THE NEW AGE

We’re living in a moment that reads like a mash‑up of Black Mirror, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Hunger Games—filtered through Gen Z TikTok memes. As fears of global conflict swirl around a potential WWIII, Americans and Canadians are waking up to an alarming possibility: if war strikes close enough, what does civilization look like when the power grid fails, digital currency collapses, borders scramble, and… steel becomes more trustworthy than software?

1. Gen Z and the Memeification of Crisis

On June 21, 2025, Google searches for “is the US going to war” exploded nearly 5,000%, with "World War III" surging 2,000% 

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. Instead of uniformed prepper photos, however, feeds are filled with young content creators casually asking, “Is this gonna affect my SHEIN order?” or posting #WW3 outfit videos—complete with camo lipstick and tactical-chic layers 

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It's absurd. It's funny. But beneath the humor lies a primal anxiety. When irony becomes the default coping mechanism, it usually means fear is just beneath the surface.

2. The Dystopian Canon and Its Lessons

Dystopian fiction is more than literature; it inspires, warns, and mirrors anxieties:

Classic titles—1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale—are dominating BookTok again as younger readers seek credence for their own fears .

YA resurgence: Hunger Games prequels and Shatter Me spin‑offs are a reminder that institutional collapse and armed rebellion still captivate 

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Near‑future realism: “Grounded speculative fiction” that asks “could this actually happen?” is rising in popularity 

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These stories resonate because they reflect systemic collapse, authoritarian overreach, inequality, climate shocks—real issues for North Americans .

3. From Silicon to Steel: Why the Sword Still Matters

Sound impossible? Think again.

When modern systems break, their vulnerabilities become glaring. Electricity, satellite comms, the financial network—all are high-tech luxuries. When power fails, society resets to the most reliable tools. And sometimes, that's steel.

Metaphorical sword: The return to martial values, local militias, and self-defense mentality is already bubbling in Canada’s rural communities and U.S. border states. People are dropping their hologram fantasies and picking up real-world survival skills: archery, close-combat, battlefield first-aid. It’s not fantasy—it’s preparedness.

Literal sword? Maybe. During wartime power blackouts, glass, dust, EMP’s, and frozen logistics make blades more reliable than bullets. Even medieval weapons can gain new tactical value. As dystopian fiction reminds us, the sword never fully disappears—at least in the imagination.

4. Why Us? Why Now?

Several trends collide here:

a) Climate Shocks + Infrastructure Collapse

From California wildfire analogies to Arctic melt spikes, North America already feels dystopian—climate-induced crises are destabilizing power and infrastructure 

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. Imagine war layered on top of this. Who pushes your groceries if roads are closed?

b) AI and Information War

We’re not just fighting on battlefields, but on screens. AI-generated images, deepfakes, surging authoritarianism, and surveillance are becoming weapons themselves . When data lies, steel sometimes restores clarity.

c) Political Polarization Reaching Breaking Point

Elite discourse in North America has grown toxic 

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. Culture war topics spark more vitriol than welfare or economic policy does. In that climate, local identities harden. Communities may close ranks—figuratively and literally.

d) Meme-Age Irony + Anxiety

Young people today joke about war, but the underlying feelings are real 

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. That ironic tone is a pressure valve—but it’s also a signal: the digital generation knows conflict again feels near.

5. A Modern Sword Age: What It Could Look Like

If all this converges—climate crises, digital warfare, civil breakdown—a “new sword age” might follow:

Decentralized militias forming outside of national frameworks, as trust in institutions plunges.

Community resilience hubs teaching blade-craft alongside hacking defense.

Blending technology and medieval gear: carbon-fiber swords, smart armors, vs. drones, EMP jammers.

Cultural phenomena: Isn’t cosplay just the start? Reenactments could become active training regimens.

Critics may scoff. But ask any Dutch resistance trainer or Finnish survivalist: redundancy is key. Guns jam. Bullets cost money. You can’t reboot a sword.

6. But This Isn’t (Only) Doom Porn

The rise of eco-futurist “hopepunk” and solarpunk reflects the desire to resist rather than fall 

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. Even in dystopia, the goal isn’t survival alone—it’s rebuilding.

Swords don’t mean regression. They can symbolize empowerment over dependence.

Preparedness = agency. Learning to survive means refusing to be passive casualties.

Communal support. Survival isn’t solo. If people bond through shared skills—steel forging, code-breaking, garden-seeding—that’s community.

Rebrand the rebirth: Maybe the new age isn’t medieval—it’s post-medieval. Apex systems and postcatastrophe resilience.

7. How to Prepare (Without Losing Ourselves)

Here’s how Americans and Canadians can ride this existential wave without drowning:

Learn tangible skills (first aid, wilderness survival, perhaps basic blacksmithing, archery).

Build civic resilience: neighborhood co-ops, seed banks, community power projects.

Promote AI literacy: as false info spreads, train for digital hygiene and verification.

Maintain cultural sanity: support artists, storytellers, hopepunk writers who imagine forward, not backward.

Elect leaders who value both tech-investment and local agency: Think future-forward and groundwork-deep.

Conclusion: A New Age Defined by Intent

If 2025 signals a turning point, then the “New Age” will be defined not by collapse alone, but by choice. Will we embrace fear and weaponize it? Or will we choose steel—and solidarity—alongside bits and green-energy dreams?

The sword may return—but only if we let it. Steel is a tool. What we build depends on who wields it. The new age is not just about new weapons—it’s about calling on old courage and fusing it with new wisdom.

If our generation is to face war again, let us not scramble into dark ages. Let’s intentionally wield the sword—not out of desperation, but out of determination to protect what truly matters: community, dignity, freedom.