“With the threat of an impending doomsday feeling more real than ever, how prepared are we for doomsday and which states have the best odds of surviving a global catastrophe?”
— Doomsday Prepping: The U.S. States With The Best Odds of Surviving an Apocalypse, Fintan Costello (May 24, 2023)
René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 – Feb. 11, 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and creative mathematician. While most are familiar with the Cartesian co-ordinate system, many may be less familiar with his philosophical contributions including Cartesian doubt (i.e., a systematic form of skepticism used in scientific discourse) and Cartesian dualism (i.e., a separation between the mind and the body).
Descartes described a distinction between perception and reality, which is commonly referred to as subjectivity (i.e., perception) and objectivity (i.e., reality). The biggest misconception (perhaps of all time) is that our minds can be truly objective. A fact exists much in the same way as a perfect circle exists; solely as an abstraction. Distilling objective statements from our subjective experience is the true art behind science, where ‘facts’ are actually (model, reproducible observation) pairs.
Humans are not gods that know absolute truth; we must rely on models.
Nietzsche’s philosophical thought “there are no facts, only interpretations” is a distillation of Descartes’ meditations.
"Against that positivism which stops before phenomena, saying ‘there are only facts,’ I should say: no, it is precisely facts that do not exist, only interpretations.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche1
‘Interpretations’ is the equivalent description of (model, reproducible observation) pairs, and parallels the terminology used in Model Theory. Combine this concept with Nietzsche’s statement “God is dead” (which can be rephrased as “truth is dead” or “there is no truth”) reformulates into the Marxist mantra “there is no such thing as truth; there is only power.” Descartes’ philosophy has been contaminated by the poison of the ego.
The conflicting belief between absolute and relative truth is genuine spiritual warfare. The former recognizes our limited and humble roles in life, whereas the later seeks an absurd ascension into godhood by replacing the natural with technology. The temptation to know and control everything is what takes us further away from life. We are blinded by the false light of our interpretations and egos, and have toiled in a fictional reality for quite some time. There may be consequences for our evil thoughts.
In relation to doomsday prepping, one must ask if the concept is a subjective interpretation or an objective conclusion. Based on the prior exposition, doomsday scenarios must be viewed as models of reality, similar to the high level engineering models used for assessing failure modes. Thus prepping is not irrational behaviour, but rather a sign of prudence. Since it is not possible for us to fully perceive reality, our best option is to err on the side of caution when circumstances appear unusual.
Doomsday scenarios embody the severe consequences of the unseen laws that govern human behaviour. These laws are encoded through standards, guidelines, stories, myths and scriptures, which in terse English tells us that “if we fuck around, we will find out.” Doomsday prepping is a recognition that for too long we have fucked around, but have yet to find out, and finding out will be extremely unpleasant.
Most doomsday scenarios distill into a small set of practical actions centred around storing essentials and increasing self-reliance. BonusFinder.com recently conducted a uStats.org survey of 6,200 Americans between May 3, 2023 and May 8, 2023 to estimate how many had stored essentials or were planning to do so.
Survey results summarized the number of ‘resilient citizens’ (i.e., those who can survive for 31 days or longer at home without utilities or outside help) organized by:
US state.
Except Vermont, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Delaware.Age.
i.e., 18-25, 26-40, 40-65, 65+.What skills were being developed.
e.g., Foraging, first aid, water purification, etc.What items were being stored.
e.g., Water, clothing, food, fuel, etc.How much was spent.
i.e., Total dollar amount by state.Which event was likely to occur.
e.g., Climate change, natural disaster, societal collapse, etc.Cause of prepping.
e.g., Social media or news.
The most confident state was Nebraska with 64.86% stating they were capable of surviving a doomsday event. Men and women in the 40-65 age group were the highest portion of doomsday preppers, where the 18-25 age group was the least likely to have a plan. 45.1% of respondents reported an attempt to develop foraging skills. 41.2% of respondents chose water as the top item of importance. The largest portion of big spenders lived in Montana and New Mexico, where 5% of respondents spent $10,000 or more. 55.8% stated climate change could be the cause of doomsday, and the leading influence of prepping came from social media. Fortunately, 71.2% of respondents stated they do not have faith in government during a doomsday event.
Our current political, economic and societal environment is a false reality.
Central banking perpetually borrows more currency into existence through government spending (increasing the money supply) and is supported by career politicians who personally profit via the Cantillon Effect. Both Marxists and Fascists seek totalitarian control over the means of production, which to achieve requires a total breakdown of the current economic system. A crisis of the currency is historically accompanied by societal collapse and vicious bloody war.
Regardless of the scenario, it would be wise to prepare.
We need to distance ourselves from relativist thinking, where technological progress can somehow replace and shield us from the consequences of natural law.
Technology is not a god. We are not gods.
Technology is built on a tower of false promises which claims we can know and control everything. These promises are the seductive whispers from the Angel of Death who attempts to lure us further away from the Tree of Life. Is this the true identity of Descartes’ demon, a malevolent god with the utmost power of deception?
Some malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me.
I shall think that the sky, the air, the earth, colours, shapes, sounds and all external things are merely the delusions of dreams which he has devised to ensnare my judgment.
— René Descartes2
There are practical actions we can take:
Separate ourselves from dense urban areas full of ideological zealots.
Simplify our lives and become more independent.
Decrease our reliance on the modern advanced economy.
Increase our reliance on a traditional economy with like-minded participants.
Do not be clouded by the feel-good illusions fed to you by corporate interest, but also do not be afraid. Regain control over your perceptions and seek out the truth.
For those who have seen past the deceptive fog of Descartes’ malevolent god,
It is time to leave Babylon.
It is time to prepare.
Do not be tempted by the Angel of Death.
All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality.
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.
For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Babylon Is Fallen
(Isaiah 21:1–10)
Nietzsche, F., & Kaufmann, W. (1994). The portable Nietzsche. Penguin Classics. pp. 458.
Gillespie, Michael Allen (1994). "Chapter One: Descartes and the Deceiver God". Nihilism Before Nietzsche. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 1–32, 263–264.
I wish there was a button that was a 10x like button. This is very much where my head is at right now. Just scooped another freeze dried food bucket from Costco, got in my order of survival seeds, and I’ve had a couple water purifiers for a while.
It’s not that I think the world is ending, just think the chances that we experience some reverse progress in the upcoming years is likely enough to warrant a small investment in things I would like to have if the essentials we take for granted are suddenly no longer available.
Get ready https://frederickrsmith.substack.com/p/dont-get-ready-be-ready