The certainty of change

There are only a few certainties in our human world, but those of which we know are inspirational.

They include: the permanence of life and yet also its temporariness; the inevitability of death but which then leads to greater life; the stately processions and rhythms of the universe; and the working out of the Plan of God.

There is also the constancy of the state of change. It is a continuous process affecting the great cycles of Time and Space, our human existence, even a speck of dust. Civilisations come and go, mountains are eroded, species become extinct while new ones emerge. Change is evolution, and however much it can be painful as we are thrust forward on our soul journey and what we love comes and goes, it is not to be regretted. If we accept that change happens and that change is natural and good, life becomes easier to experience and enjoy.

Let us remember this as we hear even today of the possible extinction of the Inuit tradition due, they say, to climate change. Meanwhile, at the same time we learn of of the discovery of a new species of bat in the UK and that the tiny beaver population re-introduced into Scotland last year is thriving. Climate change is part of the cycle, not responsible for it, and it may help to bear this in mind as we embrace all that the future brings us. Cycles are ending and beginning, and change is occurring constantly. This is how it has always been, and how it always will be.