Either they have forgotten those events have happened before or they they have convinced themselves they cannot happen again.... but a look at current news, on a variety of fronts, show how misguided that notion is.
War News - As the Obama administration announces there will be boots on the ground in Syria, Russia issues a dire warning of "unpredictable consequences" to what they consider an "illegal, big mistake," while at the same time China is issuing their own warnings over America's US warship near disputed islands in the South China Sea, stating it is a "threat to China’s sovereignty" and Chinese state media outlet the Global Times stating that Beijing should now “prepare for the worst” and that Beijing “is not frightened to fight a war with the US in the region. (Source)
Tensions continue to rise between the U.S. and Russia and yet more "incidents" threaten to spark the powder keg into all out war.
Constant terror attack threats, severe weather events, earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity, with California spotlighted as San Ramon reporting suffers over 400 earthquakes in a two week period, and as seen in the video below where Alex Jones speaks with Coast to Coast's George Noory, EMP warnings are also increasing, not just from potential terror attacks but from an event comparable to the "Carrington Event," which was a powerful geomagnetic solar storm in 1859 with recent studies showing that a solar storm of this magnitude occurring today would likely cause widespread problems for modern civilization.
All the above linked events are simply the tip of the iceberg of the chaotic and dangerous times we live in.
WHAT IS THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN.............................
The question of whether one should prepare for disaster, any disaster from an economic collapse to a space event to a terror attack to a world war, can be encompassed in one simpe question...... do you want to live or do you want to die?
Many ANP readers have stated that they try to warn family members or friends about the need to prepare, stock up on extra food, water, blankets, medical supplies, cash in pocket, etc.... just to have those same friends or family members look at them like they are crazy or state "well you are prepared, we will just come to you!"
Perhaps we need to stop warning them to prepare and simply ask them to use their own brain... ask them what is the worst that could happen if you do prepare and end up not needing to versus the worst that can happen if you don't prepare and end up needing the things you failed to bother getting?
The answer is self evident - The worst that happens for those that have prepared is they end up using the supplies they have accrued - The worst that happens for those that did not prepare and end up in need....is they die.