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One year ago, the situation was utterly distinct. Ahead of the US presidential election, considerate Americans could recognize the nation's deep flaws – its inequities and imbalance – yet they still could identify it as the US. A free society. A country where constitutional order meant something. A state headed by a honorable and decent leader, even with his advanced age and growing weakness.

These days, this autumn, many of us hardly identify the country we live in. Persons believed to be undocumented migrants are rounded up and pushed into vans, at times refused legal rights. The left side of the White House – is being destroyed to build a lavish event space. Donald Trump is targeting his opponents or perceived antagonists and demanding federal prosecutors transfer a massive sum of citizen dollars. Soldiers with weapons are dispatched to US urban areas on false pretexts. The defense headquarters, relabeled the Defense Ministry, has practically rid itself of regular press examination while it uses what could amount to almost one trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Institutions, legal practices, news companies are buckling due to presidential intimidation, and wealthy elites are handled as aristocracy.

“America, just months before its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has crossed the limit into authoritarianism and extremism,” a noted author, stated in August. “Ultimately, more quickly than I believed likely, it occurred here.”

Each day begins with fresh terrors. It is difficult to grasp – and agonizing to acknowledge – how deeply lost we have become, and how quickly it has happened.

However, it is known that the president was duly elected. Even after his deeply disturbing first term and following the alerts associated with the awareness of the rightwing blueprint – despite the leader directly stated openly he intended to rule as a tyrant only on the first day – enough Americans chose him instead of Kamala Harris.

Frightening as the present situation may be, it's more frightening to realize that we are just several months under this leadership. How will three more years of this deterioration find us? And if that period transforms into an prolonged era, since there is nobody to stop this ruler from opting that another term is essential, maybe for defense purposes?

Granted, there is still hope. There will be midterm elections the coming year that could bring a different political equilibrium, should Democrats recapture either chamber of Congress. There are government representatives who are striving to impose certain responsibility, like Democratic congressmen that are launching an investigation regarding the effort to fund seizure from legal authorities.

And a national vote in the next cycle could start us down the road toward restoration just as the prior selection put us on this unfortunate course.

We see countless citizens demonstrating in urban areas of their cities, as they did in the past days in the No Kings rallies.

Robert Reich, wrote recently that “the dormant powerhouse of the US is stirring”, exactly as before following the Red Scare during the fifties or amid anti-war demonstrations or in the Watergate scandal.

On those occasions, the unstable nation ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he understands the indicators of that revival and notices it unfolding currently. As support, he references the recent massive protests, the extensive, multi-faction opposition to a television host's removal and the largely united rejection by reporters to agree to the defense department’s demands they only publish approved content.

“The sleeping giant perpetually exists asleep until certain corruption turns extremely harmful, an specific act so disrespectful of societal benefit, certain violence so loud, that it is compelled except to rise.”

It's a positive outlook, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Maybe he’ll prove to be right.

In the meantime, the big questions endure: can America return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its standing internationally and its adherence to legal principles?

Or do we need to admit that the historical project succeeded temporarily, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My cynical mind suggests that the second option is true; that everything might be finished. My optimistic spirit, however, convinces me that we have to attempt, by any means we can.

For me, working in journalism analysis, that involves pushing media professionals to adhere, more thoroughly, to their mission of holding power to account. For some people, it may be working on political races, or coordinating protests, or discovering methods to protect voting rights.

Less than a year ago, we existed in a separate situation. In the future? Or after another term? The fact is, we are uncertain. All we can do is try to persevere.

What Provides Me Optimism Currently

The contact I experience during teaching with young journalists, who are both visionary and realistic, {always