After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made

Let us begin our journey together by stepping quietly into the gentle currents of history. Imagine you are standing on a bridge in the soft light of dawn, watching the river below swirl and flow. You might not notice the subtle eddies shaping the water’s path, just as we often overlook the gradual shifts shaping our world. History, as it turns out, rarely changes in a single dramatic moment. Instead, it is the accumulation of small, almost invisible changes—economic anxieties, cultural fears, political resentments—that slowly build until the world as we know it is transformed.

In the aftermath of great change, it is easy to look back and see the signs we missed. But in the moment, these changes feel like scattered, insignificant sparks—small fires that smolder without flames. The story of our era is not one of sudden collapse, but of slow erosion. The sense of exile the author felt after leaving the corridors of power was more than personal; it was a reflection of a broader uncertainty, a world in which familiar anchors had come loose. The feeling of being out of place, of searching for meaning in a changed landscape, is something many of us have felt in recent years.

As the author traveled—finding solace and insight in new places, among dissidents and outsiders—he realized that the forces reshaping America were not unique. In Myanmar, Milan, Cuba, and beyond, he encountered the same undercurrents: a loss of faith in old systems, a longing for belonging, and the slow, creeping advance of new forms of power. Travel became a way to see the world through others’ eyes, to find the shared patterns beneath different stories.

These journeys revealed that the personal and the political are deeply intertwined. The questions we ask ourselves—about who we are, where we belong, and what our future holds—mirror the questions nations face in times of transition. In this way, the story of one person’s search for meaning becomes a window into the larger story of our time.

As we cross this first bridge together, let us remember: the greatest changes often begin with the smallest shifts, and understanding them requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to look beneath the surface. Let’s move forward to explore how these quiet currents become powerful waves, reshaping nations and identities alike.