I agree it's probably escapism, maybe due to life being unfulfilling, but I'm not sure boredom is driving it. I suspect a lot of people of different political inclinations are deeply dissatisfied, and feel helpless. So they turn to collapse theories of different sorts.

I really wish there was a good way of tracking actual sentiment about collapse, and indicators of societal upheaval, to better understand how things really are, or what people really feel in general. There's many such things but they're all imperfect and point in different directions for different groups. Maybe this says something about the complexity of society -- if we could predict collapse, we'd probably be able to avoid it -- but it seems like it deserves more attention. I feel like it's a topic of increasing salience, but I'm not sure I have much to base that on other than people say it is. It is a pandemic, so there's that, but there's been similar things in my lifetime that didn't lead to quite so much collapse narrative.

Maybe things were so good or stable-seeming before that returning to some kind of historical norm with regard to instability factors is bringing things back to a baseline with collapse narrative? End-of-world beliefs are a classic thing; maybe they just disappeared (relatively speaking) for awhile.

> It is a pandemic, so there's that, but there's been similar things in my lifetime that didn't lead to quite so much collapse narrative.

Yet despite all of the rhetoric around the pandemic throughout the entire world, very little has functionally changed politically. While the pandemic most certainly exposed many problems throughout world governments, the fact that no major change (e.g. revolution, energy collapse, etc) has actually happened is a testament to the world's current status quo.

> Maybe things were so good or stable-seeming before that returning to some kind of historical norm with regard to instability factors is bringing things back to a baseline with collapse narrative?

The world was a lot less connected before. Now we see the pain around us instantly through shared photos, Twitter, and the 24 hour news cycle. In the past you could go months without realizing that a major conflict was occurring, especially in less connected parts of the world.

> life is boring and unfulfilling for many people, so they are attracted to the notion that some spectacular event is going to suddenly upend their lives and make life more interesting

Mainly agree. As I was watching the Taliban take over region by region I wondered how many people were watching it in their comfortable home with nice things and climate control and couldn't help but feel envy in that these people (Taliban fighters) are doing something impactful and meaningful in their lives; creating the change they wanted. That while living in poverty relative to the person watching at home, they have real purpose.

Would the unfulfilled and bored person ever be able to put it all on the line for something they are certain is theirs and do their part in a collective of idealists with the same courage of their convictions? That the work to get there doesn't happen in a day or a month or a year but over decades, much like building a meaningful career and family that gives you fulfillment.

If you feel this way, I encourage you to go volunteer in one of the many poverty and conflict-stricken regions of this world. The US Peace Corps does a lot of this kind of work. It's needed and fulfilling work.

If you're at the point where you envy Taliban soldiers for having a purpose in life, it might be good for the people you cherish to have you go figure some stuff out.

When did I say I envy them? Or that those that may envy their purposeful lives would agree with their politics and beliefs they fight for. Only that I could imagine a person with feelings of no purpose could look at them and envy that particular attribute.

Where you responded to someone who said "if you feel this way do it" not with "I wasn't talking about myself!!" but with "I can't"

I mean, I guess you missed the point of my original comment. I juxtaposed Taliban fighters in an impoverished and apparently hopeless place with wealthy and prosperous western civilization and how the man sitting in his home with creature comforts but yet feeling without purpose actually has it right in front of him if only he’s willing to work at it for decades and dedicate himself to something meaningful. That it must fill them with envy that these fighters managed to find a way to make their life meaningful within the context of their situation but yet the man who is in a far more prosperous and peaceful place somehow can’t and spends his days in a fantasy about the collapse of civilization much like the situation in Afghanistan actually has been for 40 years.

There's also the "benefit" that if the future doesn't resemble the present, you don't have to make mundane preparations for it, like contributing to a 401k (since dollars will be useless), to say nothing of promoting beneficial government efforts (like social security or health care).