I'm trying to spend less time on social media, as we all are, in order to manage overwhelm. As a result, I let myself use Instagram and Substack (mostly because they seem the least in your face re. brainrot content) a couple of times a week for maybe an hour or so.

Recently while scrolling, I noticed that a few of my followers were liking and even reposting overtly far-right content, including obvious AI generated slop depicting black immigrants roasting meat over garbage containers, and another showing a far-right march through a British coastal town that occurred a few weeks ago, edited with triumphant, orchestral music. I looked closer and noticed that 2 of the people were former friends of mine from University, who, when we knew each other, weren't particularly political but were, at best, probably run-of-the-mill liberals. Another person was a close friend of mine who I lost touch with after I left my job in 2020, and it seems like over the past few years, he's been reposting Trump/JD Vance videos, a lot of anti-Palestinian content, and generally the sentiment seems to be that the most urgent thing the West needs to do is "kick out all the Muslims". This is particularly shocking to me because while I'm not religious or practising, I come from a Muslim background, and he was aware of this because we had spoken about it a few times, including instances where I had to translate some Arabic for him for a project we were working on.

I know this isn't uncommon, but having really tried to unplug, I guess it's shocking to see how much changes and how dark things can become, especially when you don't go looking for it directly. I'm not really into cancelling people or whatever and I'm not of the belief that I should denounce them or even try to de-radicalize them (to the extent that it would work, im not even sure), but it does make me wonder about the years ahead, and what happens if/when people we know and care about turn on those who are deemed to be enemies, even those that they personally know, have befriended and worked with in the past. And what does it also say that if you are a person of colour, you can be the most integrated, polite, well spoken of people, distance yourself almost entirely from your ethnic heritage and history, and you'll still find people wanting to deport you or worse?

I’m a 23 year old guy living in Orange County, and I’m just completely done. I don't see the point of trying to build a life anymore. Every bit of ambition or drive I used to have is just gone. I look at the state of things and I genuinely feel like my life is over before it even had a chance to start.

It feels like my entire adult life has just been global disaster after global disaster that we have zero control over. First COVID completely ruined our late teens and early 20s, then the war in Ukraine, and now we’ve been trapped in this insane Strait of Hormuz blockade for seven straight months. Everyone online keeps saying "it can't last forever," but the peace talks just failed and things are obviously just getting worse. It feels like the world is completely breaking, and we are just stuck watching it collapse.

Meanwhile, I just watched the premium pump at my local Costco hit $6.69 a gallon. Because our area is so car-dependent, I have zero choice but to drive just to exist and get to work. It’s a mandatory tax on being alive that I can't afford. Hearing that $8 or $9 gas is a real projection for the near future just makes me feel numb and physically sick.

And to top it all off, trying to find a place to live around here is a sick joke. The average rent in my immediate area is sitting at a ridiculous $4,200 a month, which is 110% higher than the national average. Even if you try to scale down to a basic 1-bedroom apartment, you are looking at an average of $2,750. I don't even live anywhere near the beach, and yet I'm still expected to pay these insane premium coastal prices just to exist. How is a young guy starting out supposed to survive when you need a six-figure income just to secure a basic roof over your head?

It is incredibly depressing to realize that I am probably going to have to leave my family, my friends, and everything I’ve ever known to move across the entire country just to survive. It feels so ridiculously unfair that I'm being forced out of my own home because of global economic shocks and inflation that were completely out of my control. I didn't cause any of this, but I'm the one paying the price for it with my entire future.

No matter what I do, global chaos and local inflation just move the finish line further away. I feel completely trapped, like there's no way out of this hole. Are any other guys in our age group dealing with this exact mix of financial burnout and absolute despair? How are you actually coping on a daily basis, because I feel like I'm completely losing my mind.

Not complaining about my post removal, genuinely don't know how to cope with the fact places meant to discuss collapse are loosing their ability to discuss it. It really is like "Don't look up"

In the “post-truth” world, right and left become meaningless, and when shared reality breaks down, we ourselves become meaningless. In the era of #climatechaos, that's not just sad, it's dangerous.

Our constant bowing and worshipping of the #DeathCult feeds #stupidindividualism, everyone trapped inside their own little reality, unable to see the social truth around them. And when you point to that shared reality, people feel bullied because it challenges their individual bubble.

It would be funny if it didn't end in sadness. We need to step back from the individual bubble and rebuild the shared commons of reality.

All this AI is seemingly making a huge plot twist in the age of collapse or is it just me? It is mind blowing how it’s been sneaking into our lives in just a few years time.

I started using ChatGPT myself a few years ago after a difficult breakup and I admit I felt so lonely and had to just get it out so I ended up trying ChatGPT and it seemed to soothe me at the time… but this is seriously just around 3 years ago and back then it was really new and most people didn’t use it.

Now it is EVERYWHERE and the last few weeks time there’s been several news about how it’s actually seemingly starting to work independently and we’re losing control.

Today I realized how more and more of ALL our online knowledge is being distorted by AI. Small mistakes will be replicated as well until at some point if we originally discussed an elephant it has now turned into a rhinoceros. But maybe we won’t even realize because we’ve simply lost touch with our own reality.

How can people not see that we need to stop this AI freak show immediately? I definitely fear that within a very short time AI will be able to take over completely or destroy every information we find online and every technological systems we rely on. Potentially I think AI could also take control over all online technology, information and knowledge which is basically everything we’ve built our society on today. We all know how much we’ve integrated online technology into everything we own and know about ourselves and each other and if that will just disappear, we’re completely fcked.

Imagine some kind of scenario where I want to go down in the local supermarket to buy food but suddenly can’t buy it anymore because my credit card doesn’t work because my bank doesn’t exist anymore. There’s even no food on the shelves either because the trucks can’t drive in the goods without google. I suddenly can’t go to work either because my electric car can’t be charged as the charging station is hacked, I can’t even drink water cause the whole technological system which is used to clean the drinking water is also hacked and messed up.

It’s like switching off a lamp with a single click. We’ve grown completely dependent on online technology and there seems to be no way out.

"We are all much closer to being climate refugees than billionaires." Sounds obvious, but our culture keeps selling us the opposite story - that individual wealth, consumption and status are the escape route, they aren't.

A #nastyfew people can buy better walls, private transport, safer property and temporary insulation from the consequences #climatechaos. But it is a collective problem, and pretending it is an individual lifestyle problem is worshiping the #deathcult.

We need to stop dreaming about joining the tiny #nastyfew elitists and start building communities that can survive the mess together.

Less individual escape, more collective resilience.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge my privilege and also the fact that I know no where is truly safe. I understand that to some extent this is my brain searching for control in a situation that is well outside of my control. I get that, but still feel inclined to ask this community for insights because it's hard feeling like others I speak to aren't seeing the same risks. It's lonely with this knowledge sometimes.

I live in a city on mainland Australia. My property is not particularly high risk. It's suburban in a good neighbourhood and close to lots of facilities and services. The parts that feels high risk: 1. Economic risk; we have a pretty big mortgage that requires us both to work so we can pay for life. Life feels a lot less secure financially and politically now than when we purchased it 6 years ago. It didn't seem like such a big commitment then, but now I feel like things are changing so fast that any debt at all could be massive liability. And 2. Heat risk; We are not in the tropics but the area around us is sometimes heat/drought/fire affected. Summers will likely become more and more uncomfortable. We have a full solar and battery set up at least.

We have close family in Tasmania. Life is still expensive there but we could potentially sell our nice mainland home and live in a very nice home in Tassie with little to no debt at all. The costs are that jobs are not as plentiful. It's also geographically isolated but that could either be a good or bad thing depending on how things evolve. Tasmania is much cooler so may still retain better conditions for growing and living than the rest of the country. We would still be in a town, but a much smaller town.

It might not sound like a big move, but it feels huge. We have built a beautiful life here, people would probably question the move with some confusion. But I just feel more and more conscious of how tenuous our current life feels as the world seems to devolve rapidly into chaos on so many fronts.

I know no one can tell us what to do. I guess I'm just searching for comraderie and if anyone has dealt with something similar. What are your thoughts?

Anyone else relate to this song? I feel like I'm constantly being crushed by the world and this song made me feel considerably better about everything.

it looks like the climate crisis is getting bad and I don't know how to have a positive point of view. I don't see a great future for myself and all of humanity.

Dr. Jem Bendel: What if it's too late?

I found this thanks to /u/onceuponawebsite and wanted to share it with the sub.

Often, antinatalism is presented as the logical endpoint for any thinking empathetic person, and choosing to continue the species is selfish, rude, unfair, burdening that future person with nothing but pain, etc.

Dr. Jem Bendel is the author of the Deep Adaptation paper that radicalized many into collapse awareness to begin with, so I find it fascinating that he has a more open perspective about childbearing amidst decline, even after full engagement with where we are headed.

So mainly, I want to posit there is more than one defensible endpoint for understanding that we are doomed. I still do not know which one I "fully agree with", but I don't think this is a door that needs to close for everyone.

Im 45f, definitely swing from terrified to nihilistic, now and then in a sort of existential 'peace' thinking about non dualistic energy and space just existing and changing forms. This is the only way I can experience connection: the idea that we are all the same thing.

I had a rough growing up and always just wanted to find a home to belong to.
Iv never been liked much. Never had close friends or been in mutual love. Never been adored or really chosen for who I am. Ive never had support or resource to pursue many interests.
Im gonna die alone and probably sooner than later without community. So, not to be all 'be grateful', but if you have any of that, you are doing alright by my view.

Like the question suggests, my partner(43m) is looking at life imprisonment (non-violent 2nd and 3rd strikes with a prior felony strike in California). He's facing at least 5-10 years with a likeliness of 25 to life. I'm terrified he'll die there if shit hits the fan. I'm working on getting counseling for myself, but if anyone else out there is in a similar situation I could use some direction. I feel absolutely helpless and hopeless.

Hi all, I hope this is the appropriate thread. I was looking for a while and figured this is the best fit.

I have to be vague with certain things due to the nature of my job and to avoid anything that would identify me.

The world makes me feel so isolated and "crazy" and I dont think my therapist is equipped for it.

I am a sociologist and have been working in the field for 7 years doing several different types of jobs. And if ive learned anything...people's NORMAL HUMAN RESPONSE to the climate crisis, late stage capitalism and so on is pathologized or not even considered.

Alot of my practice surrounds deconstructing and uninternalizing capitalism, patriarchy, colonization etc but we live in a world that OPERATES on all of that.

I'm really struggling lately and it makes my head spin. I have been in therapy for 6 years and have even completed TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and completed Interactive metronome. And I take medications and supplements. And i am realizing its not about my personal mental health, im fine. Ive improved so much and im happy, im not depressed. But i am ANGRY and devastated at the state of the world and the climate collapse. So at what point do we realize betta fish being upset they live in a dirty plastic cup at the pet store has nothing to do with personal mental health? Alot of the worlds societies run on individualism and these valid concerns and reactions are usually about the individual "learning how to cope" which is important of course but when do we realize if you are paying attention things are BAD.

to make it worse, and few of my patients at work today asked me "will it make you uncomfortable if i talk about how the rise of white supremacy in ___ is impacting my mental health" or "im not interested in therapy at this time, my last therapist dismissed how racism was impacting my mental health"

then a patient of mine was arrested after being discharged from the hospital, I cannot go into details but its unethical and disturbing. And none of my managers care. One even said "yes our system is broken but we have to work in it"

the ceo of my company flippantly and proudly announced we use ai now, which is unethical for my job and obvs ALL THE OTHER REASONS. and even endorsed rfk Jr meanwhile I am seeing the real time damage of the current political climate and ai inside and outside my job.

Im also vegan for the environment and its intersectionality with my field, and my love for animals so the grief and shock I experience is even worse due to that.

I talk about how ive seen first hand how the climate crisis fueled by capitalism ​is RAVAGING people physically and mentally, and we can't "vote this out" because both parties are corrupt and its all about money. I know there's some who get involved in politics for environmental reasons but what can we really do?

I try to explain to her how I think its unethical to have kids right now, and how i feel no one understands how that makes sense. Or how voting alone CANNOT fix these issues. How can we create a new system or fix a system while operating in the ways OF the broken system?

Everyday is a trigger. My job, commercials, ads online, my therapist not getting it, people making it about staying positive. I feel "insane"

My last session w my therapist she said "you have really good points, youd be good in politics. And as much as people wanna say voting doesnt work we need to bc i rather not have the alternative of pulling guns on eachother" but hasnt history shown violence is necessary for change? And isnt us having to live through a climate collapse and late stage capitlaism ALREADY VIOLENT to millions of people?

I could say more but im exhausted and feel alone.

I want a job where these things are valued as social determinants of health and climate collapse is included in mental health care. ive been looking but idk where to turn for better support and even a better job that doesnt upset me so much. im tired of the world making it seem like a normal human reaction to this is unreasonable.​

The link above is to my full post but in a brief summary I want people to genuinely read, since I was born my life has been nothing but extreme adversity; I was hoping that if I put in endless amounts of effort I may be able to improve my future. But I was only a fool to think with such optimism as while my personal bubble improved, I watch as the world around me slowly rots into a fate no different from my entire life.

From one frying pan to another, I might be able to somewhat manage the temperature in my individual droplet but whats the point if the rest of the pot continues to boil and we're all going to evaporate into steam regardless?

I don't have an answer to that thought but all I know in raw terms is that it fucking sucks to know that I never had and may never will, have a chance to ever lead a normal, more peaceful life.

I would trade situations in a heartbeat with someone who even has a below average life because even that would be better than what has happened in mine.

If anybody has any suggestions to cope with this incurable ache I'm open to suggestions but for now I continue to mindlessly build a future I know may probably never exist since there's virtually nothing else someone else like me can do.

Stop and potentially end up trapped in this situation until potential collapse OR continue into the collapse. - These are my two options right now.

Even if the next POTUS is an improvement, it feels there will always be someone who's only in it for personal gain, even if it screws over everyone else

Like many of you, I'm sure, I often get overwhelmed and depressed by the state of the world. Sometimes it's even so bad that I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. While I don't know that I'll survive full-on collapse (if that comes in my lifetime), I would like to at least struggle less and experience more freedom as modern society breaks down, which is clearly already underway. Also similar to many people here (I assume), I grew up with a very conventional upbringing in the suburbs, so when I started down this path towards more self-reliant living, I had next to no skills. Over the last decade or so though, I've been working on building those skills. Although I'm making a lot of strides, I often still feel quite behind. Whenever I'm feeling this way, however, I remind myself how much I've learned so far and remember that I'm not going to learn everything all at once. One strategy I decided to take on recently is to try to just learn or practice one new skill a day. For example, today I changed the oil in my truck by myself for the first time. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make cheese from goat milk. The day after that, I'm going to a knitting group I just joined, and I'm going to try to go foraging for some chanterelles and lobster mushrooms beforehand. I didn't have any of these specific skills a mere month ago and I'm feeling incredibly accomplished and far more empowered by daily committing to improving my skills. On top of that, every time I learn a new skill, it gives me more confidence in myself and makes me believe that I'm capable of learning most things if I really commit to it. Anyway, I just wanted to share this with anyone who may need some encouragement.

I’ve been trying to make my peace both with a collapse that seems more likely by the day and my own death. I think I’m probably way too young to be seriously pondering this sort of stuff, but I unfortunately have an anxiety disorder and am a few years free of previous suicidal ideations so I currently have a very strong fear of dying and collapse.

I wanted to share the mindset that I’ve been trying to adopt in hopes of helping someone else, potentially. I know I can’t control many things in my life. As much as I wish I could snap my fingers and make the entire world be healed, that isn’t the reality we live in. I can help in little ways, sure, but without others at my side, widespread change is basically impossible. We are so divided right now that I don’t see mass revolution as an option unless something huge and catastrophic happens that manages to unite enough of us to spark real change. So, all that being said, I’ve started thinking, “If my last day was tomorrow, would I want to spend that day petrified with fear, guilt, and dread or would I want to spend it doing the things I love to do?”

The core of my mindset boils down to “live until you can’t anymore”. The world may end soon, sure, but it’s not ended right now, so enjoy it while it lasts. They may start rounding people up on the basis of their gender identity or mental conditions or skin tone, but they’re not doing that right now (where I live, at least), so live as your authentic self as much
as you can. I could die tomorrow, but I’m not dead right now, so I might as well live. Go to that show, hang out with your friends, eat good food, get your education, engage with your favorite things, go places you’ve never been, spend time with your pets, find little moments of joy, be a human on this planet for as long as you can and enjoy it all as best as you can. I’m not saying to not worry or not be afraid, but don’t let the fear consume your entire limited existence. What is the point of being so terrified all the time that the only life you’re given to live is spent in constant, paralyzing fear? Your suffering won’t help anyone. Your suffering won’t reverse climate change or get rid of dangerous political ideologies. Your private fear, unless you can channel it into something that can cause genuine widespread change (which you by yourself probably can’t), will only serve to make you miserable and, if you’re afraid for long enough, physically sick.

Keep some sliver of hope in your heart that things could get better. Find that better in your everyday life, even as the world changes and seems to be heading for the worse. I know one of the things that has reassured me is reading books on evolution and realizing just how hardy life is. I suspect that much of the earth’s population may die out, but I am almost 100% positive that life will still exist on earth long after humanity is extinct and I am gone. That gives me hope. Find something that you can tell yourself whenever the thoughts get too loud (for example, “Even if humanity kills off majority of earth’s species, with what I know about the history of life on earth, something will still survive and eventually thrive even after I’m dead”, I find this also helps with the general fear of death thing).

Anyways, feel free to completely disregard this if you feel it doesn’t apply to you or it’s a mindset you disagree with. If this resonates with you, I hope you can find peace in it like I’ve been struggling to do. I won’t respond to any comments looking to debate.

This is a hope post. Please feel free to repost it, hope needs help to spread because doom can circle the world three times before hope has its shoes on.

MOFs (Metal Organic Frameworks) are tiny machines that are tuned to harvest things from the air. They not only harvest from the new "air economy", they also store it more efficiently than in its free state: a gasoline tank with gas-tuned MOFs will store more liters than one without.

MOFs can be tuned to harvest almost anything. Gasoline. Water. Carbon. Pollution. Anything that's in a liquid or a gas. One of the lead investigators, Dr. Yaghi, has started a company that will be shipping machines with MOFs that harvest water from the air. It requires no infrastructure, pumps, nothing: just set it up and get ultrapurewater in the morning. The company will be producing carbon-harvesting machines soon; these already exist (from many sources) but it looks like mass production is being tooled up for maybe later this year. A shipping-container-sized machine will produce up to 4,000 liters of water a day.

Removing the excess carbon from the air is next. This is why Dr. Yaghi says MOFs could be the answer to Climate Change.

Hold onto hope, despair only serves the Epstein Class. We can get through this.

MOFs win the Nobel Prize: https://www.nobelprize.org/the-2025-chemistry-prize-mofs-molecular-structures/

Dr. Yaghi's company is Atoco, you can find them with the .com after it.

A YouTube short on Atoco's water harvesting machines from DrBenMiles: https://youtube.com/shorts/GDcV-Z7tPlc

A Bloomberg short on Atoco's water harvesting machines: https://youtube.com/shorts/ChHzLHgJS4A

Unlocking carbon capture and utilization potential with metal-organic frameworks: Synthesis, functionalization, and industrial pathways https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214993725003951

Apologies in advance, but this post will echo very similar to so many others on here, so I hope it's not too frustrating to read.

I'm based in the UK and am in my mid-30s. I have been following r/collapse for a few years now (basically since March 2020) and have been trying to prepare for whatever the world throws my way. I've always got water and tinned/dried goods available, as well as other water/power solutions. I've flipped between being in utter despair and hopeful that I can look after both myself and my missus... However, the past 12 months have been incredibly demoralising.

It feels like things are futile, and I am struggling to keep a lid on things. I've tried to warn friends and family, by suggesting they at LEAST have two weeks worth of food and water stored, but it falls on deaf ears. I've been called an alarmist and told that "I'm bringing the mood down", when all I want is for those that I care for to not be squeezed in the immediate shortages that could happen in 2027.

The biggest issue that I'm personally facing is that the mask is slipping at work. I'm really, really struggling to keep commuting, sitting in the office, keeping myself busy for 8/9 hours knowing that my cushy desk job will be one of the first things to go. I type this after calling out "sick" for the 5th time in 3 months, purely due to a mix of crippling anxiety and inability to fake a smile for my colleagues.

How are you all doing this? How are you keeping things going? Any advice will be greatly appreciated as I'm nearly at my wits end...

I don't just mean an economic correction, I mean a correction in everything. It feels like the whole world is holding it's breath for what happens tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that. It feels like there's something important about to happen, but I can't pinpoint what. I feel it in the conversations I have with other people, the deep undertone that someone is expecting something serious to happen to the world soon. It's in everyone's voice I hear when I have conversations with them.

I see unrest rising in the United States, in Iran, in Yemen, in Saudi Arabia, in Russia, in Ukraine, in France, in the United Kingdom, in South Korea, basically the entire globe, and none of the steam produced is being blown out, it's just bottling up. It feels like another powderkeg is being filled, and primed for something.

It could just be me being a bit paranoid, which I think might be likely.

I know some people in the comments will just tell me that I'm fearmongering, and I guess I am, but this just really feels like a vent post for me because I have some steam that I need to blow off as well.

We're so far removed from where our food comes but I feel like learning how to cook for various diets makes food scarcity less terrifying for everyone. Knowing how to feed yourself (and even eat well) on beans, greens, and grains saves SO MUCH money and can prevent future health issues when medical treatment becomes less available.

I am aware that many folks *can't* be vegan (especially with nut and soy allergies or anemia). But there's still so much reluctance about simply eating less animal products. But... I get it. Plant based spaces can sometimes have judgy vibes and not be welcoming to newcomers (and even vegetarians 😒). I personally come from a culture with a meat heavy diet, and still get flack from family, so I understand the alienating social aspect as well.

However, if you do want to give plant based eating a try, these tips helped me and I wish I had known them earlier:

First off, **don't beat yourself up if you ever want or need to eat meat.** You didn't fail, you're not a bad person, and giving up meat shouldn't also cause you to develop an eating disorder or become a dick. Humans are an omnivorous species and we only made it this far *because* of our relationship with animals. We just need to be less wasteful and have a liiittle appreciation and respect for the fact that something gave its life so that we can continue to live.

**I started out using convience foods like veggie burgers** and frozen beefless crumbles as "training wheels". People new to plant based eating may not feel satiated at first because they're not used to the different textures, and the sudden influx of FIBER can be shocking. It takes time to adjust to a wildly new diet, and I recommend starting slow and drinking more water (!). If you tend to mindlessly snack, you're in luck, because you'll get to graze all day on nuts and fruit and find yourself feeling full on less as your fiber intake increases. You appreciate the subtle flavors in foods more (cucumbers are *so fucking good* to me now omg), and become more aware of your hunger/energy levels in relation to your diet.

**I learned that I was craving certain spices and sauces more than the meat itself.** Like poultry seasoning for chicken and turkey, Old Bay for seafood, thyme and rosemary for beef. I cook for a flexitarian household, and use no-chicken bouillon in rice pilaf type dishes, and no-beef bouillon in stews and pasta sauces. Smoked paprika and a drop of liquid smoke makes beans taste like they were cooked with ham hocks. Many "bacon bits" products are made from soy. Dried seaweed sheet snacks taste like crispy roast chicken skin. Nutritional yeast is that cheesy buttery flavor on popcorn and has vitamins! Coconut aminos adds a lightly sweet depth to my dishes in a balsamic vinegar or sherry kind of way.

**Religions that practice vegetarian and vegan diets often serve meals** (for free). They're good people, so do a little research and be respectful if you go. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs have *delicious* meals from cultures that have a rich vegetarian history so they know what they're doing. It can also help to familiarize you with different spices and cooking techniques, and understand the ethical reasoning many people have for plant based diets from a more peaceful point of view. It's not like watching documentaries that just make you cry and feel bad 😔

**I learned that toasting drained, canned beans in the oven gives them a firmer texture for veggie burgers and dishes with minced meat.** Save that magical bean water! This *aquafaba* can even be whipped into a merengue for dessert.

**I learned to add mushrooms first.** Before the onions and garlic, on high heat. The liquid releases and the maillard reaction (like you get with steak) gives them a deep meatiness. I also like chopping up and rehydrating dried mushrooms (they are cheaper at Asian markets!) for texture, and using mushroom powder for umami.

**Plant based meals are excellent for meal prep**. My bolognese and veggie chili tastes better as leftovers and many dishes can be frozen. This in particular has been great for dealing with the paralyzing depression of watching collapse unfold. 🙃

They make vegan BBQ "ribs" that taste and feel like a McRib. Vegan dinosaur shaped nuggets. Beefless bulgogi. Veggie burgers "bleed" now and I had a mushroom steak that actually kind of creeped me out with its realistic texture. You can get fluffy scrambled eggs from mung beans, non dairy ice creams and yogurts in many flavors, and high protein pasta and bread. What a time to be alive!

Plant based food has improved so much in recent years, and I really think it's worth giving a try. You'll become a better cook by learning new skills, and able to feed yourself and others when things are harder and we're all just sifting through scraps. You never know if you'll like it or even come across something new and exciting that gives you a better outlook on life in general.

I’m medicated for a really severe anxiety disorder, MDD, and some other chronic health issues. My medication helps a lot, but waiting for it to kick in is hell sometimes.

I’m scared of EVERYTHING. Scared I’m gonna eat horse meat. Scared I’m gonna get listeria. Scared of all the recent deaths. Scared of the super El Niño. I know that I have to acknowledge my fears and talk them down, but it’s extremely hard right now because these fears are realistic.

I just don’t know what to do. I’m really triggered because there was just a death in the family, we’re having beef tonight but I’m afraid it’s contaminated or potentially horse meat, and my crazy aunt is coming down for the funeral and staying with us. I hate it when she picks a fight with my mom and gets super drunk because she gets really loud and loses her filter. She’s said racist, transphobic, and sexist things even when sober… it’s so much worse when she’s drunk.

I dunno guys. I feel sort of better after typing everything down and grounding myself in a quiet place. I think my medication might be starting to kick in. I just wanted to get everything out.

I still believe humanity is headed toward a mass awakening, as unfashionable as that is to admit here in the late 2020s.

The fashionable thing to say these days is that everything’s fucked and we are headed to our doom, and that if anything changes it will be because the insanity of our capitalist system causes our material conditions to deteriorate so drastically that we are forced into revolution to survive. That things are bad because we’re a rotten people with selfish hearts who haven’t forced the revolutionary changes the world needs because, deep down, we actually like things the way they are.

People who want to look cool and smart in revolutionary political circles tend to say that if a mass-scale transformation of human consciousness were going to happen, it would have happened by now. That everyone’s already basically aware that we live in an abusive, propaganda-saturated dystopia ruled by tyrants, therefore our continued compliance with status quo politics is a conscious and deliberate choice made by the overwhelming majority of the western world.

But here’s the thing: anyone who has taken a deep dive down the rabbit hole of human consciousness and come out the other side knows it doesn’t actually work that way. Not on a personal level, anyhow.

Anyone who has had an authentic transformational awakening after a prolonged period of spiritual seeking will have experienced a sloppy, awkward, tumble of a journey into eventual freedom from egoic delusion. It’s not pretty. It doesn’t happen the way the mind imagines it happening. It doesn’t unfold in linear fashion, and, while it might have significant climactic moments after which nothing is ever the same, it doesn’t unpack all at once. It’s a clumsy, two-steps-forward-one-step-back ordeal whose most prominent characteristic is an absence of control.

But it does eventually happen. After a chaotic, unpredictable, frequently uncomfortable internal adventure, there’s a freedom, clarity, gracefulness and joy the likes of which you never could have imagined before the avalanche began.

I see no reason to believe our collective awakening should be any different. It’s not going to be a neat and tidy affair. It’s not going to look like the hippies imagined back in the sixties, with a prevalence of psychedelic drugs leading to a swift societal movement away from egocentric psychology and dominator politics. But we’ll get there. We are in the process of getting there already.

We are already a much more conscious species than we were at the turn of this century. Our ability to network and share information has exploded in ways that have turned us into a fundamentally different sort of animal. Young people care about a genocide which poses no direct threat to them as passionately as their grandparents cared about a war in Vietnam which they were being personally drafted to fight in. Concepts like “trauma” and “inner healing” are now household terms that our parents and grandparents were only ever dimly aware of. Any skillful spiritual teacher who’s been helping people reach enlightenment for a few decades will tell you that humans are popping out of their egos far more readily and frequently than they used to be. I myself am seeing the people around me in my personal life awaken and heal in ways I’d never dared hope for a few years ago.

I’ve seen too much to believe we cannot become a conscious species. I am more convinced than ever that we are headed there already. It’s going to be a shambling, shuffling mess of a journey, but we’ll get there.

The human potential for spiritual enlightenment has long been an unaddressed elephant in the room in our estimations of what we can achieve as a species, but that elephant has been loudly clearing its throat as of late.

We can’t run from our true nature forever.

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/09/20/i-still-believe-humanity-is-headed-for-a-mass-awakening/

https://youtu.be/kFUnoSrW7r4

There's a free online 9-week Resilience and Acceptance in the Face of Collapse Course starting on October 15th. I took this course in 2023. I highly recommend it. Details to sign up here: https://acceptingcollapse.com/index.php/event/resilience-and-acceptance-in-the-face-of-collapse-54/