Comparison, to Before.

I feel it advancing, even now, the first tingling tendrils of the Spiral. Why they continue to haunt me, I do nto know. It has come to a point, actually, that I wonder if I am the only one who suffers so. After all, it seems to occur in an unnaturally frequent manner. At very least the cease-fire seems to be holding, and therefore there seem to be no new worries to add to the ever-increasing load.

And look at this: These petty troubles drill at me persistantly when, in reality, these are insignificant compared to Before. How is it we held up so much better then, and now crumble? Has our resolve weakened so dramatically? What has changed?