CRAZY WORLD: You’re Still Standing-and That Counts More Than You Think

Why endurance, clarity, and presence matter more than confidence in moments like this

CRAZY WORLD: You’re Still Standing-and That Counts More Than You Think

Why endurance, clarity, and presence matter more than confidence in moments like this

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #719: Tuesday, January 6th, 2026.

This Moment Was Never Meant for Perfect People

There’s a feeling I keep hearing from smart…engaged…well-informed people.

They don’t usually say it out loud.

But it shows up in the pauses.
In the emails.
In the way questions are framed.

It sounds something like this:

“I’m paying attention. I care. I’m trying to do the right things.
But it never feels like enough.”

That feeling is dangerous…not because it’s wrong…but because it’s misunderstood.

So let’s talk about it plainly.

The Lie Hiding in Plain Sight

Most people carry an unspoken assumption about moments like this one.

They assume history is shaped by people who are:

• Braver

• Smarter

• Louder

• Better organized

• More fearless

• More decisive

They assume that if they were really up to this moment…they would feel calmer. Or more certain. Or more powerful.

That assumption is false.

Historically false. Psychologically false. Structurally false.

The people who actually shape difficult eras rarely feel ready for them.

They feel:

• Behind

• Unsure

• Outmatched

• Angry one day…exhausted the next

• Convinced others must know what they’re doing better than they do

That’s not a bug in the system.

That is the system.

Why This Moment Feels So Heavy

The weight people are carrying right now isn’t coming from a single source.

It’s coming from the collision of three things:

First, the scale of events feels enormous.
Second, individual influence feels small.
Third, the pace never slows enough to recover equilibrium.

That combination makes even capable people feel perpetually behind.

Add to that the modern pressure to:

• Have the right opinion immediately

• Respond emotionally and intellectually at once

• Stay informed without becoming overwhelmed

• Act without making mistakes

And suddenly…the bar feels impossibly high.

But…that bar was never real.

History Doesn’t Ask for the Ideal Version of You

Here’s something history never does.

It never pauses and waits for people to feel fully prepared.

It never checks whether citizens feel confident…rested…or resolved.

It moves forward using whoever shows up with whatever condition they’re in.

That has always been true.

The people who resisted authoritarianism in the past were not calm sages.
They were shopkeepers. Teachers. Clerks. Parents. Nervous citizens. People with doubts.

They argued with each other.
They hesitated.
They second-guessed themselves.

And…yet…collectively…they mattered.

Not because each person was extraordinary…but because enough ordinary people stayed engaged instead of withdrawing.

The Trap of Comparing Yourself to a Fantasy

One of the quietest corrosive forces right now is comparison…not to other people…but to an imagined version of what a “serious person” looks like.

That imagined person:

• Always knows what to say

• Never hesitates

• Isn’t rattled by bad news

• Feels morally clear and emotionally strong all the time

That person…does not exist.

What exists are people who:

• Show up inconsistently

• Act imperfectly

• Learn in real time

• Sometimes need to step back to regain balance

• Continue anyway

The moment you stop measuring yourself against a fictional standard…something important happens.

You realize you’re not failing this moment.

You’re experiencing it…honestly.

Why Staying Oriented Matters More Than Feeling Powerful

Most people think the danger in moments like this is fear.

It’s not.

The real danger is disorientation.

Disorientation is what causes people to:

• Lash out randomly

• Burn out completely

• Withdraw into cynicism

• Hand over agency to anyone who sounds confident

Staying oriented…clear-eyed…grounded…connected…is far more important than feeling strong.

Orientation allows you to:

• Choose where to apply pressure

• Ignore distractions

• Preserve energy

• Stay engaged longer than people who run hot and collapse

This is a long game.

The people who matter most are not the loudest in the first year.
They’re the ones still standing in year three…five…ten.

The Quiet Competence of Showing Up

There’s an unglamorous truth that doesn’t get enough attention.

Consistency beats intensity.

Always has.

Calling representatives when it feels pointless.
Talking to family even when it’s uncomfortable.
Correcting misinformation calmly instead of theatrically.
Supporting institutions that slow things down.
Refusing to emotionally spiral every time bad news breaks.

None of that feels heroic.

All of it compounds.

Authoritarian systems rely on people exhausting themselves emotionally and checking out.

Democratic resilience relies on people who remain present even when enthusiasm fades.

That’s not weakness.

That’s stamina.

Why Doubt Doesn’t Disqualify You

There’s another lie people absorb without realizing it.

They assume that doubt means they’re not built for this.

In reality…doubt is often a sign of seriousness.

People who are reckless rarely doubt themselves.
People who care about consequences…do.

Doubt keeps you:

• Curious

• Careful

• Open to correction

• Less likely to become dogmatic or extreme

The absence of doubt…is not strength.

It’s usually fragility…in disguise.

You Are Not Supposed to Do This Alone

One reason people feel overwhelmed is…

…that modern culture quietly suggests they should be able to handle all of this internally.

That’s not how humans work.

Historically, resilience came from:

• Shared narratives

• Collective effort

• Mutual reinforcement

• Knowing others were paying attention too

Isolation amplifies pressure.

Connection distributes it.

Just knowing you’re not the only one watching…thinking…worrying…and acting matters more than people admit.

That’s why communities like this exist…not to provide answers…but to maintain orientation together.

What Actually Moves the Needle

It’s tempting to believe that only dramatic actions count.

They don’t.

What consistently shapes outcomes is:

• Sustained attention

• Repeated pressure

• Institutional friction

• Cultural resistance to normalization

• Memory

Memory matters more than outrage.

Refusing to let abuses fade quietly into the background…is one of the most effective forms of resistance there is.

That doesn’t require perfection.

It requires presence.

The Relief of Accepting Your Real Role

Here’s the pivot most people never make.

They assume their role is to stop everything.

It’s not.

Your role is to:

• Notice

• Name

• Resist normalization

• Apply pressure where you can

• Preserve clarity

• Stay engaged longer than those who want you tired

That’s it.

When you stop expecting yourself to be a savior…something lifts.

You become more effective…not less.

This Moment Doesn’t Require Super Humans

It requires citizens who:

• Stay oriented

• Don’t emotionally collapse

• Refuse to surrender their agency

• Continue participating even when outcomes are uncertain

History is shaped less by brilliance…than by endurance.

Less by certainty…than by persistence.

Less by individual heroics…than by collective refusal to disengage.

A Final Reframe Worth Holding Onto

If you feel unsettled…uneasy…sometimes discouraged…good.

That means…you’re still paying attention.

The people who are most dangerous in moments like this are not the anxious ones.

They’re the ones who feel nothing at all.

The goal is not to feel confident every day.

The goal is to remain capable.

Capable of thinking.
Capable of acting.
Capable of staying connected.
Capable of not surrendering your judgment to fear or fatigue.

You don’t need to become someone else to meet this moment.

You just need to keep showing up as you are…steadier than you think…more useful than you realize…and far less alone than it sometimes feels.

That’s how difficult eras are survived.

Not by perfect people.

By present ones.

#HoldFast

Back soon,

-Jack
Jack Hopkins