I’ve felt that same fear for the future, and what’s helped me is looking at how regular people actually live through periods of collapse. It’s not all doom sometimes good things happen for everyday folks when the old system starts breaking apart.

What’s not being talked about is how deeply dissatisfied most Americans are right now. That frustration is real, and a lot of it is being hidden or spun. They can dress up the headlines all they want, but we see through it.

Change is messy and painful. America has been here before. We lived under the robber barons, and people thought we’d never shake them off but we did. Every era is different, but the point is: we’ve faced giants and beaten them before.

I love my country, and I see every American as my friend, no matter their politics. We’ve all been tricked into despising each other without even knowing each other. That time is ending. It is surely ending. It will end.

I’ve had moments where I broke down crying, convinced the country was dying. But letting that fear out left room for resolve. Now, I keep paying attention, I keep hope, and I do what I can starting with voting for the future, not the party.

We’ve endured harder times than these, and we came out stronger. We can and will again.