"They did not despair of the Republic." (Epitaph of Roman generals.)
But they were generals. And if one is completely powerless in the scheme of things, and has been surrounded for a very, very long time by questionable people doing questionable things, the question of saving the Republic or finding a Walden in which to read and think and write takes on a different aspect. The generation after Jason and Medea, or perhaps Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, should feel no compunction in seeking out pastures new. Else, you know, things get a bit Oresteia, and the Eumenides show up.
I am increasingly sensing that I should head back abroad to neutral countries--if at all possible, rather quickly. But I'm not going to leave without sufficient funds for the proper stay and return. As demonstrated in the Odyssey, just running after the departing ships makes for the gate to the underworld.
Gently down the stream.
But I recognize that things are very bad, and that there's no good way to secure a place and a sufficiency here, so I'm looking for a way to get to a place where I can try to do some proper work, and I'm determined to find it.