This manifests in my attitude to survivalism: I am somewhat prepared for things I can do something about.

Well, let's talk about that for a moment. What are some reasonable things to do to prepare for disaster? I have thought about stockpiling water, iodine, vitamins, and stuff like that. Also about getting a second passport. I don't have a keen grasp on what's reasonable and what's paranoia. I'm also not sure what kinds of disasters are worth living through -- water seems like a no-brainer; the water supply could easily be interrupted and travel cut off in my city for a few days without anywhere near enough damage to collapse civilization. Vitamins, a little bit less so -- if I actually have to worry about scurvy because the canned fruit has run out and there's no way to travel 200 miles to the farms (I'm in California), maybe there isn't too much worth living for.