“Winter is coming.”
So goes the motto of the Stark house in George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. I feel a great impending doom facing the world. I’m not sure what is going to happen or what indications have tipped me off. I hope to goodness that I am wrong. But just for argument’s sake, what if I’m right?
How much would it take to topple civilization? The bulk of the population is dependent on a fragile infrastructure for clean water, food, and power. We have seen what a short disruption in power can do to our city. On April 27, 2011 a super outbreak of 362 tornadoes swept through Alabama doing nine billion dollars worth of damage and leaving Huntsville and much of North Alabama without power only to be slowly restored starting May first.
The affected area was relatively small. Many people were able to drive to Atlanta or Nashville or other unaffected places until power was restored. But what would happen if the entire country was affected? What if there was a coronal mass ejection that knocked out all electrical and electronic devices in the world? How long would it be before people were starving and rioting?
So, I’m feeling depressed tonight. I am wondering what I can do to help change the world into a less dangerous place. A place that is less prone to slide into barbarism at the stroke of disaster, natural or man made. I hope we never find out first hand the answer to any of these ominous questions.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.