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One year ago, the situation was completely different. Ahead of the national election, thoughtful Americans could acknowledge America's serious imperfections – its unfairness and disparity – yet they could still see it as the United States. A free society. A land where constitutional order carried weight. A nation headed by a honorable and upright leader, notwithstanding his older age and increasing frailty.

Currently, this autumn, numerous citizens barely recognize the land we inhabit. Persons believed to be undocumented migrants are detained and pushed into vans, at times blocked from fair treatment. The East Wing of the “people’s house” – is being torn down to build a lavish dance hall. The leader is targeting his adversaries or perceived antagonists and demanding the justice department surrender a huge total of citizen dollars. Soldiers with weapons are dispatched to US urban areas on false pretexts. The military command, renamed the War Department, has – in effect – rid itself of routine media oversight during its expenditure of potentially totaling close to a trillion USD of taxpayer money. Institutions, law firms, media outlets are yielding from leader's menaces, and wealthy elites are treated like aristocracy.

“America, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has crossed the brink into authoritarianism and totalitarianism,” an American historian, commented recently. “Finally, swifter than I believed likely, it did happen in this country.”

Every morning starts to new horrors. And it's hard to comprehend – and painful to realize – how deeply lost we have become, and how quickly it occurred.

However, it is known that Trump was duly elected. Despite his profoundly alarming first term and following the cautions linked to the knowledge of the conservative plan – even after Trump himself declared plainly he intended to be a dictator just on day one – a majority of citizens selected him over Kamala Harris.

Frightening as today's circumstances may be, it's more daunting to understand that we’re only three-quarters of a year under this leadership. What will another 36 months of this decline position us? And suppose that timeframe becomes a more extended duration, since there is no one to stop this president from opting that a third term is essential, maybe for security concerns?

Granted, there is still hope. We will have congressional elections next year that could bring a different balance of power, if Democrats retake the Senate or House of Congress. We have public servants who are trying to impose a degree of oversight, for example Democratic congressmen currently initiating an inquiry concerning the try to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.

And a national vote in the next cycle could initiate us down the road to healing precisely as the previous vote placed us on this unfortunate course.

There exist countless citizens marching in urban areas of their cities, as they did recently during anti-authority protests.

An ex-cabinet member, stated lately that “the dormant powerhouse of the US is rising”, exactly as before after the Communist witch-hunt era during the fifties or during the Vietnam war protests or in the Watergate scandal.

On those occasions, the tilting vessel ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he recognizes the indicators of that awakening and notices it unfolding now. As support, he cites the recent massive protests, the extensive, bipartisan pushback to a personality's dismissal and the almost universal refusal by journalists to agree to the defense department’s demands they report only what is sanctioned.

“The slumbering entity always remains inactive before some venality turns extremely harmful, a particular deed so offensive toward public welfare, certain violence so noisy, that it is compelled other than to stir.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Maybe he’ll be validated.

At the same time, the major inquiries remain: will the nation ever recover? Is it possible to restore its position globally and its adherence to constitutional order?

Or must we acknowledge that the national endeavor succeeded temporarily, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My pessimistic brain tells me that the second option is correct; that everything might be lost. My optimistic spirit, nevertheless, tells me that we need to strive, in whatever ways possible.

In my case, working in journalism analysis, that’s about encouraging reporters to adhere, more thoroughly, to their purpose of holding power to account. For different individuals, it may be engaging with election efforts, or coordinating protests, or developing approaches to defend ballot privileges.

Less than a year ago, we existed in an alternate reality. A year from now? Or after another term? The reality is, we are uncertain. The only option is try to persevere.

What Provides Me Optimism Currently

The interaction I experience with students with young journalists, who are equally visionary and grounded, {always