Could you handle living in a rougher, tougher society?

[fuckingcoldshowers]

Thinking about this as it's freezing where I am, and thanking my lucky stars we can stick the heating on.

I would be 100% shit in a tougher world. Anything from the grinding hardship of WW2 to dystopias like The Walking Dead. I'd be so shit I mean, actually I wouldn't survive in the first place but if the universe was having a laugh and I did make it past the initial event, I'd be rubbish. I mean, obviously it would be very scary and devastating, but the sheer MISERY of it all would sap my motivation to survive, I reckon.

I can't think straight when I'm really hungry. Also, hanger would lead to some sort of stupid spat with the wrong person.

I'm also terrible without decent sleep. After enough sleep deprivation I'd give up.

Finally - even if fed and sleeping I cannot deal with no nice, clean shower or bathing facilities. I'd be SO CRANKY feeling grubby and dishevelled all the time, traipsing around trying to survive.

Could you adapt well and cope cheerfully without these basics after the apocalypse?

Why do you think you are any more likely not to survive than anybody else? What makes you so special that you’re any more guaranteed a death than any other person? Whether you live or die would be a roll of the dice, just as it is for the majority of ordinary people

@MolkosTeenageAngst Because I have type 1 diabetes. So in a lot of situations there will be no insulin after my prescription runs out and I die in a few days. In a world war situation the supply chain will most likely be affected.

So yes, I'm guaranteed a death. I did say I'd be most likely to die - which you refused to accept at face value - but I was purposefully vague in my OP because this was intended as a light hearted thread and didn't want it to become a serious discussion about the grimness of societal breakdown and the collapse of medical infrastructure 🙄

Anyway. It struck me as kinda funny that even if I did find a big stash of diabetes supplies so I could technically live, I'd be a whiny bitch anyway due to the lack of creature comforts.

It's just dark humour. It's not that deep.

Me? Survive? With these knees? Not a chance.

I live in Birmingham, so already surviving in a rougher, tougher world. the walking dead as nothing on the city centre of a Saturday night.

I think I’d be mostly okay.

Im generally pretty healthy - I think I’ve had antibiotics once in the last decade.

Im not the fittest but I am pretty good at problem solving and thinking outside the box. I’m generally pretty good in a crisis and working out a plan.

As a student I had £20/week to life off (this was in the 2010s so not when £20 was reasonable) and from that I managed to buy all my food and a bottle of wine, so I’m used to making do with very little.

I really, really don’t like the cold. I think the cold might get me tbh.

I cannot see without my contact lenses and get a migraine if I am stressed, have low blood sugar, have high blood sugar, a dehydrated, I have poor first aid skills, cannot see blood without fainting. I wouldn’t last two minutes.
having said that… I bet most people in Ukraine and Gaza are also not built for this…

I think there is a reason most movies based around such scenarios show the majority of the population dead. Most people couldn’t handle such circumstances whether it’s health reasons - physical or mental. Age. Commitments to others. Lack of reasources or knowledge etc.

I could probably survive some scenarios - for example I have some bush craft type survival knowledge but I would manage in a situation where others were being aggressive and I needed to have physical fitness to defend myself. I’m also alone so no back up people to help.

I’ve just finished reading The drift by CJ Tudor- I really recommend it! It’s fiction but almost believable as it’s about a virus / apocalypse… I can’t say more without ruining the plot, but I found it fascinating and horrifying in equal measures. Some of you would really enjoy reading this, I think!!

Better teeth too due to no/little sugar!

I’m good in a crisis, creative and able to amuse myself without tech. I can make fires and cook decent meals from random odds and sods and have a fair bit of first aid training and decent DIY skills.

I’m also a middle aged fat bird so…yay!

Just as long as I have my glasses, thyroxine,
ADs and HRT, plus coffee and wine I’ll be just grand 😂

Nope, I'd be the one ditched by the roadside gasping "go on without me" in the first chapter.
But I'm 51, I've had a good innings so far so I'm comfortable with that.

Hmm interesting question! My friend and I have pondered this before...

I think I'd survive for a time (luck being on my side obviously) - I'm quite strong and have plenty of survival skills and knowledge. I forage wild food and have lived in the past on very little, food and comforts wise. I like to think I have a pretty strong will to live that would see me at least attempt to survive most situations but who can ever really know until you are in them!

I do hate being cold with a passion. And I'd absolutely die immediately if survival involved running away from anything (fat & slow 😂)

Ultimately though I think it would be the other people that would do me in. I'm not ruthless enough and would probably take another survivor in to my hobbit hole to help them out only for them to kill me in my sleep and take my stuff 😞

I live in a house with single glazing throughout and we currently have the heating off as it’s night time. We had a coal fire downstairs that kept us very warm in the lounge during the evening. I’m now in bed (heating off) and am fine as I have a thick duvet and blanket. The cold isn’t that bad. Or maybe I’m just used to it.

Adrenaline would see me through the initial event. A couple of “oh shit” situations where people just start doing what I say and I can stomp faster than most people can run, but once the adrenaline wears off I’m back to off the charts anxiety. I had to hide from the Evri man because I thought he thought I scowled at him when I was getting my last parcel - no way I’m seeing the dawn of a new civilisation.

I think I’d be ok realistically.

Have some outdoors skills, in reasonable shape, have guns and practiced in shooting (+ a decent ammo supply to start with), have decent weather gear, am not fussed too much with cold, currently no maintenance meds, some ‘living off the land’ skills, a lot of time playing the ‘what of’ game, a lot of hours sunk in my guilty pleasure of Post Apocalyptic fiction

glasses/contacts, not in the greatest of shape at the moment, getting older, somewhat sentimental, starting to experience niggling 45+ health issues, a fair amount of cushy life syndrome

All in all I think I’d be ok for a bit. Do I envision myself in a rocking chair watching the world end… no but I feel like I’d give it a decent go.

Those of us who live in countries which don't have central heating seem to manage!

I agree with pps who have said you really don't know how you would cope until you had to, and most would just get on with it. We have earthquakes here, and are about due for "the big one". If it happens in my lifetime I will just have to deal with it - there's no running away!

I do however wonder how the ultra hygiene freaks, wash everything after an hour's wear, can't possibly eat anything unhealthy etc. type MNers would cope 🤔😂I suspect they would soon fall to pieces.

It’s amazing how things become less important when the level of effort ramps up

The thought of no air conditioning in the summer and a daily shower would kill me dead. I hate the heat, I’m irritable when I feel dirty and I would suck at hunting for my food. I prob wouldn’t make it 😂

Ah, I’d forgotten about my poor eyesight. If my glasses got broken, I’d probably walk into a tree, knock myself out and get eaten by a pack of wolves. 😂

I watched Threads recently - that was sobering.
and the Julia Roberts Film ˋLeave the world behind´ has made me quite fearful - the idea that you don’t realise there has been an attack or even what the attack is. It was the son losing his teeth,presumably through radiation poisoning, even though there hadn’t been a bomb. That really got to me.
Sorry to be frightening but I often feel we were really lucky that covid wasn’t significantly nastier. Had it been like Ebola or haemorrhagic fever life would look quite different now.

I have good survival and primitive living skills and I would be OK if it weren't for the lack of essential meds. Bugger.

Technically, yes: I'm quite hardy, fairly robust and an uncannily accurate aim.

Would I enjoy it? Probably not: I like central heating and easy access to a good Chinese takeaway.

Ok… so on the glasses thing . One of the places on my list to loot is the eyeglass shop first for contacts then for glasses. Bonus points if it’s a grind on site place.

I figure I’ll learn enough to be the the glasses ‘hookup’ and that will be my schtick in the PA hellscape. Seriously… the optometrist is going to be the last place targeted by the ne’er-do-wells

I’d be ok. I’d hate it but I’d survive.
I grew up in an old cold farmhouse with a coal fired stove which we used for cooking, heating and hot water. We did have an electric cooker too but the stove was the heart of the house. I can grow stuff and work with animals, drive a tractor, shoot a gun.
We have solar panels and a well( so many people have filled theirs in but we kept ours. We used it a few years ago when we had a big freeze and all water pipes were frozen. We have open fires and a back boiler so would always have hot water. We have a wind turbine too on the farm so could possibly power an electric car. Husband and son are both good with guns. Husband and both kids are good at archery too. Both my daughter and I can ride well. Husband can too but not since childhood. He’s a fast leaner. Son would be a disaster and probably fall off and break bones. He can drive a tractor, digger and manitou though so he’s not completely useless. Both husband and son can use a chainsaw.
I can shoot but I’m not very accurate. We have chickens and a good vegetable garden and fruit trees. And a farm? I would worry about people trying to take what we have more than any zombies tbh. The living are more dangerous than any zombie. Except the ones in maze runner. Those feckers can run!!
Not thought about it much at all 😂

It would more likely to be a pack of rampaging XL bullies than wolves round here, maybe the bullies would kill all the zombies

I'm a bit obsessed with a zombie apocalypse but if they are like the wwz ones or 28 days later I'd probably be dead pretty fast

I grew up in a working class family in Gateshead so I think I'd cope if I had to. I sort of see myself in a Michonne role if it was zombies- I'm terrified of them but would rather deal with them than hide away from them. Unless they are the type that run fast- I'd be stuffed then.