You put forth some profound questions well above my pay grade.

I prefer to view it as “what can I do to help myself and others?” I started out in journalism wanting to change the world. Then I hit my 20s. Then the buyouts accelerated.

And I can’t change the world by rewriting press releases. It keeps my belly full, and I believe in what I do, but Jan. 20 looms large.

Here’s the thing: The education system was intentionally gutted starting in the '80s to make critical thinking feel too hard, leading to where you’re at. If you want to screw the man, put in the effort to cultivate your own selection of news sources. It’s some upfront time, but then like a minute to add or remove sources.

I’ve never really lived anywhere my vote counted at the federal level, but downballot races are important because that state rep starts up the ladder. Whether your presidential pick matters is relevant and perhaps feeling fruitless now, but 10, 20, 30 years down the line, who you picked for school board could be running in a federal election because you supported them, alongside those in your community.

What can we do right now? This is going to be a dark period with some oncoming trains presenting as the light at the end of the tunnel. What we can do is vote people in at the bottom so they can eventually rise to the top.