Change

Nothing is the same—nor will it ever be again. Ours is a new age, filled with a host of inspiring and challenging opportunities that, just a decade ago, were the stuff of science fiction. Who would have thought that this generation would see the advent of fiber optics, satellite-based universities, genomics, lasers, and a host of technological innovations that boggle the mind and enthrall the imagination?

Along with these many innovations come the challenging adjustments we must make in order to live in this new world. Instant communication, boundaryless relationships, the globalization of economics and politics, Internet interaction, knowledge that exceeds our capacity to assimilate it—all are having a dramatic impact on every person’s ability to thrive in the 21st century. For most of us, the changes have come so fast that we are unable to fully comprehend how they will affect us and are hard pressed to cope with their implications.

The pace alone—a pace simply unheard of in the last century—is enough to overwhelm even the most energized. As soon as we have the time to consider the particulars of the most recent changes, new changes are upon us and insinuating themselves into our culture. We do not even have the luxury of identifying their advantages and disadvantages and of considering their potential influence on our lives.

Our society, for instance, is just begining to understand the impact the Internet has had and will have on communication, business, and politics. Further, new elements of the Internet are already emerging to alter our lives and change the questions we are asking about what is passing before our very eyes. Yesterday’s questions will not get answered because tomorrow has become today sooner than we ever could have imagined.