Jamie Jenkins: Change and Changeless
I don't like change.
I am comfortable starting my day pretty much the same way all the time, or at least most of the time. An occasional break from routine is good but before long I want things to get back to normal.
I know that change is sometimes necessary but most of the time I resist it. Once you find a way to do something, why change it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why mess with something that works? That is the way I am wired, but I realize that my way of doing things is not always the best or only way.
John F. Kennedy said, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." I understand that. It's just that I am comfortable with most things the way they are. At the same time I understand that progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
Although I don't like change, I am willing, with some reluctance, to alter my routine and try something new. After a while I can even embrace change but it is not easy.
I mentioned in one of my previous writings that I recently acquired an electric vehicle (EV). It is quite different from an internal combustion engine (ICE) automobile in many ways. I was a bit skeptical at first but after almost three months and 2400 miles (with no gasoline) I have been converted. I have come to really enjoy the quiet and comfortable ride. And contrary to what many people think, it is a real car with plenty "get-up-and-go." I have also contributed to better air quality because it has no emissions.
For several years I have paid my bills electronically through the bank's online bill pay service. No stamps or envelopes to buy. No checkbook. Beginning in 2015 my church pledge will be charged to my credit card.
In 1925 Mayor Walter A. Sims leased an abandoned auto racetrack and committed the city of Atlanta to develop it into an airfield. The 287 acres of land was renamed Candler Field after its former owner's family, including Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler. That was the first step that led to Atlanta becoming a major transportation hub. Today it is home to the world's busiest airport.
I am grateful for the ability to hop on an airplane in Atlanta and go just about anywhere in the world. How else could I visit my grandchildren, and their parents, on the other side of the globe.
My son reminds me that I once said we would never have a cell phone. Why did we need to be able to talk on the phone from anywhere at anytime. Later I succumbed to the advanced technology and purchased my first "bag phone" that was about the size of a small briefcase. And today I won't leave home without my "smart phone" in my pocket.
Although most of my retail purchases are transacted in a brick and mortar business, I have done my share of shopping online. In fact, with the last four cars purchased I went to the automobile dealer's showroom only to sign paperwork and pick up the vehicle. Research and negotiation was all done online or by phone.
Email, text messaging and webcams which are a regular part of my routine could hardly have been imagined when I bought my first computer, a Commodore 64. The first video game was Pong, a far cry for the realistic graphics in today's video arcade.
Just last night I had a conversation with my thirty-two year old son about Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, and Crackle. If I understood it , I would explain it to you. The digital age has transformed the way we work, play, and relate to each other. It offers far more than I can comprehend.
With all the advances in technology and the changes they bring to our everyday life, I am grateful for the words of the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada: "We are not alone, we live in God's world. We believe in God who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God."
We are not alone. We live in God's world. We trust in God the Creator and Sustainer of all that is good.
Change. Scary. Hopeful.