What is Your Apocalypse Job Skill?
If it all goes to hell, will your productivity skills save you?
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I’m a big fan of Jessica Wildfire.
I wouldn’t say that I exactly enjoy her writing, but that’s because of the subject matter, not the craft. She is a modern day Cassandra, writing warnings and giving updates on the many ways our society is approaching collapse.
I don’t care where you are when you read us, that “our” is inclusive. Anyone with access to this article is part of the global supply chain and infrastructure that is currently falling apart. If you disagree, I would simply point you towards those links above so you can read some real talk about what’s going on.
One of the key points that she brings up over and over again is the fact that a lot of the skills we currently value are pretty much useless in an apocalyptic situation. Web design? Notion templates? Bullet journaling and hustle culture and the like? Not really useful when there’s no electricity, fuel, delivery services, or any of the myriad conveniences most of us take for granted.
I see the signs they point to — the Texas power grid last winter, for example, the ubiquitous excuse of “supply chain” to explain shortages and inflation, the current situation in the Ukraine, Brexit, January 6th, or all of the pandemic. For me these have only been distant disturbances or minor inconveniences — but I believe them implicitly when they say things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.
I can shoot a gun, so I should be alright…right?
I grew up with Apocalypse Porn — when the threat of imminent nuclear immolation seemed to be the primary threat (I mean the 70’s and 80’s, that is, not the weird time warp we’re in at the time of this writing). That genre of fiction said that the MLS (“Most Likely to Survive”) was the person with the most guns, martial arts, and throwing knives.
I have some level of all of those things — trained as a Marine infantryman, Aikidoka 5th kyu rank (those who know, please don’t snicker), and a fun little collection of blades that is very impressive when I go to the renfaire.
