We live in an age of rapid change. Cutting edge technology is constantly being replaced by even more edgy inventions. Information is multiplying at a dizzying rate. Computers and search engines are enabling research and discovery to occur at breakneck speed. For even the most technologically savvy person, however, keeping up with change is becoming increasingly problematic. With such advances, it seems overstated and quite dated for the sage’s comment that there is nothing new under the sun. After all, every week someone is announcing an exciting, new development.
However, wise people ultimately look at people, not the latest smart phone, to understand their times. And people haven’t changed through the millennia. They still tend to be selfish and self centered. They often succumb to greed. Truth is often viewed as flexible. People expendable. Regardless of the age in which we live, people continue to behave in similar fashion.
Wise people are not caught by surprise when people act like people! When corruption is exposed or leaders fall morally, it reveals a pattern, not an abnormality. Study the past. It continues to be the best predictor of future behavior.