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You Can’t Stop the Machine, But You Can Outlast It

You Can’t Stop the Machine, But You Can Outlast It

Last updated on: March 19, 2025 at 3:45 am by Stuart Delony

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You Can’t Stop the Machine, But You Can Outlast It 2025-03-18T16:44:24-04:00 Stuart Delony

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There’s a certain point where you stop asking, “How did we get here?” and start realizing this is just how things are now. And we’re only in the early days of the hellscape that is Trump’s second reign. System shock after system shock—every move seems less like governance and more like demolition. From the whiplash of idiotic tariff games to bans on diversity and humanitarian programs, the administration’s actions aren’t just reckless; they’re calculated. The chaos is the point.

Take the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), helmed by the world’s most insufferable megalomaniac troll. Its actual function? Gutting public services under the guise of “efficiency” while funneling more power into the hands of those who already have it. And this is just the beginning. Instability isn’t a bug in the system—it’s the design. The erosion of civility, the dismantling of basic democratic norms, the constant barrage of manufactured crises—this isn’t some temporary turbulence. This is the new normal—an endless flood of chaos, each crisis designed to drown out the last.

So, what do we do with that?

It’s easy to slip into the nihilism trap, thinking that nothing matters and we’re all just hostages to a system that keeps running on inertia. And honestly, that’s not entirely wrong. But if you let the machine dictate your mental state—if you let it steal your time, energy, and focus—then you’ve already lost. The game isn’t about stopping the machine. You can’t. The game is about outlasting it.

The Nihilism Trap

I recently had a moment where I tried to break down what’s actually happening politically—like really lay it out, step by step, cause and effect. And you know what? That was a mistake. Because no matter how you arrange the puzzle pieces, it always leads to the same conclusion: power moves forward, unchecked, unbothered, and absolutely not waiting for reality to catch up.

Anti-corruption efforts gutted, DEI policies scrapped—none of it happens by accident. The people calling the shots don’t care what we think. Not in any way that matters. They don’t care if you tweet about it, write about it, scream about it. They only care that you stay engaged—reacting, raging, and burning yourself out over a game you were never meant to win.

And that’s where the trap is: It convinces you that the only way to “fight back” is to be exhausted all the time.

Resilience > Resistance

Once you accept that the machine isn’t stoppable, you have a choice: you can waste your energy fighting it head-on, or you can outlast it. That doesn’t mean giving up. It means getting smart about where you put your energy.

1. Control Your Attention

You don’t have to be plugged into the outrage machine 24/7. You don’t have to doomscroll through every development. You don’t have to treat every headline like a personal emergency.

It’s okay to step back. It’s okay to let some things unfold without your immediate input. You are not required to be an unpaid, full-time analyst of American decline.

That’s not apathy. That’s survival.

2. Focus on the Tangible

You can’t fix Washington, but you can fix what’s around you. You can’t control Trump’s enablers, but you can control who gets your time, your attention, and your effort.

Local politics, community projects, real conversations—those actually move the needle. Yelling into the void about national politics? Not so much. Invest in what actually gives you a return.

3. Detach Without Disconnecting

This is the tricky part. The goal isn’t ignorance; it’s perspective. Watch the game, understand it, but don’t let it consume you.

Because here’s the secret: the people who profit off this chaos need you to be emotionally invested. They need you mad, exhausted, and flailing—because an exhausted public doesn’t think clearly. Don’t give them that.

Instead, observe without absorbing. Laugh at the absurdity. Recognize the grift. Stay informed, but don’t let the machine set the terms of your engagement.

Play the Long Game

Every era feels like the worst one when you’re living through it. But the truth is, this cycle of power-grabbing, misinformation, and political dysfunction isn’t new. It’s just louder now.

The best way to beat the machine? Refuse to let it grind you down.

The people screaming the loudest, the ones who treat every development like it’s the end of the world? They burn out. They lose steam. They check out completely. But the ones who learn to pace themselves, who understand the long game, who don’t let every new outrage hijack their focus?

They outlast it.

Choose Where You Spend Your Energy

At the end of the day, you can’t stop the madness. But you can decide how much of your life you’re willing to let it steal.

You can’t control the machine. You can’t change the system overnight. But you can decide where your attention goes. And that’s the most powerful move you have.

So let them play their power games. Let them twist themselves into knots pretending it all makes sense. You? You’ve got better things to do—like investing in the people and communities that actually matter. Forget screaming into the void—build something real. Join a mutual aid network, support local organizations, or just show up for your neighbors. The system doesn’t give a damn about you, but that doesn’t mean we stop showing up for each other.

For more Snarky Faith, check out the podcast and more:

Snarky Faith website
Snarky Faith on Instagram: @stuartdelony
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About Stuart Delony

I’m Stuart Delony, a former pastor who walked out of the church but couldn’t shake the ways of Jesus. These days, I host Snarky Faith—a podcast and platform that wrestles with faith, culture, and meaning from the fringe. I’m not here to fix Christianity. I’m here to name what’s broken, find what’s still worth keeping, and hold space for the questions that don’t have clean answers. If you’ve been burned, disillusioned, or just done with the noise—welcome. You’re in good company. You can read more about the author here.

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