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Twelve months back, the environment was utterly separate. Ahead of the American presidential vote, considerate citizens could recognize America's deep flaws – its injustices and inequality – yet they could still see it as the United States. A free society. A land where legal governance carried weight. A nation guided by a respectable and upright official, despite his elderly years and declining health.

These days, this autumn, countless Americans hardly identify the nation we inhabit. Individuals believed to be undocumented migrants are detained and forced into transport, at times blocked from fair treatment. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being torn down to build a lavish ballroom. The president is targeting his political rivals or alleged foes and requesting the justice department surrender a massive sum of taxpayer money. Uniformed troops are being sent into American cities under fabricated reasons. The Pentagon, rebranded the Department of War, has practically rid itself of regular press examination during its expenditure of what could amount to almost one trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Colleges, legal practices, news companies are yielding from leader's menaces, and rich magnates are regarded as nobility.

“The US, shortly prior to its 250^th birthday as the globe's top democratic nation, has fallen over the edge into authoritarianism and totalitarianism,” Garrett Graff, commented this past summer. “In the end, more quickly than I believed likely, it did happen in this country.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. It is difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – just how far gone our nation is, and how quickly it unfolded.

However, we understand that the president was duly elected. Even after his deeply disturbing first term and even after the warnings associated with the knowledge of the rightwing blueprint – despite Trump himself stated openly he would rule as a tyrant just on day one – sufficient voters elected him over the other candidate.

As terrifying as today's circumstances is, it's more daunting to recognize that we have only been several months into this administration. How will three more years of this decline position us? And if that timeframe becomes an prolonged era, as there is not anyone to stop this leader from determining that another term is necessary, perhaps for security concerns?

Certainly, there is still hope. There will be midterm elections next year which might create a new balance of power, should Democrats regain one or both houses of the legislature. There are elected officials who are trying to apply certain responsibility, such as lawmakers currently starting a probe into the attempted money grab from the justice department.

And a national vote in the next cycle could start the path toward restoration precisely as last year’s election put us on this regrettable path.

There are countless citizens marching in the streets of their cities, as they did recently at democracy demonstrations.

An ex-cabinet member, wrote recently that “the great sleeping giant of America is stirring”, exactly as before after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or throughout the Vietnam war protests or in the Nixon controversy.

On those occasions, the tilting vessel ultimately corrected itself.

He claims he recognizes the indicators of that awakening and observes it occurring now. As support, he cites the large-scale demonstrations, the widespread, multi-faction opposition against a television host's removal and the largely united rejection by reporters to accept government requirements they only publish authorized information.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays inactive before some venality becomes so noxious, an specific act so disrespectful toward public welfare, some brutality so disruptive, that he has no choice but to awaken.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I respect his knowledgeable stance. Maybe he’ll be validated.

In the meantime, the big questions remain: can America return to normalcy? Is it possible to restore its position internationally and its adherence to constitutional order?

Or do we need to admit that the 250-year-old experiment succeeded temporarily, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My negative thoughts indicates that the latter is true; that everything could be gone. My positive feelings, however, convinces me that we must try, by any means possible.

In my case, working in journalism analysis, that involves encouraging reporters to commit, more completely, to their mission of holding power to account. For different individuals, it might involve working on election efforts, or planning demonstrations, or discovering methods to protect electoral access.

Less than a year ago, we were in a separate situation. A year from now? Or three years from now? The truth is, we don’t know. All we can do is to attempt to continue fighting.

What Offers Me Optimism Currently

The contact I experience in the classroom with young journalists, who are both hopeful and practical, {always