As with any historical analysis, we have to witness from the present moment, and so we cast our gloomy gaze back into history to trace its many threads leading to our present perch on the precipice, projecting our plight back into the struggles of previous generations. There were certainly many well-intentioned peoples and powers moving through this history, attempting to do better, and to earnestly improve the world around them in accordance with their ideals.
A failure focuses the attention on the point of failure, the elements that went wrong and the series of events leading up to that wrong and connecting to that failure. It is hard not to gaze over the absurdity and recklessness of the present moment and, anticipating the inevitable suffering, curse that long and desperate historical procession that lead us here, imagining that it could have been somehow different.
But there is still plenty good to experience, and much of that good can be attributed to those imagining something different and attempting to live in accordance with it, and bringing about that good as a result. A dissatisfaction with the present state of things indicates as much: there must be something satisfactory to compare against.
Moving towards what is satisfactory, and seeking out dignity and peace and warmth in a world in which those things are constantly sapped away seems to be a worthwhile pursuit in itself. What else is there to be done? What would be the point of all of this fuss, if we were to simply curl up and go to sleep for good and forget it all?
