This is a rather long read, and not a lot of fun, but I think that Hedges (as usual) describes the moment well.
The most difficult existential dilemma we face is to at once acknowledge the bleakness before us and act, to refuse to succumb to cynicism and despair. And we will only do this through faith, the faith that the good draws to it the good, that all acts that nurture and protect life have an intrinsic power, even if the empirical evidence shows that things are getting worse.
Source: Chris Hedges: The Politics of Cultural Despair – scheerpost.com