I guess I just think you're holding onto the idea of a world (or the USA) that no longer exists.

Not necessarily. I think we are in the early days of the unwinding of US hegemony. I really don't think anything is going to stop that, at this point, and I think that's a good thing for the world, and even the US, in the long run. But I think a weakening US is at least potentially a dangerous thing, in the near term. I hope leveler heads will prevail but I'm not sure there are enough of those around in this country right now. I definitely hope I'm wrong, though.

I think the US might even collapse. Not necessarily in the very near future, but at some point. And by collapse I mean the Federation dissolves and the Federal government ceases to exist. Some states might try to become independent nations, some might try to form a new federation or union. I'm not saying I think that's going to happen, or even that I think it's likely, but I think it's a possibility, albeit perhaps a remote one.

There are a lot of future possibilities for the US, some better than others, but I don't know which future will happen nor which future "should" happen, necessarily. I just don't know. But I assure you, I'm not under any delusion that we can return to some mythical, stable past where everything was sunshine and roses. No, the past ain't coming back, nor should it. But that's the extent of what I'm confident about. Beyond that the future is a dense fog of possibility, and I certainly don't have the clarity to see which we are headed for.

It's why it's so difficult for you to state any concrete plan

I haven't stated a concrete plan because I don't have one. I have a general idea of what I want the US to be, but I have no idea how to bring that about. But even my general idea is not static. I constantly go back and forth on what I even want for this country. Do I want the US to even continue existing? Should we "balkanize?" Should the Federation remain in place, but perhaps with a significantly "weakened" Federal government? Or, should the opposite happen, with more centralization and nationalisation? I just don't know. I suppose there are advantages and disadvantages to all.

I think a majority of Americans want the US to remain one nation, but I also think there's confusion about what the even means. A nation is more than a legal or civic arrangement. A nation is a group of people who share a common culture, language, traditions, beliefs, etc. I suppose we do share a lot of those things, but not necessarily all. And so when any American talks about America as a nation, I think they're talking about their own conception of it, their own experience of it, and our own conceptions and experiences of being "American" differ. I think that's part of what's happening right now: different Americans competing for the power to define what it means to be American, for all.

But, ultimately, it's not up to me, anyway. I don't have the power to determine America's future. I'm just along for the ride.