The Evolution of a Man
Life is always changing. The world is a place of constant transition. This planet we are all living on is constantly going through change. As much as we trust the ground under our feet to remain still, there are no guarantees. Rivers change course and lakes may even dry up. Every conceivable preparation and plan for the unexpected can be put into place, only to have something go wrong that is an unstoppable act of God. Nature is our teacher. The natural course of events of this world cannot be stopped. Our world is alive and always bringing us surprises.
Mankind is no stranger to change in their own history. Nations rise and fall, borders are moved, governments collapse. We live in a world with constant migration. Businesses rise and fall, the struggle between the rich and the poor continues always. Wars are fought without ceasing and peace seems unattainable. There is always someone waiting to put others under their authority or force change upon the powerless. There are powers at work beyond what most of us are willing to see. Yet even as the evidence of change stares us each in the face, we still refuse to accept it.
We like our lives to be predictable. We have worked too hard and too long to be uncomfortable. Just the thought of things changing makes some people lose their minds. We are taught to plan our lives, educate ourselves and prepare for a tomorrow that looks a lot like today. But tomorrow is not as predictable as promised. So I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news if you are looking for a career in the Sears catalog business or possibly pushing the blue light around Kmart to the hot special of the moment, you may need another plan. We might not see the world of the Jetsons in 2062 but I can guarantee it will not be the same as what we have today.
The expectation of progress is innate in the minds and hearts of people. They are constantly trying to make things better, simplify a process or use a machine in place of a man. Foundations for houses were once dug by men with shovels but I don't think they all cursed the day of the backhoe. I am sure there were a few complainers who would rather dig holes by hand because it was a source of security for them. Maybe they became ditch diggers after the buggy whip factory went out of business or they lost their fortune in the wagon wheel repair trade.
It is inevitable that the world will change, business and technology will advance and that men and women evolve in their knowledge and understanding. I am not the same person I was 30 years ago. I may look like an older version with gray hair and some similar resemblance but many things are not the same. Every experience and relationship has either forced me to change or taught me lessons that influenced the way I live and think. People with open minds and open hearts are constantly going to change. It doesn't mean a man cannot have beliefs and foundational truths he lives by, but those are usually refined throughout the fires of life. Life has a way of showing you if the things you believe are real or false. It is just part of the evolving growth we all go through.
It is never easy to see things you assumed would remain the same forever come to an end. Many a man has thought they had a job for life only for the business to collapse. Spouses every day watch their marriages dissolve in court, hope completely lost in a union that was once so promising. Till death do us part in life is a tall order. Not just in marriage but in everything. We would all like the world to continue at its ultimate period of our happiness until we meet our own end. Wouldn't that be great. We find happiness, we figure out life solving every puzzle and spend our days in ecstasy with the ones we love. And then we die. The end. Nice and tidy with a bow on top. Hey, if you can make that happen I am rooting for you. Tell the rest of us how to do it.
Political change or struggle is at the forefront of our society the last 10 plus years and it is exhausting many. I think we can all agree it is ugly. It brings out the ugly in us all at times. The struggle for power and control is never going to cease as long as men have breath in their bodies. It seems as we live through these dim and dark years politically, whatever your beliefs may be, we are witnessing a fight to see who will be in control during times of great change. The day we live in is a time of great change and if you're not prepared you may be frustrated for the rest of your days.
There is a saying that the only thing that is certain is nothing is certain. You can hold your breath and wring your hands dreading that tomorrow will bring new things or you can expect tomorrow to bring new things, which it definitely will. There are plenty of experts and opinionated people who would like to tell you how to think. They fear those who are independent thinkers and drawing conclusions from logic. They fear those who will not just accept the current narratives of control and shame. People begin to panic if they cannot be in control. We live in a time when many want to force unnecessary change on others and demand submission. I think time will show us all that those who demand change are fighting against nature itself. The culture will continue to war and men will continue to evolve.