The Beat Goes On

And on and on! It starts thrumming and continues regardless of weather, power outrages, mass shootings, terrorist attacks around the globe or whatever. Thrum thrum thrum. There it is again! Don't you hear it? Rumbling in the background the beat is discernible and continuous.

Life goes on. Hearts continue beating most of the time. Headaches and upset stomachs recur as well. But we are talking here of rhythms – of life and movement going into the future.

There are many who are too busy to consider these matters. Then there are those who have plenty of time to do the considering and pondering. Some of those are retirees, I guess; but some get paid to to this sort of work. They are analysts of social norms, history, cultural change and what not. They are political scientists, too. Pundits and writers. News anchors and copy writers for news anchors. Well, enough of that. There are many people who do serious thinking on these matters and I wanted to spend just a little time thinking about them and their work.

Marketers. They study the life pulse of a society. They do this to discover market niches for products and services their clients are seeking. Then too, there are market researchers who are trying to identify the emerging needs, emerging wants, emerging trends of pleasure and function and technology. What is possible now is much different than what was possible ten years ago, or even 10 weeks ago!

We are changing. Always. Forever and ever, amen. It is life as we know it, and it is life as we try often to ignore.

Some of us thrive on change. Others not so well. Those people often avoid change and argue against attempts to make change happen. In their town or on their block they abjure change. Some of the change is good: lessened traffic, cleaner air, water and soil; better government; less costly public works; new schools and shopping districts; maybe a new job center or two serving business communities in the area.

Yes, some change is good. Most of it is adaptable as well. We can change how we live, how we think, how we react to different things. Change gives us fresh ways of thinking and feeling. It also unlocks creativity from deep within. We are different because our environment is different.  We are stretched and become more of what we can be. We just don't know what that is at the moment.

Maybe that's what makes it scary. We are not in control of change around us or change within us.

That may be scary on the one hand, but it is also exciting on the other hand. The give and take, ebb and flow of life, goes on. With a rhythm similar to a beat. It is not automatic what it will be, or even the rhythm, but it is automatic that it will happen. What will the change be like? What will it do for the quality of my life? Anything? Everything? One can imagine and hope.

One thing is true about change: it is a constant in our life and that alone keeps us fresh.

A blessing in our lives. Not something to be afraid of. No; it is something to be anticipated and cherished.

March 3, 2016