no further than their societal and worldly matrix. It is my hope that we each and all will look beyond life as we know here in this dualistic third dimension. However, we have choice for a reason. All I am is a sower of seeds. I hope some grow into their infinincy.
Thank you again for your kindness, Claudia. My heart, me, has been shredded, but here I am, still here, still caring and still sharing with others. I do this, because we truly are all connected. In our essence, we are of one soul. When we return to that essence, our innocence, there will be no reason to kill each other from deluded egotism.
Simple You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1qQFdbACvU&t=4s
I can relate to your pain as I know what it means to lose someone near and dear. It puts everything into perspective and you truly lifted yourself to the next level, Mark. Thanks for sharing from your heart.
I grew up on a working farm, where I was at least exposed to most of the skills necessary for what people sometimes call self-sufficiency. We even had a horse, a gelding named Silver, who plowed our tobacco a couple times per summer after the plants got too big for the tractor to move through them without damaging them. Aside from that he had a pretty easy (boring) life.
Yes, farming skills are probably better than learning how to survive in the wild.
Just stumbled across this post about 'The Serviceberry' by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which seems relevant because of the focus on sharing.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-163660105
Wow, this is a great recommendation, thanks. Braiding Sweetgrass is on my to read list for my next novel.
It sounds like a book written about a very slow collapse. A liminal phase where there is time for cynical exploitation, eg. years enough to see the creation of a new utility besides water, gas and electricity: breathable air. Who knows if it will be a sudden cataclysm or a protracted period of degradation featuring even more war, famine, and disease than we already have?
That's a great observation and something I explore in my own book: the end of 500 years of collapse.
https://www.storyvoyager.com/p/human-island-part-i
This one?
That's the first story, here's an overview of the other episodes: https://www.storyvoyager.com/p/there-is-hope-a-climate-fiction-series
Thanks, Claudia. By the way, we were talking about Andor yesterday …I just saw there won't be a season 3. :/
Yeah, I know :/.
The ending was a bit rushed, there was space for another season to wrap things up.
Yes! There was a lot to explore. They cited the actors’ aging as one of the main reasons, which seems a bit lame. I wonder if it's stupid Disney politics, and it reminds me of what happened with ‘The Expanse’.
Thanks for this takeaway - I couldn't really get into the novel myself.
Re: collapse > it's cyclical. Things, systems etc all collapse and rebuild. The idea that anything could only progress upwards is a bit silly, probably very western and liberalist. Collapse may be ugly, or lethal for many but it's part of life. What we need to be ready for, is to rebuild something better. Imagine harder the world we would love - whether we get to create it in our lifetime or not. So keep writing ♥️
Really enjoyed this exploration of the book, Claudia. I'm getting close to the end, enjoying the clever structure and themes. What's sticking most with me is the Biblical either/or of hunter-gathering vs farming. Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael" gets into this, but Alderman's take is so well said. A real a-ha moment. You're absolutely right, though - hunter-gathering only works if half the human population dies in a pandemic or something. (Interesting that's her choice, much like "Station Eleven," which she cleverly references as one of the books loaded into the survival suits.)
What's wild about this book is how close to current reality it is. The tech titans and their galactic egos, thinking all they have to do is build bunkers and own islands. Let the rest of us NPCs suffer and die. Versus the clear understanding that humans have most successfully thrived in organized communities for millennia.
I'm with you, though -- I've long wondered why not put our efforts into creating just, livable societies NOW, rather than planning to survive an apocalypse. And to recognize that many people, in the recent past and today, are living through apocalypse even now.