I'm pretty sure revolutions operate on like the Pareto principle or maybe a power law, can't be explained linearly. Weeks in decades, decades in weeks.
Even a little bit of community can do a lot, sometimes it just helps you speak a few words in the right ears at the right time to make things happen. And making one or two new friends isn't that hard. If all of us on here can do that with principles and theory behind us, things can change faster than we think
I think it feels hopeless because we don't really see the widespread revolutionary potential until it all comes together (in the context of a well alienated society). Go join something, anything really and you'll meet some people waiting to become comrades
You can't restore slavery if it never ended