Some societies just don't survive historic disasters or they ae at least radically altered so that they are unrecognizable as to the society that preceded the event. The black death in the European middle ages ended serfdom for example. As always there tends to be a silver lining to every dark cloud. It always pays to be optimistic rather then pessimistic, even in the direst of circumstances, probably because it helps you to become one of the folks who can and will see that silver lining.