My great-grandfather died during the famine in China in the 30s. Before he died, he told my grandfather (12yo) to abandon his younger sisters and save himself. He did, and he was the only survivor. In some places, at some times, the world really *is* dying, and people say what they gotta say.

For sure, that's not where we (rich people in rich countries) are today. But for me, I know I am three generations from a world that ended, and so it's very possible to imagine that the world can end again in three generations.