You are absolutely right about all of those atrocities. It is amazing how such leaders can stay in power. They have a real stronghold over people, indeed. It's a shame what it takes, sometimes, to be freed from it. I AM an optimist, though. I do think positive change is possible. It's evident to good degrees in the country Hitler used to lead. My husband's home country (now two - Czech and Slovak Republics) have come a long long way since pushing out the communist stronghold. I even believe that there is a hope, however slim it may seem, in a place like China PRC, in the future. I don't pull that out of my arse. I've lived in Asia. I have a degree in East Asian studies and languages (focus on Chinese/China). I try to keep up on what's going on there in the news and through lectures at the university. It's possible.

I think that sometimes we have to suffer consequences in order to really learn. Lousy fact, but often true. Perhaps more consequences are on the horizon. Scary, for sure. It can all come back to what I've been thinking about lately. A "jolt", of sorts. A lightening strike. Maybe the forest burns down, but once the ashes cool, new growth begins. A secret rumbling of a volcano leads to an eruption, relieving great pressure in its wake. That, too, seems bad at first. A virus walks through out doorway, kills hundreds of thousands without empathy, but eventually runs its course, or a vaccine stamps it out for good...maybe only leaving behind a few of its cronies.

Will any place ever seem perfect? Hell no! Better? Yes. I see it as akin to my bipolar disorder. Recovery brings good relief, extra strength, progress, but not a total cure. Negative stuff shows itself again. I don't aim for perfection, because perfection does not exist, but I keep aiming for much better and keeping it that way as long and well as possible. Big improvements can happen suddenly, just as big deterioration. One can grieve the latter, or even let it take them. Or, know that the former is often possible, and stay alive...trying, little by little, and sometimes a lot.