It has been a rite of passage done for centuries, the proverbial passing of the torch that each generation does to the next, keeping traditions, beliefs, legends and legacies alive. As we approach the end of this decade, however, I believe there will be some startling changes in this ancient tradition. There are many young people today, especially those who came into existence just before the new millennium, who seem to be truly gifted, special, and almost like a chosen group of people. These people, whether they realize it or not, are our future, and while they may want to take a lot of our long and beloved traditions with them, they simply may not be able to in order to, shall I say, "travel lightly" while they forge our new roads, roads that they must first go down in order to keep humans surviving not just into the next decade, or century, but into the next millennium.

If we are truthful with ourselves, we can feel that we are not living in ordinary times. When we look to the past during times like the Civil War and other times of human turbulence, we want to believe that those people felt like we do now. But in our hearts, we know they didn't, for we are living through a time that is uniquely ours, just like they were living through a time that was uniquely theirs.

The youth of our generation, the millennials, the gen 'y"ers, the thumbers, whatever you wish to call them, move so fast, but not because they want to, because they have to. This is our legacy, our gift, to them: speed...speed of information, speed of communication, speed of technology. So the instant these souls are born, they sense this speed and they know what they must do to adapt: catch up and stay ahead. They catch up and stay ahead by thinking differently, staying open to the future and to new ideas, moving with the current instead of struggling against it . They know how to interact and communicate with one another more efficiently than humans have ever done before. They also sense their great skills and thus their great purpose for being here. They have ideas that they don't just think about, they act upon, and they do all of this while moving at the speed of light. They move, think, hear, see and feel things almost at a new level of vibration, a vibration and current that is so fast, so high, so quick, they're practically in another dimension.

So when I think about our older generations wanting to pass on the torch to our youth, a nostalgic sadness washes over me, for I know how good it feels to pass along knowledge you've worked your whole life to earn to someone you love, and how much it hurts when you realize they already know it, or they just don't need it. If at the end of this decade we are able to pass along the torch to our youth, it will only be because they had the compassion to slow down, take the torch from our aging hands, and say "thank you" for at least paving the way to get them to where they are today.

I've heard it said that there are no more pioneers because there is no more land to explore. Well, let me tell you this, I believe we are living at a time when we will see the very first of a new kind of pioneer... human pioneers of energy, time, space and thought. We have, until now, been three-dimensional thinkers, and land has kept us oh-so grounded...too grounded. The youth of today will teach US how to shatter our own limitations on our ideas, thoughts and possibilities. Their minds are the open and unexplored plains, rich with ideas that only need a little cultivating before their true value can be seen and actualized. So please think twice before you are so irritated with those who are text messaging each other all day long, for they are those human pioneers who are readying their minds for mighty challenges that lie ahead for them, challenges that they must overcome and conquer for the sake of all of humanity.

The passing of the torch is really just a metaphor for passing on knowledge and truths. The truth is our world entered into a new era twice in seven years: in the year 2000 (the new millennium) and on September 11, 2001. We have reacted to each one differently, but it is clear to me that something in all of us changed in 2001 and hasn't stopped since. This article isn't about 9/11. This article isn't about gen "y"ers. This article is about and for all of "us", "We, The People." Things have changed permanently, and yes, change is hard. But we have to get over that in order to move forward, adapt and grow. Our future is in the hands of our youth. Period, end of story. The way they are talking to each other is how we need to be talking to them. They don't care how we used to do things, or if that's just the way something has always been done. They are in the here, the now, AND the tomorrow... a here, a now, a tomorrow that we gave to them. So it's up to us to also be in the here and the now by talking to them, trusting them, listening to what they have to say and believing that they will hear what we have to say, too.

We don't have to say, "We're all going down on this ship together," but rather, "There's plenty of room for all of us on this boat!" And folks, I can guarantee you that this boat will take us all on the journey of a lifetime.