31st August 2024

ALL CHANGE

Three months ago I withdrew some cash from the bank and yesterday I realised I still had nearly all of it, less £1, given to grandson for taking an awkward parcel to the post-office for us. At the same time, I also realised that my new cheque book still lies on my desk, unused, in pristine condition. Now this does not represent a new miserliness; rather bank transfers and credit card transactions are the new payment methodology.

At the same time what comes through the post is mainly junk mail and if somebody has an important message to send, then it is emailed. I also note that many people have given up their landlines in favour of smart-phone communication. And apparently I am very old fashioned in using programme menus to decide what to watch on TV, when i-player, you-tube, net-flix and the like are what smart youngsters use. Again, if I have a problem with the computer, a grandson will normally sort it out.

All of this without resort to driverless cars on our roads, drones in the air, and AI to both aid and threaten us, all indicating that we live in an era of exceptionally rapid change. Whilst, as an octogenarian who was brought up on chalk and slate and dip pens and messy ink-wells, I might have difficulty in coping with all this, it represents a world that my parents could not even begin to imagine.

For a Christian, coming to terms with rapid change has to be negotiated positively whilst maintaining a firm grasp on those things that do not change: the God of Creation, Redemption and Eternal Truth.

John Briggs