At the Signal we do hope you’ve all enjoyed a merry Christmas and we wish everyone a happy New Year. It is with faith, hope and a profound sense of gratitude that we get to celebrate another Christmas and to welcome the year, 2025.
Every year, we face uncertainty and change in our lives, our community and in the world around us. Change often comes with pain, frustration or even anger. In our small community, we notice the shifting demographic: older generations pass on and younger generations arise from different backgrounds and with different ideas and values.
Technology also brings about major shifts that need adjustment. Everyone faces similar challenges and we must learn to adapt – even if we don’t particularly like it!
In 1970, futurist, Alvin Toffler, published a famous book called “Future Shock” in which he details the psychological discomfort facing everyone with the accelerating rate of change. He wrote, “In the past, you made a decision and that was it. Now, you make a decision and say, ‘What happens next?’ There’s always a next”.
From a different perspective, Christian author, Arthur Burt, wrote, “Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change”. Let us reflect on these quotes as we face the New Year.
ED. Stephen
Stephen Sia on Lord Howe Island