A Brave New World

When the first humans appeared on this planet, it is said, change occurred very slowly. A human adult within the first few thousand years of human existence had no real sense of past or present or future. And, looking back, we applaud them for their technological and societal advancements that spanned thousands of years, crawling forward really, more than advancing. Today's world is far different from that. Change has truly become our only constant. All the characteristics that our ancient ancestors whetted to help define who and what we are as humans are being carefully dismantled by today's people. We are dehumanized, de-individualized; we are a carefully streamlined, conscientiously living breathing society. We are more connected, more aware of our problems, and more appreciative of our collective achievements. As today's adults stand knee deep in today's society, staring down at their smart phones, and shaking their heads at today's youth, they forget to remember how we feel. Because we are scared of this new world. We are homesick for the simplicity of our parents' childhood, our grandparents' childhood. We long for memories before our time, stories we had no part in, people long passed, and places long changed. We seek a place in this world but it is changing under our feet; yesterday's world is not today's and the place we thought we occupied has changed as well. Still, we are brave. This new world is scary but it is also fast, amazing, and wonderful in ways that used to be unimaginable. We stand shoulder to shoulder, today's youth, and we wield our swords and we each pick a battle. We are determined to make this new world ours. And when someone achieves one small victory, conquers one small challenge, we all rejoice. This world does not yet belong to us, we know, but it's not quite theirs anymore, either, and we'll fight for our place. Hopefully, we'll learn from their mistakes. Someday, we will write our own rules. But for now, it's still a brave new world and we are just beginning to poke our heads into the sunlight.

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom. I want sin." Aldous Huxley, Brave New World