What were Romans thinking as they watched Rome collapse?

I have often wondered what Roman citizens thought as they watched the Roman Empire fall apart culturally, politically, morally, and militarily.  Cicero, quaestor, praetor and Counsel of Rome, tried to save the Roman Republic.  For his efforts he was chased down and murdered.  As Cicero was, perhaps, the most famous Roman, his murder stopped efforts to prevent Rome’s descent into tyranny. 

The same thing is happening today to those who attempt to arouse us to our danger.  Julian Assange, for example, has been imprisoned contrary to every known US and UK law for a decade without conviction for simply doing his duty as a journalist and reporting the crimes of our rulers, the crimes of the corrupt vermin we continue to return to office and power over us.  No one has done anything about it, not even his fellow journalists.

When truth is punished, a country dies.

Rome survived for centuries after its essence had departed, because her enemies were weak in comparison.  Rome destroyed itself.  As many or more Romans died in civil wars fighting one another than died repelling barbarian invasions, Roman military might ended in self-destruction.  

The enemies Washington has created for America are not weak. Russia alone, China alone, perhaps even Iran alone, is a match or more for America.  The three together constitute a vast over-match of US military capability.  Yet Washington continues to increase hostilities with these countries. The mindlessness of my government is unbearable.  Such utter stupidity.

Once the moronic Biden regime’s economic sanctions and the US loss of the reserve currency role finish off the US dollar, America is finished. We will be a third world country, and the rest of the world will punish us for the sins of our government.

Try to tell this to an American.  

What were Romans thinking as they watched Rome collapse?