Brace For Impact

I'm 32 years old and in my lifetime the end of the world has been predicted many times.  The first major end time prophecy I was aware of was one that centred around the year 2000, not in relation to the Y2K bug which I have written about in the past but rather in relation to the religious significance of the year.  The millennium came and went and the world kept turning, life went on.  2010 rolled around with a similar prophecy but on a smaller scale and the same happened again, life went on.

Then came 2012, perhaps one of the biggest prophecies in terms of cultural significance and the traction it gained, the Mayan Apocalypse as it was termed was to happen on the 21st of December 2012, and much anticipation was built up, and still, the day came, and went, and life went on.

Recently this Mayan prophecy resurfaced, the 21st of June was posited as the "correct" date of the Mayan apocalypse adjusted for changing calendars that caused an 8 year disparity between the actual date and that which appeared on calendars.  Again, the day came, and went, and life went on.

2020 has been a horrible year, if ever a year was worthy of the title annus horribilis, then 2020 could stop now and have that title safe for many years to come and yet we have just over 5 months left to go before we get to put it behind us.

What I find fascinating about all of these predictions is that although the world did not end as was predicted, great moments of renewal and change happened.  The year 2000 brought a new dawn for mankind, 2010 saw the nascences of technological revolutions gain traction, even 2012 brought with it a tentative end to a period of great upheval, the Arab Spring which commenced in 2011 largely came to an end in 2012, although not all of its objectives were achieved, and arguably in some cases what followed was much worse, the point is that moment of transformation did occur, although not in the way that anyone expected.

2020 has brought with it now a moment of transformation where great change is once again possible, not only in a metaphorical sense, in terms of potential, but also in practical terms.  We stand at a precipice, the magnitude of the task that lies before us is still immense but for the first time in generations a global consensus is emerging, although that consensus is coming very slowly, one thing this pandemic has managed to do is rip apart the manifestos of politicians and shred political ideology and expose the truth, that no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise, we are all connected and we are all interdependent and this idea that we can exclude ourselves from that narrative and go our own way without consequence is being shot to shit.

I am in no doubt that this year will get much worse before it gets better but that darkness although tiring does not intimidate me.  My aversion isn't borne of fear it is quite simply borne of the foresight that what is to come is going to be exhausting and there is no escaping it.  In a way this certainty above all else has been the first concrete thing to hold onto in a very long time.  It has been years since I could look to the future and feel confident that I knew what was coming, and even though the only thing I can say with confidence is that a shit storm is coming, that I know for sure, and with that certainty I can prepare, physically and mentally.

The question most people ask is how do you do that?  The answer is simple, arm yourself with coping mechanisms.  If there is something you do not know how to deal with then take this opportunity to learn.  If you don't know how to deal with grief, take this moment to search out information about it and learn as much as you can.  If you don't know how to live on a budget, how to survive unemployed, how to make things last longer and how to repair things then take this opportunity to learn, there is a world of information at your fingertips right now and plenty of people who are bored out of their minds desperate for something to do.  If you want to learn how to sew, how to cook, how to save money when you have virtually no disposable income then seek out that information now.

Beyond pragmatism look too at sources of information on mental health and well-being, learn how to cope with stress and anxiety, look to all of the things you once dismissed so quickly with derision and see how you can incorporate them into your life.  Look at how others cope with these things and learn what you are capable of withstanding.  Know your limits and know how to find escape, how to find relief, how to unplug your mind.

The biggest mistake you can ever make in life is living in denial because you aren't just denying what is coming but you are denying yourself the opportunity to brace for what is coming and arm yourself.  This is an incredibly dark time for humanity but remember that when you exist in darkness your eyes adjust so that you can see better, those who stare at the light hoping it will last forever are the ones who are blind when it goes out. 

You don't have to prepare for the end of the world, you don't have to expect your plane to crash, or that you will die in the process, instead listen to the safety announcements, brace yourself for turbulence, brace yourself for impact, know where the exits are, know where the lifebelts are, give yourself the best chance of survival that you can, in the extreme learn how to swim if you don't know already, whatever you need to do in order make it through, do it and do it now.