A few thoughts on history:

Some things don't change much. I'm reminded of a writer from something like 400 BCE proclaiming that the youth of his day are disrespectful, shallow, irreverent and how they are so much worse than his generation. I'm also reminded that even though 'kids today are weak' remains a perennial favorite song to sing we somehow seem to get down the road pretty well.

I also note that things happen for a reason. Castro was brought up. Castro is/was not a saint. But he is/was a big improvement over the guy he replaced. He didn't simply declare himself ruler. He rode to power on the shoulders of a popular revolution that was united behind bringing down a violent, corrupt and destructive regime.

Someone was quoted as saying that they thought the Enola Gay was a bar in SanFranscisco. That's one way to see it. I thought it was a B-29. Maybe both.

Samuel Clemons was supposed to have said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes.

On the survival side I note there are always the alarmists. Chicken Little souls who are sure that the next time it is 'The Big One'. Maybe it will be. But over the last few thousand years we have always gotten through it. It wasn't always pretty and there were many left behind but, as a whole, humanity has generally been able to get by.

Which tells me that it is pretty likely that no matter how bad things get in the future somebody has been through worse with less mental preparation and fewer material resources. Which means if your at least nominally mentally and physically prepared your odds are really quite good.