Indeed, we certainly live in times, not for those of faint heart.
We do need courage and hope as an acid to dissolve fear and fears allies.

I really l like your caption summary — optimism’s smooth terrain being ‘effort.’ I really like that. Optimism and effort = caring, in my thinking. And caring takes courage, too. Great theme. Hope reserving space between bars of despair is plenty good, too. Using the word ‘space,’ often a Zen reference, spaciousness, consciousness. I find a property of elevation solidly conveyed in this writing. The mood of uplifting spirit notably follows a series of darker-feeling of futility writings of yours. The pendulum swings, doesn’t it? Good reads have that kind of diversity, inhomogeneous. I like that. ~~ djl