The Future is Analog: Learn to Fight

Rich People Aren’t Ready for the Apocalypse

The most disturbing moment of the pandemic for me was the day I realized those doomsday survivalist folks might not be so crazy after all. Sometime in early May 2020, barely getting by in a world with air conditioning, wi-fi, and Uber Eats, it dawned on me: I probably wouldn’t do so great in a post-apocalyptic world. And now that my wife and I are fully caught up on HBO’s The Last of Us, I’m convinced of my future worthlessness.

For decades, I have thrived in the game of business and life, taking for granted the Rule of Law, stable infrastructure, and a functioning electrical grid on which the game board teetered. Meanwhile, I regarded people who stockpile kerosene, canned beans, and shotgun shells in their storm cellars with — let’s be honest — smug superiority.

HBO’s The Last of Us: a reminder that your MBA is worthless.

If you bet that the housing market was going to melt down in 2005, you paid a dear price. Your analysis of market dynamics might have been dead-on, but your timing cost you a fortune. On the other hand, those who wagered on a 2008 collapse made…