Then and Now

The years of a lifetime can be compared to a flowing river. Days, weeks, months and years meld into a river that flows toward a specific destination, namely, the demise of each individual.

From its beginning until it empties into a sea, it meanders through different terrains and as it does so, the landscapes change. At times the current is turbulent and forceful and it races over hazardous rapids, only to become smooth and peaceful downstream. It never follows a totally straight course, but one of many tortous curves and bends. Its ever-changing journey ends when it reaches the sea and becomes part of a great body of water, analogous to the great spiritual dimension into which one enters at the end of this life.

As a river is always changing, so is life changing. Eighty two years down the river I can remember the changes in my life. Many of those who shared my journey have changed the course of their life and are in other places. Many have ended their journey and have bid farewell to the pains and sorrows they encountered as well as to the joys and happiness, and to those they loved and those who loved them.

It has been said that if we are not moving forward we are going backward, and that we never remain static.

My lifestyle has changed in the transiton from the industrial age to the age of information that is made possible by technology.