You wake up and you're the only one alive. What do you do?

[Laggartha]

I've just started watching I Think We're Alone Now and this is the premise. I'm only 8 minutes in and we've just seen how our hero spends his time.

I think it's a fascinating idea so I had to pause it to consider what I would do. What would you do?

@Bvop

Loot the bookshop. Then loot the bakery and sit down with a coffee, a slice of cake and a book and read uninterrupted all day.

Then I’d deal with more practical things.

Hear hear !!

Look for the loveliest empty house I can. Preferably one near the beach with a vegetable garden and a few chickens and goats, and a boat with some fishing tackle. Hopefully there will be a stream nearby and a barbeque to use to cook.

It depends on whether or not you know for certain if you’re the only one alive.

If I was literally the only person still alive I would have to deal with my grief first and foremost, which would be horrendous because everyone I love and care for would be dead, and then with the knowledge that I likely wouldn’t live very long either (unless I really managed to get a handle on survival. Which to be fair I probably would, given the strength of the survival instinct.

In the meantime, whilst I was still alive, I would live every day with the utmost appreciation of the privilege of my position, and with a deep appreciation for the beauty I would still see in the world.

The pain would be immense, almost too much to bear at times, I imagine, but I would resolve to revel in whatever pleasures I could find. Because I would owe it to myself, my loved ones and to the whole of humanity.

What I would practically do with my days would take a little too long to write out now, but it’s an interesting question, so I’ll try to return to it later.

Oops dropped one of the parentheses there..

I was thinking about this again and I reckon I'd be reasonably happy on my own - well, not happy, but not miserable enough to commit suicide. But in a similar vein to @Cathpot's husband, I was thinking how terrible it would be to be badly injured or to get cancer or something and have no way to treat yourself, but simply die a long and painful death. Would I be brave enough to top myself in that situation? I'm still not sure I would. So I only like this fantasy if I get to remain injury-free and then die in my sleep at an age without knowing anything about it.

I’m not sure one would ever get over the feeling like someone is out there and needing to be alert.

.... thinking about it, you'd need access to frozen eggs and frozen sperm (assuming you were young enough to bear a child).
because then if you could bear children they wouldn't be related to each other.

Celebrate. Ha ha ha. Joking but only just! How lovely it would be to go through life without other people.

Go back to sleep?

Unlikely reality but to make the best of things i would drive to the coast and choose a large house with a sea view to break into and occupy . Fill the extra rooms with tinned food and bottled water, plant veg in the garden.

Maybe keep some chickens for eggs .

So if there's only me, there won't be any TV or internet ? I'll need to raid a bookshop then . Maybe a supply of batteries too, I need some music to listen to, don't think I'd like complete silence for ever .

And my dog for company .

I would be OK for a while .

@Myneighboursdomyheadin

.... thinking about it, you'd need access to frozen eggs and frozen sperm (assuming you were young enough to bear a child). because then if you could bear children they wouldn't be related to each other.

Unless you're planning on having 50 children, you aren't repopulating the earth.

I don't know why I'm so annoyed with the earth repopulators! But I am. There is no way to do this, sperm and eggs or not. Also there appears to be a small incest-prevention thing in humans that makes it unlikely for us to find anyone attractive we've known since babies. So even if you could produce 50 unrelated babies, they would t fancy each other.

"I don't know why I'm so annoyed with the earth repopulators! But I am"

We've laid down the gauntlet for you!

50 people btw is the absolute bare minimum, assuming no major genetic issues or fertility issues. The real number to repopulate the earth is likely to be closer to 2-5k.

Otherwise it's webbed feet and three eyeballs as far as the eye can see.

Otherwise it's webbed feet and three eyeballs as far as the eye can see

Thinks of many a Royal...

@MrsTerryPratchett

50 people btw is the absolute bare minimum, assuming no major genetic issues or fertility issues. The real number to repopulate the earth is likely to be closer to 2-5k.

Otherwise it's webbed feet and three eyeballs as far as the eye can see.

You'd need a bloody good spreadsheet for the first few generations as well. Just to make sure.

It annoyed me in a recent film that everyone died out apart from a couple where the woman was pg

They were on there way to another planet. Could at least have some options with other people in mix.

Can’t remember film

@Heysiriyoutwat

Otherwise it's webbed feet and three eyeballs as far as the eye can see

Thinks of many a Royal...

Well quite! The Egyptians being notable!

If it helps I’m enjoying your annoyance @MrsTerryPratchett

Me too

Fine. Repopulate the earth. See if I care.

:) rofl

Oh god no I wouldn’t ever repopulate! If humanity dies out it should be kept that way!

Move into the biggest yacht in the marina.

I'm not wasting my time repopulating . I'm twatting about covered in diamonds etc

Put the kettle on for a cup of tea. Walk up and down the street naked providing it's not raining or too cold. Then drink my tea and decide what's for dinner.