The Journey Continues: Change in culture
My journey this week takes me to the subject of change in our culture. At my age, I have experienced many changes. One example from my childhood will illustrate: After his retirement, my paternal grandfather, Dr. Lanning, built a house in Arkansas with essentially four rooms. The kitchen was small, and not all the family could be seated together for meals. His custom was for the adults to eat first; afterward, the children ate the “leftovers”. This was very upsetting to my Houston-born mother and strange to me. However, it was normal for a man, even an educated man, who grew up in an agrarian southern culture where in rural farming communities, men ate first, followed by women, and then children. Older “Boomers” have memories of how different life is for them vs how it was for their grandparents. Change is a part of living,
Change is a part of living, but it is not unusual for reactionary voices to speak out when change upsets us. I have heard “If you are not changing, you’re dying!”.
• As “time marches on” recent changes I’ve observed include:
• Back-in parking in downtown San Marcos
• Numbers of new apartments being built and their locations,
• Changes in traffic flow throughout the city because of ascetic improvements at street intersections, protective bike lanes with green markers, detours.
• Uptick during COVID-19 in major businesses offering curbside services or home delivery.
• Self-Scanners for check-out rather than cashiers.
• Multicultural changes reflecting population growth patterns — signs posted by Walmart’s and Sam’s Club so one can connect with translators for 18 languages.
• Texting is used more now than email. Utilities, Insurance, Banks ask us to please drop “paper” in favor of receiving bills via Internet.
This column is dedicated to uplifting spiritual things. So, I ask you, “What is the greatest challenging change experienced in the history of man?” The answer is the process of changing from the law of the Old Testament (beginning with the Ten Commandments given to Moses), which evolved to the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah; to the love and grace in the New Testament expressed in the resurrection and life of Christ…and look what “they” did to Jesus — they killed him because the leaders did not want to change. Love and Grace Of Jesus Christ does not change. Hebrews 13:8 state “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” We can trust him. Every Time.
