Storytelling for the Next Apocalypse

I've been a halfhearted prepper for a long time, and I only say halfhearted because for most of my twenties I haven't had the resources or stability in my life to really make a prepping plan. What does prepping have to do with writing? Lots!

First, when I say prepping, I don't just mean stocking a cellar full of cans and going down there when the big one hits. My ideas for prepping so far center around reaching out to build/ join networks within my neighborhood, brainstorming ways to support people across the country who I care about, learning general survival skills to help me cope without key tech I rely on, and even long-term financial plans for property ownership for the benefit of myself and my pod.

What does planning to own an apartment in New York do for me as a prepper? Unfortunately, the Mad Max future is not going to be ours—it is likely we won't see the full breakdown of civilization within our lifetime. Continued disasters that weaken and fracture the fabric of civilization will probably be the name of the game until the 2100s. That means income, property, and investments will still have meaning when me and my pod are retirement age.

I'm hoping to use either shared backyard space or a community garden plot to cultivate some self-reliance in my household's food supply, and we can then give extra food to the people we live alongside. From a base of stability, we can help others and build relationships that bring us help when we need it too. That's mutual aid, friends!

The mutual aid that got (some) people through covid more easily will become ever more important in a world that's breaking down without being fully broken. Mutual aid is a social and cultural practice, which is to say that it's spread and sustained through narratives. Getting crucial ideas and knowledge about mutual aid out there to more people before the next round of disasters could make a huge difference. That means those of us who make stories can help by figuring out what stories we'll need to be prepared to help each other survive. 

Research shows that stories are one of the most effective ways to transmit information among humans, which is why every PR release feels the need to spin a "narrative." Fairy tales were used to teach lessons in the form of entertainment, and most people derive their values less from reasoned philosophical inquiry and more from the narratives that resonate with their experience of the world. I could talk about how most philosophy also makes use of narrative for rhetorical purposes, but whatever. Anyway.

While misinformation has spread just as easily as facts during covid, we have demonstrated the ability to get out information on protest dates and best practices for preventing transmission. But this isn't just about reactions to disasters happening, it's about reminding people to gather what emergency supplies they can in advance of needing them, or to make a meetup plan for situations where communications are cut off. Art as instruction manual! 

Above and beyond that, we need to tell stories about things like: 

-why it is good and desirable to know your neighbors and check up on them in times of disaster,

• why groups of friends going in on property ownership together can provide more stability to more people than going it alone, 

• why taking extra groceries to community fridges should be part of your weekly routine. 

This is all stuff that will get people on the right track to survive themselves, and put them in the frame of mind to help others when they can. Pods linking up into communities, forming larger networks that can weather the end of the world by creating a new one to replace it. A story that teaches these things will contain ethics, practical advice, and social blueprints in equal measure.

This will require research on the part of artists, since there are a set of possible breakdowns that are more likely than others. It'll also require a diversity of stories though, since there are so many possibilities (some not mutually exclusive) that no one will get the future entirely right. Guidelines for many different possibilities can make it more likely there's at least some widely circulated information out there about the next disaster. 

I also fervently believe artists who spread these ideas need to be living these ideas, which is a daily challenge in a world where it's often easier just to fend for yourself. Especially when you're building stability with which to prep, sometimes that can feel like the same hustle that your capitalist colleagues are doing, which is disheartening to say the least. But the prepper #grindset is different, friends—especially if you're setting police cars on fire on the side.