The closer a Citizen came to the centers of power, the more of a madhouse the universe became. - Vernor Vinge

The voice was gentle, like a scalpel petting the short hairs of your throat.

Over the last few weeks, some newsgroups have been full of tales of war and battle fleets, of billions dying in the clash of species. To all such—and those living more peaceably around them—we say look out on the universe. It does not care, and even with all our science there are some disasters that we can not avert. All evil and good is petty before Nature. Personally, we take comfort from this, that there is a universe to admire that cannot be twisted to villainy or good, but which simply is.

So what do you do when your dream dies?
When your dream dies, you give it up.