In "World War Z," Max Brooks emphasizes the importance of prioritizing immediate threats over distant ones. He uses the metaphor of a neighbor attempting to set fire to your house to illustrate that when faced with a direct and imminent danger, your focus should be solely on that problem. Worrying about other threats or incidents that may be happening elsewhere is counterproductive when survival is at stake.

Brooks further elaborates that as situations evolve, so too do the threats that individuals face. As new dangers arise, the urgency to address them increases, and one must concentrate on the most pressing issues at hand. This perspective highlights the necessity of addressing current crises without being distracted by more remote concerns, especially in a world filled with complex and overlapping dangers.