The Expiration Date: When Does Collapse Become Impossible to Survive?

Prepping has gone mainstream.

It feels like everyone’s into survivalism now, and I get it. Even progressive journalists like George Monbiot are storing dry food now. Prepping is good for you. It’s even better to prep for others, whether it’s a community or just your family. But part of prepping means answering an essential question.

When does prepping end?

In my view, prepping means a lot more than just gathering supplies and packing a bugout bag. It even means more than growing your own food or learning how to use a police scanner. It means more than rain harvesters and dew catchers. All of this falls into the category of necessary and beneficial.

It’s still not enough.

So, I’m prefacing this article. I’m into prepping. But if you’re going to prep, you also need a clear head about the future. That means reading the grimmest studies and understanding the future. I mean really understanding it.

The second version of this article does something I avoided the first time around. It offers an expiration date for humanity. Honestly, I find it helpful, even soothing, to have one anchor in this sea of uncertainty.

It’s rare to find someone willing to paint a vivid portrait of the future. But we need it, so we can do more than just prepare our homesteads. We need to prepare our minds, and I guess our hearts (whatever that means). I’m also spending a little more time focusing on the mental health implications, because the full truth is… heavy. And yet, when you finally understand what some of us get now, everything will make sense—including the Trump administration’s current moves. They’re doing so much more than installing a fascist government to take over the world.

They’re prepping.