It's best to try and ground yourself, to help keep yourself in the present and reorient you to the here-and-now and to reality. Sure, there is misery in the world and everywhere around you but there is also hope and happiness, and you have your own life and your own future, sometimes it's easy to forget this fact. This might sound hippie but it's useful to take time to reconnect and find things you are grateful for and small changes you can make to make your own life a better one, without worrying about external factors.
Negativity is louder, you have to actually find the positive.

Personally id tell them that there is no way of knowing what the future holds, that its okay to think that bad things are coming or think the worst outcome will happen, because it what most people do and its normal.

All of what you said might happen, but it probably wont and by focusing on that negativity its not going to help you, try to find them something positive to focus on or that they can work towards to keep their mind off of the dread <3

Originally posted by kekm8:

Declining quality of life, political violence, potential wars.. it all seems to be coming to a head. How would you comfort someone who is struggling to cope with it all?

The best comfort you can have is self reliance.
Learn First Aid.
Learn Survival Skills.
Take up Martial Art ie Krav Maga.
And so on.

Words won't comfort you but knowing you can survive will.

Life is hard, get a helmet.

If they are "genuinely afraid" most likely means they are being affected by current events.

So at a degree understanding if they need help and what and which mechanisms can provide them the help they need, if the community/family isn't one to step up and take care of their own.

Beyond that ... i don't know.

Prepare for the worst; hope for the best. Build your own boat if you don't want to stake your future on a sinking vessel like everyone else; cultivate autonomy!

Get organised and demand actual change.

This is fine *sips coffee while surrounded by flames*

Originally posted by Cinnamoon_dragon:

This is fine *sips coffee while surrounded by flames*

<3

Quality of life is NOT declining. We live in the easiest, most cushy time in history. It's the full belly syndrome.

We'll be fine.

tell them to become revolutionaries and communists and what not idk

7 year old me realizing the sun will explode in 5 billion years.

just focus on themselves and what matters to them i guess

Shape your own reality and live within that bubble.