10/09/2025
We need hope.
And I do believe the tides are turning. You can feel it... something shifting, something giving way. The masks are slipping. The systems that were never built to serve us are finally showing their cracks.
But with that comes danger. Because when those who’ve thrived on greed and deception feel cornered, they lash out. They will. They already are.
This is one of the most challenging times in history — a moment that demands balance, courage, and strategy. But it may also require great risk, the kind that tests who we are and what we stand for.
We can’t pretend this is easy.
But we can be honest — the power these people think they hold has always been fragile. It was never rooted in truth, only in fear. And now it’s collapsing. Not because of us, but because it was never sustainable.
All we need to do is stand back.
Far back.
And watch the empire fall.
But be mindful.
When something that big comes apart, it doesn’t go quietly. It will thrash. It will blame. It will drag down anything it can to save itself. You’ll see it — in the rage, in the chaos, in the endless noise trying to keep us from thinking clearly.
That’s not strength. That’s panic.
That’s collapse.
And yes, many people are only just waking up to it now.
Don’t scold them. Don’t say “I told you so.”
Just tell them, "You were deceived on a monumental scale."
And it’s okay.
It’s never too late to wake up.
Now, I need to say this...
for those of us who’ve studied history, this moment feels eerily familiar.
It echoes the years just before the Second World War, when European leaders clung to the idea of a “balance of power,” believing reason and diplomacy would hold back the storm. They underestimated what they were facing. They thought they could manage it.
But evil, once unleashed and underestimated, devoured everything in its path.
We cannot afford that same blindness now.
We cannot assume that those dismantling truth, sowing division, and consolidating control are harmless or incompetent.
They are neither.
We must learn from history, and refuse to underestimate what’s happening right now.
If we can stay alert, eyes open and hearts steady, we can maneuver through this. We can prevent the worst (even worse than what's currently happening) of what history warns us about.
Because once the dust settles, we’ll have to rebuild. Not just systems and laws, but trust, compassion, and truth. The cleanup will be massive. The healing will take time. But for the first time in a long time, everything is on the table.
Maybe that’s the strange gift of this era... that all the corruption, the greed, the abuse, the trauma, it’s finally visible. We can see it. We can name it. And only then can we begin to heal it.
So hold steady.
Keep your heart open.
Be vigilant. Be kind. Be brave.
There is hope.
It’s not naïve to say that — it’s necessary.
Because hope is what keeps us upright when everything else shakes.
Hope is what says: This is not the end. This is the beginning of something real.
So stand your ground.
Watch closely.
Carry on.
The empire is falling.
And this time, we must make sure that what rises after it is built on truth,
and worthy of all we’ve endured to get here.
***
Image text:
"Hope," said Bear, "is what keeps us upright when everything else shakes."
©️Tara Shannon, 2025
Between the Crosses--Hope
We're forgetting... it's time to remember.
