Let’s say you own a bunch of incredibly successful technology creation and development companies and have managed to make billions of dollars. You’re a smart cookie, so you know that things on the world stage are incredibly unstable, thus, you decide to become a prepper, only with more resources than you could probably ever use in a lifetime. How do you prepare for the worst? What does it look like to get ready for the end of the world?
A man by the name of Douglas Rushkoff penned a piece for The Guardian where he breaks down how super rich tech billionaires are going about getting ready for potential apocalyptic situations and there’s more than a thing or two we can learn from how they think.
Rushkoff sat down for a conversation with five wealthy men in the realm of tech investing and hedge-funds where they asked him a series of questions pertaining to preparations for things going south.
They started out innocuously and predictably enough. Bitcoin or ethereum? Virtual reality or augmented reality? Who will get quantum computing first, China or Google? Eventually, they edged into their real topic of concern: New Zealand or Alaska? Which region would be less affected by the coming climate crisis? It only got worse from there. Which was the greater threat: global warming or biological warfare? How long should one plan to be able to survive with no outside help? Should a shelter have its own air supply? What was the likelihood of groundwater contamination? Finally, the CEO of a brokerage house explained that he had nearly completed building his own underground bunker system, and asked: “How do I maintain authority over my security force after the event?” The event. That was their euphemism for the environmental collapse, social unrest, nuclear explosion, solar storm, unstoppable virus, or malicious computer hack that takes everything down.
This single question occupied us for the rest of the hour. They knew armed guards would be required to protect their compounds from raiders as well as angry mobs. One had already secured a dozen Navy Seals to make their way to his compound if he gave them the right cue. But how would he pay the guards once even his crypto was worthless? What would stop the guards from eventually choosing their own leader? The billionaires considered using special combination locks on the food supply that only they knew. Or making guards wear disciplinary collars of some kind in return for their survival. Or maybe building robots to serve as guards and workers – if that technology could be developed “in time”.
Rushkoff said that he attempted to reason with them and help them see the benefits of pro-social partnerships and solidarity in order to increase chances of survival and overcome long-term challenges. For example, if these individuals want their security staff to be loyal to them in the future, Rushkoff suggested treating them as friends in the here-and-now. While pouring cash into building up an arsenal of weapons and ammunition is important, also spend time investing yourself in relationship and other people. The five men in question did not respond favorably to what they likely saw as a weak philosophy.
Instead of seeking ways to extend survival beyond themselves and to the rest of humanity, all they are really interested in is developing their own isolation chamber to protect themselves. And this is what will ultimately lead to their failure. That doesn’t mean you don’t look out for yourself and prioritize family. Not at all. But helping yourself through helping others is the bedrock of civilization. Cooperation increases the likelihood of survival. In fact, it goes beyond merely surviving. It creates thriving.
After writing his piece, Rushkoff said:
Almost immediately, I began receiving inquiries from businesses catering to the billionaire prepper, all hoping I would make some introductions on their behalf to the five men I had written about. I heard from a real estate agent who specialises in disaster-proof listings, a company taking reservations for its third underground dwellings project, and a security firm offering various forms of “risk management”.
But the message that got my attention came from a former president of the American chamber of commerce in Latvia. JC Cole had witnessed the fall of the Soviet empire, as well as what it took to rebuild a working society almost from scratch. He had also served as landlord for the American and European Union embassies, and learned a whole lot about security systems and evacuation plans. “You certainly stirred up a bees’ nest,” he began his first email to me. “It’s quite accurate – the wealthy hiding in their bunkers will have a problem with their security teams… I believe you are correct with your advice to ‘treat those people really well, right now’, but also the concept may be expanded and I believe there is a better system that would give much better results.”
Cole went on to state that he believes cooperation and treating each other better is the best way to prepare for inevitable disaster. In fact, Cole himself is using his fortune to set up “safe haven farms” in the New York City area. These farms have been established as a means of providing for the needs of individuals in the event of a disaster of some kind. He located the farms three hours from the city, which gives people time to reach them if things take a turn for the worse. He even provided Rushkoff with a tour of one of the farms, though he is keeping locations secret for obvious reasons.
And let’s just say this place has it all. Not only does it grow crops, but it has an equestrian center, a facility for tactical training, and a place for raising goats and chickens.
So far, JC Cole has been unable to convince anyone to invest in American Heritage Farms. That doesn’t mean no one is investing in such schemes. It’s just that the ones that attract more attention and cash don’t generally have these cooperative components. They’re more for people who want to go it alone. Most billionaire preppers don’t want to have to learn to get along with a community of farmers or, worse, spend their winnings funding a national food resilience programme. The mindset that requires safe havens is less concerned with preventing moral dilemmas than simply keeping them out of sight.
The main takeaway from the piece is that we need to have a mindset of cooperation and investing our time and resources into people and not just storing up supplies or building bunkers. If we do that, we stand a much greater chance of surviving the apocalypse and preserving the human race.
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