3 ms·
I cope with it by learning more about it. Books I've read and recommend include: Command and Control by Eric Schlosser, The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg
by dotsam 5y ago
I cope with it by learning more about it. Books I've read and recommend include: Command and Control by Eric Schlosser, The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg, Hiroshima by John Hersey, The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. More generally I have taken an interest in existential risk, and can recommend The Precipice by Toby Orb.
I am going to die one day or another, and everything I know and love will be changed and destroyed either in my lifetime or after. Trying to internalise this is very difficult but the grim reading has somehow helped me understand it to some small degree, and helps me focus on the wonder and preciousness of this brief moment of existence.
- koheripbal 5y agoBeing somewhat prepared reduces stress.
- scruple 5y agoI can attest to this. I live on a major fault line. I got serious about natural disaster preparedness back in 2017 with Hurricane Harvey and seeing how the federal response was so bungled. It puts my mind at significant ease knowing that I have my families basic needs covered for 4-6 months. It took a long time to procure everything, to plan everything, it was a fair amount of money, and I continue to spend an hour or two managing all of this on a monthly basis, but it shaves off a worthwhile amount of background anxiety for me, personally, so it's time and money well spent.