Coping With TEOTWAWKI

Economic Collapse, Peak Oil, Extreme Weather, 2012, the Decline of America, Global Issues. There are plenty of reasons for people to be nervous. We could argue all day about the validity of some of the choices but, the fact is, most of us wouldn’t even be on ATS if we felt everything was right with the world.

Everyone has their way of coping and we are surrounded by our friends and families who are just trying to cope as well. I came across the article below, which (although somewhat tongue-in-cheek) I found interesting and which characterizes different personality types when confronted with a crisis:

www.energybulletin.net...

Panglossian Disorders and Their Subtypes

Panglossian Disorder: “The neurotic tendency toward extreme optimism in the face of likely cultural and planetary collapse.”

Temporal Subtypes:
Scarlet O’Hara-ism- “I’ll just have to think about that tomorrow.” A strategy of denial that allows the person to temporally compartmentalize the feared event(s).

Futurism: “Sure, that will happen, but it will occur after all of us are long dead.” A belief that something that might happen in the distant future is no concern in the present.

Y2K features : “They said everything would collapse with 2000, and it didn’t.” A belief that any prior concern about societal problems that didn’t occur demonstrates the impossibility of any others happening in the future.
Angry Subtypes:

Rhett-Butlerist Features - “Peak Oil? Planetary Collapse? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Aggressive denial of information not in keeping with one’s world view.

Kill the Messenger Redirection : “Why are you telling me this? What kind of sicko focuses on these kinds of facts? You need help!” The belief that those who bring bad news are doing it for malevolent reasons.

Narcissistic Subtypes:

Rigid Cheney-ism: “The American Way of Life is non-negotiable.” The belief that any undesirable change can be avoided by a sheer act of will.

Survivalistic features : “Hey, if the rest of the world is doomed, I don’t worry about it, because I’ve got mine.” A belief that personal preparation is adequate….(more types follow)

…I have spoken elsewhere about the label “Doomer,” and I’ve come to believe that this frame is outdated. Instead, I would like to suggest that we must stop asking ourselves, given the lateness of the hour, why there are those pessimistic about the future, and begin asking, instead, why there are those still blindly and enthusiastically optimistic about it. We can easily see why those who might be gloomy about the future could feel hopeless and take the path of inactivity. On the other hand, this same fear of disaster can motivate constructive action in an attempt to mitigate the effects. Not so, however, for those who see no NEED to take action, because they live in the best of all possible worlds. Indeed, I might argue that it is the very blind hopefulness and inaction of the masses that leads many of my readers to assume a more hopeless posture toward world events..

Now, for those of my readers who ask whether or not they are going crazy, as they see a gloomy future when those around them see “the best of all possible worlds,” I'd like to suggest that you are asking the wrong question. Being "sane" is not enough. Your actions are what matters now. Imagine yourself like Herr Shindler in Shindler's List, looking at your watch and saying "I could have sold this. I could have saved more." (Thank you, DRS, for that powerful metaphor.) You are living in an insane time, and you can't use the thinking of those around you to guide you in what to do. You have to start thinking and acting for yourself. You have to start looking around you for like-minded souls, and to be able to accurately identify those who are wrong-thinking, not to pathologize them, but to recognize them as living in a dream-world created for them by psychopathological corporate forces...

I'm definitely married to a Y2K cynic.

Thank you for posting this. It's nice to find a more light-hearted thread every once in a while.

I tend to float between a few of those "types" depending on the moment. More than anything, though, I hold onto the notion that I will survive whatever catastophe that happens to strike us. This belief is not based upon any rational thought, but rather the mixture of arrogance and denial that most of us have regarding our own mortality. It is difficult for me to imagine myself succumbing to death, so I instead choose to imagine myself rising from the ashes and battling my way through the destruction. Unlikely, but comforting.

Well, I sort of fall into a category whatever it is... I tend to feel this way, "Don't worry about it. Everything is going according to plan." I don't know what category that would fall under, but that pretty much sums up my feelings about things.

I think I would probably be considered a doomer.

Thanks for posting this KJ.

Despite my avatar I'm more of a Rigid-Cheney type, but not to an unreasonable level. At least in my own opinion.

Some things in life are non-negotiable, at least if life is to be worth living.

reply to post by kosmicjack

Well, I certainly don't believe everything's right with the world, so I wouldn't call myself a Panglossian.

More a sort of take-it-as-it-comes and who cares that much anyway?

What does that make me? A kind of apathetic Scarlett O'Hara?

Stoner O'Hara?

I don't really fall into any of the categories. I would say I am trying to be practical but prepared, optimistic yet realistic - which I am finding is virtually impossible.

- Need to stock up, don't want to waste money

- Trying to go about life as normal (family, friends, neighbors, work, activities, etc) but the perpetual sense of the coming chaos makes it all seem so futile

The anxiety is made worse here in the Southeast because there's no gas, we are living one MPG away from a third world reality and so the cliff we are all dangling from seems extra treacherous.

My way of coping with the long coming freight train over our collective heads is not taking it seriously. I have the luck that i got wind of the whole 'we are in for a bumpy ride' era while on school, without a girlfriend or whatever so back when i (subconsciously) decided not to get kids or buy a house before the other shoe dropped. That was 6 years ago i think and i can say i made it. Whatever happens to me i do not have anyone els to care about and that is the way i like it. No strings.

reply to post by kosmicjack


Why is enjoying your family and friends futile? Having fun is never futile. Especially if there really is some impending doom. That would make fun so much more important. If you really believe that the crap is going to hit the fan then shouldn't you be cramming as much fun and happiness into your life while it's still possible?

Going to work, on the other hand might definitely be futile, haha.

Originally posted by Harman
My way of coping with the long coming freight train over our collective heads is not taking it seriously. I have the luck that i got wind of the whole 'we are in for a bumpy ride' era while on school, without a girlfriend or whatever so back when i (subconsciously) decided not to get kids or buy a house before the other shoe dropped. That was 6 years ago i think and i can say i made it. Whatever happens to me i do not have anyone els to care about and that is the way i like it. No strings.

amigo - a part of me really feels for you - and wishes you could see things differently

but, if I'm honest, I have to admit - I absolutely understand - I'm a lot like you

it makes me laugh - really

I don't think I see the impending bumpy ride with the same clarity that you do

but I totally get the whole unfettered vigilante philosophy

let's hope we're both so completely off track and wrong that in our respective old ages we can laugh about what fools we were

a sense of humor is mandatory

[edit on 10/1/2008 by Spiramirabilis]

“the neurotic tendency toward extreme optimism in the face of likely cultural and planetary collapse,”

Panglossian Disorder

close enough

he seems to be a little irritated by optimism

wonder what his disorder is?


[edit on 10/1/2008 by Spiramirabilis]

Originally posted by Spiramirabilis

amigo - a part of me really feels for you - and wishes you could see things differently

but, if I'm honest, I have to admit - I absolutely understand - I'm a lot like you

it makes me laugh - really

I don't think I see the impending bumpy ride with the same clarity that you do

but I totally get the whole unfettered vigilante philosophy

let's hope we're both so completely off track and wrong that in our respective old ages we can laugh about what fools we were

a sense of humor is mandatory

Oh, don't worry. I'm happy enough. And yeah, i hope i'm wrong and will be able to have a big laugh out of the fact i got caught into a little web of paranoia". And the global affairs do affect me of course but i have a good enough day to day life so im no miserable heap of fear. .

I just got into the conspiracy side of life before the spiritual one and it's still a pet project of mine, only now i don't scream in blind panic about the stuff possibly on the way.

reply to post by Harman


good to hear :-)

I know you have a sense of humor - so wasn't too worried

onward, ever onward

now - back to my shelter of misguided, inappropriate optimism and delusion

reply to post by paperplanes


I actually go a step further and say to myself: "Even if I don't survive, everything's gonna be fine." That, of course, works only if you believe that your true form is pure consciousness and nothing can ever kill you. As a disclaimer, I would have to add, though, that I don't know how I would react if my life was actually threatened... theory and practice are often two different things. I'd probably be as mortified as anyone if my death (or that of my family members) were imminent. But in the meantime, it feels good to be kind of fatalistic about it.

Sylvie, yeah, you pretty much have the same outlook as I do. While I think I will survive, if I don't, then I don't. I realize that in our present consciousness, we can't even come close too seeing the full picture.

[edit on 8-10-2008 by SpeakerofTruth]