You’re smart.
Over the last ten years, you saw the pattern everywhere.
Trust in institutions collapsing
Entire groups of people living in completely different realities
“Temporary” measures quietly sticking around
People defending positions they would’ve mocked not long ago
Despite all that, it felt manageable. Leaving felt premature.
Because there’s no clear line. Just a series of moments where:
Overreacting makes you look irrational
Waiting feels reasonable
Everyone else seems calm enough
You’ve seen what happens to people who move too early.
They draw lines in the sand.
They burn bridges.
Some of them uproot their entire lives.
And you’ve seen the cost.
It’s not physical.
It’s social.
Status. Reputation. Relationships.
So you tell yourself something more sophisticated:
Not “it could never happen here”
But: “If it did… I’d recognize it.”
But history never announces itself, it hides in the shadows amongst:
News
Tradeoffs
Temporary adjustments
Things that can be reversed
Things that feel explainable in the moment
I don’t have answers, but I’ve got some recommendations… Shows to watch while we ponder: “If it did… I’d recognize it.”
Early?
Why smart people wait too long and why “early” always feels like overreacting
