7 Decades of Change — What I Miss

Part 1 of 7

We’re approaching (or beginning) another year in the 2020s. I’ll enter my seventh decade on this planet during this decade. When I first thought about writing this, I envisioned a short listicle. I quickly realized that such a broad topic required several longer pieces to do this topic justice.

Each part of this series will have the same header image that lists all seven articles with asterisks indicating which one you are currently reading. Parts two through seven will have only a brief sentence directing them to this first part. The end of each article will have a question for reflection and a link to the next one of the series.

The only constant in life is change. –Heraclites

The accelerating pace of this “constant” leaves my soul breathless and weary. I can’t keep up. Now, in my late 60s, I no longer want to try. Even with the advances that made many things easier and better, many things are worse or much harder. Even with so much that’s utterly amazing, there’s so much that’s utterly distressing. This article kept growing so I decided to publish it in parts, starting with …

When was the last time you called a business and heard a human being say, “How can I help you?” instead of automated instructions to press 1 or 2 or 3, not to…