I'm in the middle of reading the justly famous 1957 novel On The Beach by Nevil Shute. The fallout from a nuclear holocaust has destroyed all life in the northern hemisphere. The radiation is slowly but steadily working its way south. We follow the lives of several Australians who cling to the rhythms of life while knowing they will all be dead in six months. It is absolutely chilling. We are the same. Our timeline is longer (probably) and uncertain, but no less inevitable. As Alan Urban and others keep proving to us.