Zombie Cliche Lookout: Don’t Make It Worse
The zombie apocalypse isn’t going to be a lot of fun. No, seriously, it isn’t. I know we all talk about it like it’s going to be good times, but in reality? Not so much. To get by, you’re going to have to do everything you can to battle the overwhelming psychological stress factors that crop up constantly (and kill zombies and eat spam, obviously). The key to this is finding things that you can still enjoy. Or, if not enjoy, then at least things that will occupy you mentally. You know, distractions.
Zombieland‘s rule: “Enjoy the Little Things” made a bit point of this (while selling a lot of Twinkies in the process), but I think a much better example is the film version of I am Legend. We really see all the things Will Smith’s character has to do, just to keep himself functioning. Talking to mannikins, “renting” movies, using a decommissioned air craft carrier as a driving range, etc. But even after all that, the character was still just barely hanging on.
About this Episode:
So yeah, after everyone hung out in front of the house, having a long conversation about moving trucks, everyone decided it was a good idea to start being sneaky. Better late than never, right?
Discussion Question: Enjoying the Little Things
So how are you going to keep yourself sane during the zombie apocalypse? What little things are you going to do to help to maintain your grasp of sanity?
Me? I’ll probably try to keep up on my reading. It seems to me that, while my Kindle will probably be unusable pretty quickly, libraries and bookstores will likely be around for a while still. You know, until people raid them, destroy them, or burn them down just for grins.
I like reading too. I could also spend a lot more time working on my martial arts, that would be useful and a good way to keep from going crazy. Exercise is good therapy.
Exercise is definitely good therapy. Well said, Bob.
I’m going to be a bit strenuous with this link here, but it’ll make sense with regard to the discussion topic I promise!
I turned 29 this April, and decided to set myself thirty things to do before I’m 30. Then, much to my disbelief, I blew my knee out playing soccer. Busted ACL and MCL requiring surgery, which means an operation and 6 months of recovery. Obviously this has had a slight impact on my list of thirty things!
So (and here’s the link!) I’m bored and don’t have the ability to do much, but I’m not letting it stop me. I’m finding little things to do that I have never done before and setting my mind to them. Puzzles seem to be a good one to keep the mind busy. I have learnt how to solve a Rubik’s cube, and although it only took a few days, it certainly stopped my sofa sofa ridden boredom! I might even look into an instrument next – although how successful this would be in the Zombie Apocalypse is open for debate, I’m thinking a little to much noise!
This is a great one, Mark. Once the power goes down, we’re going to have to look at different ways to keep us entertained (and to keep our minds busy, which is ever more important). Classic games and puzzles will no doubt be in demand.
Reading and LEGO. Raid the toy stores looking for a new box of plastic bricks.
I love this response.
I actually like SPAM so on that point I’m already ahead of the game. As far as what Ill do to stay sane, I guess that depends on the nature of the situation. I’m a classic tinkerer/project guy, I really enjoy working on all manner of stuff from home improvement to motorized vehicles. Projects with a defined beginning and completion point also serve to relax me by allowing me to be in a situation I can control and feel empowered in when the rest of my life seems to be beyond my control. If I get to a relatively secure location or manage to hook up with a stationary group (Like the prison or Woodbury) then I imagine I’ll have no shortage of stuff to keep me busy and relatively happy. One of the things about TWD that gets me going is that almost every prison has a machine shop and a motor pool. I dont understand why Ricks group is so dirty and miserable, they should be able to survive very nicely there if anyone in the group is at all handy. If I wound up living nomadically (either on my own or in a group) then I would probably focus on learning to play the guitar and documenting to the best of my ability the outbreak and the aftermath so that I could try to leave some kind of record for a resurgent humanity. I would also like to say that reading would be high on my list, but to tell the truth I’m concerned that it might just depress me. Too many reminders of a world and a people that are gone .
I like spam too, when it’s fried up anyway. I can’t imagine eating it raw.
“Sniper! Get do-, guk! Gahh…”
Please make that happen.
Hah. Seems like people want to see someone get offed.
Testing… have not been able to post comments for a couple of weeks for some reason, always times out at my end. If this doesn’t work then I’ll try playing with my settings and perhaps send an email to Dave to see if anything is happening on his side. And if it works, comment incoming…
Have you tried in the last week? I did a lot of investigating on the commenting issue, and I’m pretty sure I got it figured out.
All seems to be going ok now… so I guess what ever you have done has sorted it. I can let you know via email if I have more issues if you like.
One of my previous comments was….
Hasn’t Clark recovered quickly from being hit by the news truck, he is either superman, or we haven’t seen the what the outcome of that was….yet 🙂
Yeah, if you run into issues, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email about it. I always try to fix things as quickly as I can (although this particular issue took me a really long time to figure out).
Annnnnnd it worked. Yay!
How would I keep sane in a apocolypse scenario…. much the same way I do now. I have a huge amount of books, and I constantly have a book “on the go”. I obviously play with plastic toys…. lego, models etc, which would continue 🙂 My wife and I have a dedicated board games night where we invite people round, and if no one else comes then we just play against each other. Then there is fitness related activity… walking the dog, mountain biking, swimming, hockey. Last but not least as above I am a bit of a DIY guy and am constantly working on some project around the house.
So, even if I lose the ability to do some things (like reading BOTD due to no power, or no hockey because the opposition are shambling automatons) I reckon I’ll be able to keep away the boredom issues.
I am very curious to see what happens in Fridays comic… this story arc has gotten interesting very quickly.. nice work Dave as always!
Board games are a great idea too. It seems like board games are kind of making a come back these days.
And thanks for your kind words about the story arc!
That looks like an awkward position for that guy in the suit.
Hah. Yeah, a bit.
“Why isn’t he waving?” that’s a funny quote.
Thanks!