Once again the fish fly into the boat courtesy of Ishmael, where The Bottlewasher prepares to fillet and cook them..... -- Ed
June 2022
Unsolicited advice sucks. I absolutely despise it when people smugly tell me what I should do. Therefore I have no desire to pass the frustration along.
If this describes you, skip this guest Ticker. No offense taken. Clown world raises blood pressure enough, and I don’t want to do my part of increasing deaths from suddenly.
There's a sentiment floating around the dark corners of the internet. It ebbs and flows, yet it builds as time goes on. People are waiting for something to happen. Some describe it as a war, some an apocalypse, and some just say, “Whatever this is, let's just get it over with.” No one is excited about what’s coming, it’s pure resignation.
Today I'm going to tell you how to prepare for the end of the world.
Ready for the big secret? Ok, here goes: You can't.
Thank you very much for reading today’s guest Ticker, have a nice rest of your day.
Waiting and anticipating is a form of torture. Remember the gas lighting, two weeks to flatten the curve, and masks? Even once you knew it was bullshit, the waiting for normal was painful. And that limbo, in addition to the lockdowns themselves, enacted a real human cost that still impacts us today.
Limbo was the start of work ethics collapsing. Granted, the clot shot mandates made that slacking look like amateur hour. The productivity reports bear this out.
Honestly, with rising fuel, consumer, and worst of all producer prices, I almost miss 2020 when our biggest problems were lockdowns and tard rags. Almost. A more accurate simile is eating a shit sandwich while fondly missing the vomit soup appetizer.
In three previous Tickers, I've discussed prioritizing a physical prep list, what to do with extra time on your hands, and the power of choices. This one is an attempt to prepare you psychologically, a guide out of limbo. I hope this helps you sleep better, we all need rest for whatever comes.
Getting in a productive mental space is the difference between winning and losing the next battle. It helps to view what's coming as a personal war. Framing it like that immediately highlights win versus lose. And you want to win.
None of us know what will happen in the future, the anticipation becomes torture if we let it. Unknowns loom large and people instantly imagine the worst case scenario.
Short term situations are easier to predict and mitigate, they’re a good place to start. Not the end of the world, because if that happens, you will not survive and it doesn't matter. Describe something like this: What is most likely to rock my world this summer? Pick a scenario and define it concretely.
Make a list of what-ifs. If necessary, put “end of the world” at the top so your mind moves on from it. Write down every scenario you think of, no matter how scary. Writing them down takes away some of their terrifying power. They might happen, but naming it is the first step in facing it head-on.
Next, break down the items into two sections: what scares me the most, and what is most likely to happen? Something appearing on both is normal. Reality is scary, sometimes as much as what our minds imagine.
Now make a third list: what can I influence?
How many of the scary scenarios are out of your control? Be honest here. You are not going to stop or start a revolution. We aren’t voting our way out of this. But you can store food now if the trucks stop delivering for a month or so this summer.
The third list is the only list that matters. The other two will keep you up at night and disrupt sleep with nightmares.
Take that third list and prioritize it. This is your personal guide out of limbo.