"I Came In at the End. The Best is Over."

In the pilot episode of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano sits across from his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, and says something that has always stuck with me. I came in at the end. The best is over. Tony is talking about the world he inherited. He believes his father’s generation experienced something that his own never will. There was a sense of community, loyalty, tradition, and belonging that he feels has disappeared. Even though Tony is more financially successful than his father ever was, he can’t shake the feeling that something important has been lost. When he shares this with Dr. Melfi, she tells him that many Americans feel the same way. I first watched that episode years ago, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself identifying with Tony’s sentiment more and more. Here we are in 2026, and I can’t help but feel that I’m living in the aftermath of something. That the best of the world I knew has already come and gone. I don’t mean that everything was better in the past. I’m not…

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