In attempting to assess the significance of yesterday's (Tuesday) developments, it is probably better to look backwards rather than forwards. Exactly a decade ago, we were in the middle of one of the worst periods of violence experienced at any stage of the troubles.
The Shankill atrocity was quickly followed by the Greysteel massacre and, throughout the month of October in 1993, loyalist and republican paramilitary groups were effectively on a rampage.
As our interview with Mrs Ginnie Gibson made clear yesterday, the grievous pain inflicted on the relatives of all the victims down the years simply does not go away.
Another enduring memory is of a police Land rover, filled with armed officers, guarding Sunday morning worshippers as they made their way to church in a particularly quiet corner of Belfast.
Ordinary people could have been forgiven for feeling something close to despair as they considered the realities of life at that time but, during what was close to being our darkest hour, a determination to create a better future began to take shape.
The peace rallies of the following month, at Belfast city hall and elsewhere, had a massive impact and in many ways helped to create the climate in which the republican and loyalist paramilitary ceasefires of 1994 could take shape.
After arduous and prolonged negotiations, the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 eventually provided what should have been the blueprint for a comprehensive settlement.
Its full implementation proved to be a daunting task and a further series of sudden upheavals, potential breakthroughs and depressing setbacks took us through to the present day.
While violence has yet to be completely eradicated, it has slowly but surely been pushed into the background.
Apart from the Omagh catastrophe perpetrated by the Real IRA in 1998, the statistics of conflict have been dramatically reduced on an annual basis.
For the first time in 35 years, 12 months have passed by without a sectarian murder or even the firing of a plastic bullet.
The past summer has been the quietest in living memory, with dedicated workers on both sides of the community divide keeping street disturbances to a minimum.
What was lacking was the consistent presence of political structures which could provide the stability essential to sustain and promote peace and reconciliation.
As long as paramilitary groups, both republican and loyalist, retain an influence at any level, those structures will have uncertain foundations.
Paramilitary organisations have no contribution to make to the search for progress – they need to remove themselves from the equation once and for all.
Yesterday should have been a major step towards achieving that aim and it was bitterly disappointing that events went astray at such a late stage in the proceedings.
However, the confusion over what General John de Chastelain was or was not entitled to state publicly must surely be capable of being resolved.
Instead of recriminations, we need to focus on what is required to retrieve the situation.
If the issue has become the level of transparency over acts of decommissioning – which, let us stress, have already taken place – let us resolve it swiftly.
The opportunity to restore a power-sharing administration remains within our grasp, and we should keep our eyes on that prize.
Many critical details remain to be clarified in the days ahead, and it can be expected that further challenges will have to be confronted.
Although our postponed Assembly elections are scheduled to go ahead on November 26, the results may also leave us all facing further dilemmas.
What needs to be accepted is that there have never been easy paths around the obstacles faced during the journey of the last 10 years.
The question we have to ask is whether or not we are travelling in the right direction.
While we have yet to reach our destination, the answer should be an unequivocal yes.
