A FIELD GUIDE TO THE APOCALYPSE
A common sense field guide to understanding, surviving, and thriving in our time of complex chaos and crises.
Is this finally it? The end times? Because from COVID-19 to climate catastrophe to the looming AI revolution—not to mention the ever-growing background hum of rage, fear, and anxiety—it’s starting to feel like the party we call civilization is just about over. The good news? It’s always felt that way.
Drawing on evolutionary psychology, history, brain science, game theory, and more, cooperation theorist (and, coincidentally, zombie expert) Athena Aktipis reassuringly explains how we, as a species, are hardwired to survive big existential crises. And how we can do so again by leveraging our innate abilities to communicate and cooperate.
Pack a ukulele in your prep kit. Practice your risk-management skills. Enlist your crew into a survival team. And embrace the apocalypse. You might just enjoy it. Plus, it will help us build a better and more resilient future for all humankind.
SURVIVAL KITS
Prepping preps your mindset. Having your mind in the right place is not just about having Buddhist monk–level self-control when the world is falling apart around you. It’s about having a plan, knowing your exits, and putting some basic preparations (preps) in place. I'm happy to share with you the essential survival kits below that I write about in my book, A Field Guide to the Apocalypse. These will help prep you for whatever apocalypse comes your way, whether it's a forest fire, another pandemic, or just your nephew having a nosebleed the backseat.
Shelter-in-place
This is at the heart of your emergency survival plan. It should cover everything you and your family need to survive for 72 hours without leaving the house. In a zombie apocalypse (or a run-of-the-mill pandemic), this is 100 percent your winning strategy.
Car Kit
I love my car kit. From stemming my nephew’s gushing nosebleed in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, to doling out Band-Aids to not-so-outdoorsy dates, to jumping my car in a pinch, I’m always grateful to know I have almost everything I could need in a tight little duffel in the trunk of my car.
Go Bag
The first step to starting your Go-Bag:
Put a first aid kit in there (even if it’s just a few Band- Aids and some antibiotic cream in a zip-top bag). The rest can follow!
Everyday carry
I use my everyday carry (EDC) even more often than my car kit. Probably because I take it with me when I’m hiking, skiing, traveling, or going anywhere far from home. The trick to an EDC is to make it small enough to easily take with you.
