A civilian in Chernihiv, Ukraine, records the apocalyptic scenes happening right outside of his apartment building. Imagine this was your apartment building, and your city.

I'm not going to propagandize this piece by trying to make you feel emotionally attached to the individual in this video. Instead, I'm going to remind you of the fact that scenes like this have played out time and time again for the last twenty years, and tell you that the rest of the world gave precisely zero fucks when it wasn't happening in Eastern Europe to people who look and live like them. You don't need to look far to see scenes similar to this in places like Armenia, Syria, Malaysia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, or Iraq. Yet, somehow the world turned an entirely blind eye to the conflicts that were, no scratch that, still are happening in those countries.

What you're looking at is the scene many refugees around the world have woken up to in their lifetime. Their once peaceful city burning like a funeral pyre for their past lives. For the civilian in this instance, there are only two options. They can flee in the hopes of finding safety from the 21st century's weapons of war, or they can arm themselves and try to reclaim the peace they've known for so long.

This could happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. It's not secluded to third world countries where electricity and internet are a luxury most can't imagine. If you're not already physically and mentally prepared for a scenario like this to befall your city, you might want to start thinking about it sooner rather than later. The last thing you want in this life is to wake up to your world on fire with no plans to make it out, and with no means to reliably resist occupation by an oppressive force or regime.