What if I am the sole survivor on the Earth?

4 min readMay 29, 2021

Understanding the world and survival.

I might wake up tomorrow only to chirping birds, howling wind, and an eerie silence in the house. No sound of the roaring traffic on the road. Not even a shadow in sight on the neighbour’s terrace or in the colony lane.

To wake up marooned in a modern world, where 7.9 billion world population has disappeared is a work of fiction or sci-fi horror. I have imagined myself in this terrifying but exciting situation many times. Logically speaking, the chances of the entire human species disappearing entirely over a short space of time is practically zero, unless Earth is attacked by a celestial body or a nuclear war.

A Tainted Paradise

I would be in a tainted paradise, an empty kingdom where I could be the Queen or a God and do anything. But if something like this happens for real, how long an average human could survive?

Even with ample food, shelter, and water, SUSTENANCE would be a major problem.

Even if tap water runs out because of no electricity or maintenance work, with everyone gone, I could very well survive on saved tap water or bottled water from supermarkets.

Fortunately, supermarkets also contain a great deal of preserved food and I could probably live off it quite safely for decades. Until one day, I might have to hunt or grow my crops, which would be difficult for sure.

Very soon, it will be time to shift to a house from the stone age. Heat, rain, frost, and no maintenance, will start to decay and crumble my walls.

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Glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants would go unchecked, likely resulting in massive fires, nuclear explosions, and devastating nuclear fallout. My whole city could be engulfed in flames as there will be no fighters left.

The pile of untreated Industrial and”Health is Wealth” Plastic wastes will increase the levels of harmful gases in the environment.

Rain could flood the roads and drainages, and pressure could blow up the sewage

pipes, thus putting hygiene at stake. Roads and buildings could be infested with disease-spreading insects and flies. Pavements will crack and metals will corrode.

The proverb will stand true for me. There will be no doctor to fix a broken arm or a life-threatening illness. I will have to eat right, exercise, sleep well, and stay fit.

Due to lack of fuel, I won’t be able to run any car. There will be an overgrowth of vegetation and weed on the roads, which will make it difficult to walk or drive.

Image Credit: https://8tracks.com/explore/last_man_on_earth

Coming to Terms

I will be solely responsible for all aspects of survival. As a one man Army, I will choose to survive in the fittest way possible.

I will have unlimited access to survival books and learn to paint, mend, repair, build enough to keep going.

I will be happy to choose any form of luxury as far as clothes, houses, and cars are concerned. I might have to live without electricity, maybe nights could be covered in total darkness, but I will have the infrastructure of other people available to me.

Until the fuel runs out, I will drive any luxury car. I might also learn to fill the gas.

I will tame and train animals for company and security. I might teach them to hunt for food for me.

Image Credit: https://apppage.net/preview/com.wordsmobile.surviva

Air quality would improve. O2 levels would escalate. Nature will revive and I will be basking in the glory of it.

It’s easier said than done!

However, as the years will drift by, and with my aging, these pleasures would become insignificant. I might be able to live but the lack of human company will drive me insane. The truth of the matter is that humans are not solitary creatures. We evolved to live in tribes.

I will conclude wishing that no one is ever blessed with eternal solitude.