Forming a disaster plan is nothing new. Anyone fairly cautious has at least a basic idea of what action is to be taken during a worst case scenario. Some even take this concept further to prepare for a perceived total societal disaster. A collapse of all reliable institutions giving way to a chaotic period where society is reduced to dog eat dog. Numerous individuals see themselves as lone wolves in such a situation. Preparing their personal shelters and hoarding food in preparation to compete with their neighbors in the aftermath of collapse. Such people are not unreasonable to assume hostile intent from others but this concept of rugged individualism overall makes the ability to survive much harder. It has consistently been shown throughout history that humans are social creatures. They thrive best when they cooperate towards common goals and interests. The people who withstand disaster the best are most often the ones who come together in times of crisis as opposed to engaging in a survivalist free for all.
This concept of cooperation in the face of collapse may become more relevant by the day. Global temperatures continue to be on an upward trend. Extreme weather events as a result are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. Rising sea levels and erosion are already threatening villages and cities around the world. Water is becoming more scarce. The gap between rich and poor continues to grow wider. Dissatisfaction with capitalism and the state is increasing. Millions of people are waking up to the fact their lives and aspirations are to be made subservient to wage slavery. People are growing more alienated and alone.
All of these factors are not the result of a secret ethnic cabal, incompetent leadership, or overpopulation. They are not separate coincidental occurrences either. They are the direct results of capitalism and the state. Two systems that have repeatedly demanded centralization, unsustainable production, and legitimized exploitation. Systems that have brought into existence a hollow twisted version of individualism where each individual exists in a vacuum separate from others. This in turn leads to everyone assuming when disaster strikes society shall descend into a bloodbath of irrational people competing for the most resources.
In the face of grim news, even the most optimistic of individuals should at least consider a worst case scenario. A climate refugee crisis, decaying infrastructure, and dwindling resources being some of the many growing new realities we may face. Preparing for a collapse does not mean having to engage in this same concept of rugged individualism. Now more than ever is the time to connect with others. To prepare not just as a single person but as a community in the face of disaster. Forming tight organizations that can coordinate in aiding each other in times of crisis. The world’s elites have already prepared their luxury bunkers to hide from the disasters their greed contributed to. Millions of people in the meantime may lose their homes or begin to starve. People will grow desperate and in the face of this desperation, people must come together in solidarity to provide the means for these millions to survive. It does not have to be a choice of which group to condemn to genocide. Preparation in the here and now can save countless lives. Organizing towards more sustainable forms of living. Working together as a community to provide for all. Teaching how to produce, forage, and preserve foods. Learning how to create emergency shelter, engaging in first aid, or managing interpersonal conflict. Numerous different skills can be taught and applied to help a community through disaster. Instead of leaving people as isolated individuals to fend for themselves, it is preferable to work together as a community to build the physical and societal structures able to withstand and adapt to crisis.
Disaster preparation requires gathering supplies, taking lessons, and drafting plans. Each area requires a different method of adaptation. Conditions in a rural area will be vastly different from an urban area. Simple tools like knives, fire starters, and heaters can be deciding factors in extreme moments. Practicing proper storage and usage of quality tools is important. Bottled water stored in cool areas outside of sunlight can last several years. Extra clothing and medicine should also be set aside. The risk of power outages as well should not be ignored. Emergency lights, coolers, and entertainment as such are valuable. Part of being prepared involves anticipating how to leave the mind occupied. Board games and cards can do wonders for morale. Beforehand as a group, people should factor in planned methods for conflict resolution. Mutual aid as in the exchange of services for mutual benefit must also be ever present. A group unable to cooperate and coordinate in a manner that helps all will risk internal collapse. It is important to also take lessons. Learning basic first aid, how to filter water, or how to properly operate firearms can all be useful. Owning a first aid kit or a gun is not useful in itself if the owner has no prior experience or knowledge. Never underestimate something as basic as learning how to start and maintain a campfire. When forming a plan with a group several factors must be considered such as escape routes and communication. Formulating a survival plan then testing that plan is the fastest way to measure the quality of your supplies and knowledge. Given current existing signs, it is not a stretch to at least set aside some resources and time in preparation for a worst case scenario. Simply running off into the wilderness with hastily gathered supplies on your own is going to get you killed. Engaging in rugged individualism and turning your back on others will only lead to your own disadvantage. Any impending collapse must be met from the perspective of an organized community reliant on each other to maximize the ability to adapt and survive.
Preparing for the worst however, does not mean abandoning any commitment towards a better future. The struggle against capitalism and the state continues regardless. The rich and powerful already have their bunkers and escape plans for impending collapse. Even when bracing for the worst possible crisis it is still necessary to struggle and organize within the here and now. The more victories are scored against capitalism and the state in present time and the more communities are organized apart from these institutions means minimizing the degree of damage from a total system collapse. In a sense, fighting for the best future also means preparing and organizing communities in a manner that can more easily adapt should the worst case scenario become reality. Should people by some happenstance manage to seize the means of production and abolish governing institutions there is a fair chance a post scarcity alternative can be explored. A true break from the cancerous logic of constant unsustainable growth for the sake of growth being replaced with actual sustainable living. The need to produce and craft constant goods to be sold on a market for a profit no longer being necessary can play a significant step in averting the impending consequences of constant industrial extraction and production. In turn, this can serve to avoid extreme crises. Should collapse still occur at the very least millions of deaths can be averted should an alternative system be put in place. Currently under capitalism the ability for people to truly produce and provide for themselves is limited under the control of the capitalist class. The very technologies and advancements being used to profit off our labor and perpetuate a climate crisis can be used for our own liberation. Should the capitalist system suddenly come crashing apart due to collapse it will take us down with it. This has already been the case with the repeated recessions. Impending collapse necessitates that we begin the process of organizing towards a post capitalist future within the surrounding decaying economic system. Waiting for collapse to come with no prepared alternative will only mean risking more deaths or even the formation of power vacuums for other totalitarian factions to thrive. Ecofascism will come in many different forms and names. It in part thrives by utilizing the very real occurring ecological disaster to scapegoat and manipulate others. Sitting on the sidelines in nihilistic despair preparing for and accepting ecological collapse as inevitable will only feed into their narratives. It is important a constant effort be made to continue fighting for change and organization in a manner that will help communities become less reliant on the state and capitalism. By actively organizing against these two institutions from the start, the ability for ecofascism to guide a discontent and angry mass movement in favor of their own interests becomes less potent. Every single time a fascist movement has gained power it was in a time of crisis brought about by capitalism and government. They then would use these conditions to blame outside factors then proceed to reform and preserve the two systems in a new perverted form. This has been the case with Mussolini and Hitler. Fascism in many respects is the final desperate result of the two systems of capitalism and the state attempting to preserve their existence in crisis. To remove the threat of fascism the very two sources of fascism must be abolished. Should collapse be the absolute extinction of the human race, not even the final moments should be permitted to fall to fascism.
Additionally even with signs of a grim future, the hope for a better world still remains. We have inconceivable resources of knowledge and technology that can be applied towards a more sustainable future. There are still existing political prisoners and tyrants holding power. Regardless of what the future holds, the fight to free these prisoners and topple these tyrants continues. As long as systems of imbalanced exploitative hierarchy remain, the struggle to abolish them continues. Revisions of genocide and racial oppression continue to be taught with monuments to racists still upheld. Impending collapse is no reason to no longer continue to struggle against systems of exploitation and control.
To conclude, all signs point towards the situation becoming worse in the future. Impending collapse and conflict resulting from ecological disaster seems to be likely. With this being said a need to seriously consider and prepare for total collapse is reasonable and necessary. Preparation must incorporate mutual aid and move away from the harmful concept of rugged individualism. Organizing in such a manner emphasizing mutual aid can help minimize the mass damage of an impending crisis. At the same time this does not mean giving up the current movement to abolish capitalism and the state. Far from it these conditions demand the necessity of organizing directly towards a post capitalist stateless society in the present time more than ever. We have the material conditions to free ourselves with currently existing technology and knowledge of sustainable organization. Should the worst come to worst at the very least measures can be put in place to save or protect millions of lives from impending climate disasters or even minimize the degree of suffering should it be the final moments of humanity. As long as hope and constant action in the present remains there is always the chance the very worst can be averted.