To say that many of us have been dreading 2025 is an understatement. In the United States, the prospect of a felon taking the highest office and filling important positions with ignorant lackeys is beyond grim. The expected effect of this incompetent regime on our democracy is nothing short of terrifying. The days of intelligence, competence, and decency—not to mention the rule of law—seem to be nearly at an end.

Even before we reach this nadir, horribleness surrounds us. Barely a few hours into the new year, a motorist drove at high speed into a crowd in New Orleans, killing fifteen people and injuring dozens more. In Honolulu, a fireworks accident just before midnight killed at least three people and injured twenty. Still another person died when a cybertruck exploded in Las Vegas. And around the world, other governments seem to be descending into their own pit of chaos.