Living with the living dead : the wisdom of the zombie apocalypse The zombie apocalypse Greg Garrett shows us has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world in part because zombies can stand in for any of a variety of global threats from terrorism to Ebola from economic uncertainty to ecological destruction. But this zombie narrative also brings us emotional and spiritual comfort. These apocalyptic stories in which the world has been turned upside down and protagonists face the prospect of an imminent and grisly death can also offer us wisdom about living in a community present us with real world ethical solutions and invite us into conversation about the value and costs of survival. We may indeed be living with the living dead these days but through the stories we consume and the games we play we are paradoxically learning what it means to be fully alive The zombie apocalypse Greg Garrett shows us has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world in part because zombies can stand in for any of a variety of global threats from terrorism to Ebola from economic uncertainty to ecological destruction. But this zombie narrative also brings us emotional and spiritual comfort. These apocalyptic stories in which the world has been turned upside down and protagonists face the prospect of an imminent and grisly death can also offer us wisdom about living in a community present us with real world ethical solutions and invite us into conversation about the value and costs of survival. We may indeed be living with the living dead these days but through the stories we consume and the games we play we are paradoxically learning what it means to be fully alive.