In these troubled, uncertain times, it's easy to assume the worst.
Indeed, far too many of us lie awake at night worrying about countless horrible things that might happen to us.
Thankfully, most of those things will probably never come to be.
However, there are some things, good and bad, that seem all but guaranteed to be heading our way.
The only question is, when?
Redditor Thick_Caterpillar379 was curious to hear what "ticking time bombs" people feel sure are bound to happen in their lifetimes, leading them to ask:
"What's a ticking time bomb you believe will explode during your lifetime?"
Ongoing Repercussions
"As someone a few years removed from healthcare: elder care is currently a widespread issue, which will only be exacerbated over the next 10 years, as people age into needing services and residential care, as many places in the US still haven't rebounded from the mass exodus of healthcare professionals during COVID."- zhakhmir
A Growing Concern
"Antibiotic-resistant bacteria."- JailYard
Maybe Try Saying It Three Times?
"Betelgeuse, hopefully, would be cool to see on the night sky."- Venca12
The night sky with stars and a mountain in the background Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty) on Unsplash
A Proven Algorithm?
"The dead internet."
"It’s not a theory."- Fun-Space2942
Our Most Endangered Natural Resource
"Fresh water wars."- taintedtowel
Outdated and Overused...
"My piece of sh*t washing machine."- FrontSpecialist6720
Nothing Is Eternal
"State pensions."
"The money won't be there in the future."- StGuthlac2025
Dark Web Is An Understatement
"A MAJOR cyber attack on critical infrastructure that will not get turned around quickly, leading to a mass panic incident."-Apprehensive_Ask1157
They Didn't Just Disappear
"All the Tupperware lids I’ve lost over the years form a mountain of lidless containers in my kitchen that will one day collapse and either crush me or drown me."- Puzzleheaded-Row-677
Kitchen Fail GIF Giphy
The Nature Of Plate Tectonics
"Cascadia Subduction Zone will move."
"I'm 35."
"It's 320+ yrs into an average cycle of 220yrs between major earthquakes over the last 10,000 years."
"The last one was about 1701ish IIRC."
"If one like Fukushima or worse happens, it will be the largest natural disaster in human history, and it won't even be close."
"I've seen FEMA plans that list 6+ months of airlift operations into affected areas since literally none of the infrastructure is ready to withstand a quake of that level."
"Almost 20% of Seattle city proper is located in a liquefaction zone where the ground will go almost liquid."
"It's going to be catastrophic."
"Tens of thousands could die in minutes."
"They are so unprepared up there."- RandomDudeYouKnow
Nothing Secure About It
"Social Security."
"The year it becomes insolvent happens to be the year I'm supposed to retire."- rworne
Homebody's Unite
"The decline of third spaces and social isolation."
"Bars and pubs have been on the decline due to less alcohol consumption (generally a good thing, but still)."
"Malls and movie theatres are experiencing a decline in foot traffic due to online shopping and streaming."
"Even Starbucks and other coffee shops are floundering."
"At this rate, the day will come fairly soon when the only reason anyone leaves home is to work or to the grocery store (assuming delivery and online orders don't fully take over here as well)."
"And that'll be a sad day."- OneDegreeKelvin
Stranger Things Indiana GIF by netflixlat Giphy
Hopefully Not At The Same Time
"Housing market or a financial strike."- Yoursadfriendtoday
As If It Hasn't Already...
"Crashing of the healthcare system."- cheaganvegan
Hopefully, many of these things are simply assuming the worst, and none of us will see them, or at least live to see them, occur.
Otherwise, it's not a matter of "if", but "when"...