Futuristic Times

      When is the future? Is it tomorrow,next week, next year, a century to come? In the age of technology we hear of the future quite often with all kinds of ideas being brought forth as to what it will be. The words faster, farther, newer are some of the descriptions used to indicate a difference ahead. The world appears to become smaller as we use our connective instruments to reach others through the typed word or the voice. The inventions are not keeping up with the ideas as they tumble out of people's brains and the minds work overtime on what new things can be brought forth.

      Exploration does not seem to generate the excitement that it did when it was first announced that man was going to the moon. Of course the scientific community is excited but for the general populace, it appears to be another launch, or another mishap, or another scientific discovery on geological properties. We don't get too involved because at this point we do not see how it can affect us. There are those who are ready to ride a ship to space, but for most, they'd just as soon keep their feet on the ground!

      When we think of futuristic times we think in terms of inventions, explorations, and new discoveries in distant places. Some wonder about the future, how will our environment be, what will be important, how will people change, how will mother earth change and yet there is no way to go beyond that wondering at this point. It is important to realize that though the future will be different, that it will take adjustment, that there will be some surprises, what does not change is the inner self. We will have to adjust to a new way of being, a new way of thinking, and a new way of caring for our environment and others. This can be distressful to some people as change is difficult. Others will approach it as an adventure and jump right into the excitement of something new. There will be some who will be 'caught in the middle' because they cannot leave a set way of being that they are used to and adjust to the new way, and yet will see that the 'old way' has changed so they will be truly in the middle of choices.

      How do we prepare for the future when we don't know what it will be? First, we prepare mentally. By that, we mean that the mind must be balanced and clear. That is accomplished by feeling confident in the self and preparing with an openness to new things. Secondly, we must be aware. Aware of what, you might ask. Aware of change around us. It's as if you are driving to work the same way and suddenly one day you notice something is different that you hadn't noticed before. Perhaps it is a building or a new plant, or a change in color and it has been there, but it just has not been seen. Thirdly, we have to build on two intangibles which are difficult for many, and that is trust and faith. To 'wait' for the future with fear and foreboding is not the way to live. It is the uncertainty that causes uneasiness. The future is already here in the sense of change. It is there but not seen, there but not perceived. If you are ready to 'look' you may feel, see differences in intensities and energies, in the way people act, in the environmental disturbances. Observe and be aware, but let it be without fear.