Fearful, anxious, scared of dying from nuclear attack

[Anxle]

The Fullfact site did the other day urge us to beware of a 'historical' map image circulating on social media

Yeah those posts are the worst kind of clickbait, which essentially boil down to "here's a map of where British cities are".

A certain Russian fella is trying to live in our heads rent free by making us scared of him. And it's working. There is no red fire button on his desk, it doesn't work like that, and if it becomes more scary for his lackeys to follow his orders than not to, he'll probably be mysteriously falling down the Kremlin's steepest staircase.

Why not choose to live presuming that hypothetical future, or one of the many more likely ones, rather than the catastrophic hypothetical future?

CBT tells you to counter questions of "Argh this might happen" with a shrugged "yeah, it might", and move on if you can't do anything about it. This seems really hard with existential fears but it's true. Because if you chase 100% certainty you'll never get it.

[Panicattacka]

Because if you chase 100% certainty you'll never get it.

So true. The very act of existing implies some level of risk. Imagine this crisis miraculously ended tomorrow somehow, how would you feel? Fantastic, right? A-Effing One! You'd be turning cartwheels and getting the bunting out. And then a few days would go by, then a few weeks, then a few months, maybe even a year or two and then.....Bam! Along comes a brand new existential crisis to upset you. Whether it's a problem with your own personal physical health, a new threat looming overseas, a natural disaster, or whatever, you will be reminded that we aren't here to live with 100% certainty, lollipops, sparkly pants, and pink unicorns prancing on the lawn. Something is always going to come along and remind us of exactly what we are: Finite beings. We have to live in the moment and embrace it, or this is no life at all.

[Lencoboy]

So true. The very act of existing implies some level of risk. Imagine this crisis miraculously ended tomorrow somehow, how would you feel? Fantastic, right? A-Effing One! You'd be turning cartwheels and getting the bunting out. And then a few days would go by, then a few weeks, then a few months, maybe even a year or two and then.....Bam! Along comes a brand new existential crisis to upset you. Whether it's a problem with your own personal physical health, a new threat looming overseas, a natural disaster, or whatever, you will be reminded that we aren't here to live with 100% certainty, lollipops, sparkly pants, and pink unicorns prancing on the lawn. Something is always going to come along and remind us of exactly what we are: Finite beings. We have to live in the moment and embrace it, or this is no life at all.

Exactly. If this war in Ukraine was to suddenly peter out next week the media and politicians would simply move onto the next big 'threat', whatever it might be, or simply regurgitate other previous/ongoing sources of panic and hysteria.

In response to comments in your last-but-one post, I can't fathom why Putin has basically waited until now to commit such atrocities of this magnitude in Ukraine and never seemed to do so earlier in his presidency, especially since he has been in power for 22 years now.

I could be totally wrong, but I can't help but wonder if this might be the onset of possible dementia within him?

[Lencoboy]

Yeah those posts are the worst kind of clickbait, which essentially boil down to "here's a map of where British cities are".

A certain Russian fella is trying to live in our heads rent free by making us scared of him. And it's working. There is no red fire button on his desk, it doesn't work like that, and if it becomes more scary for his lackeys to follow his orders than not to, he'll probably be mysteriously falling down the Kremlin's steepest staircase.

Why not choose to live presuming that hypothetical future, or one of the many more likely ones, rather than the catastrophic hypothetical future?

CBT tells you to counter questions of "Argh this might happen" with a shrugged "yeah, it might", and move on if you can't do anything about it. This seems really hard with existential fears but it's true. Because if you chase 100% certainty you'll never get it.

TBH, I don't think our media have helped a jot over the past couple of weeks, with their endless spewing out of sensationalistic headlines. They've already been at it incessantly with Covid over the past 2 years, by trying to make out that things were much worse than they actually were. Ditto for the Global Financial Crisis back in 2008-09.

I seriously wish the editors and journalists would just wise up and tone things down period, but I can't imagine that ever happening, as all they seem to care about most of the time is chasing dosh and clicks!

[Anxle]

TBH, I don't think our media have helped a jot over the past couple of weeks, with their endless spewing out of sensationalistic headlines. They've already been at it incessantly with Covid over the past 2 years, by trying to make out that things were much worse than they actually were. Ditto for the Global Financial Crisis back in 2008-09.

I seriously wish the editors and journalists would just wise up and tone things down period, but I can't imagine that ever happening, as all they seem to care about most of the time is chasing dosh and clicks!

Sometimes, definitely yes, but as I've said elsewhere don't underestimate how our anxious minds are also doing their work here.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Exactly. If this war in Ukraine was to suddenly peter out next week the media and politicians would simply move onto the next big 'threat', whatever it might be, or simply regurgitate other previous/ongoing sources of panic and hysteria.

In response to comments in your last-but-one post, I can't fathom why Putin has basically waited until now to commit such atrocities of this magnitude in Ukraine and never seemed to do so earlier in his presidency, especially since he has been in power for 22 years now.

I could be totally wrong, but I can't help but wonder if this might be the onset of possible dementia within him?

Or he's spent those years putting his pieces in place on the chess board and spotted his opportunity. Remember we are at odds with the EU, the US is retreating (Syria, Afghanistan), we & the US aren't on the best terms, China is on the move, etc.

However his move might wake our leaders up and bolster their efforts to reunite. So it backfires.

[fishman65]

There's also the matter of how our media paints the picture. While this invasion of Ukraine is an awful and brutal act, the NATO 10 week bombing of Belgrade, Serbia in 1999 led to the deaths of an estimated 500+ civilians. Schools and hospitals were hit. Residential homes too. But I don't remember hearing anything about those in our media

[Lencoboy]

There's also the matter of how our media paints the picture. While this invasion of Ukraine is an awful and brutal act, the NATO 10 week bombing of Belgrade, Serbia in 1999 led to the deaths of an estimated 500+ civilians. Schools and hospitals were hit. Residential homes too. But I don't remember hearing anything about those in our media

There was also Kosovo around that same era, of course. And Bosnia a few short years prior to then.

I still don't think our media were quite as 'in-yer-face' back then like to the extent that they are now.

Plus back in 1999 the Internet as we know it had only just started to break through into the mainstream, 24/7 rolling news channels were also only just starting to become a thing back then IIRC, and social media was still virtually non-existent at that time.

I think the most obvious reason for this conflict being such a big deal is because it's being perpetrated by Russia, and of course, all its past associations with the Cold War, etc.

I also wonder if there would have been a similar global outcry had it been, say, people of German origin perpetrating similar things right now, in turn owing to Germany's historical associations with Nazism and WW2?

[pulisa]

When I was very little in the 60s I remember being terrified by the air raid sirens being tested "just in case they were ever needed again" every week at lunchtime. I remember seeing newspaper stands with very alarming headlines about the Cuban missile crisis. Nuclear weapons were very real and very threatening.

My job was very stressful and involved national security. Nobody knew what was going on because there was a need to know policy even amongst work colleagues.

I agree, Fishman..Our media happily turns a blind eye when it's needed.

[fishman65]

There was also Kosovo around that same era, of course. And Bosnia a few short years prior to then.

I still don't think our media were quite as 'in-yer-face' back then like to the extent that they are now.

Certainly not in terms of the internet Lenco, as you say, it was in its infancy back then. However, the printed press was very much 'in your face' as now. Maybe not quite so alarmist but I remember buying the DM from the hospital shop day after day. The wife was in having our 22 year old daughter, so I was reading everything about the Serbia bombing campaign. It was all about how professional our boys were, but no mention of the children being killed.