If linear still best describes our personal lives, exponential now best describes most of historical change" (p. Meanwhile, largely unnoticed by us, history has shifted to fast forward. Week after week, everything seems about the same. "Because there is little in our day-to-day lives that changes exponentially, we tend to think with a linear mindset. Replacing them are lines that slope upward exponentially. Many of the linear lines that in the past described our lives well have now disappeared. The reason, he states, is that "the mathematics are different. In his 2004 bestseller Margin, physician and futurist Richard Swenson explains that change picked up momentum in the early part of the 20th century and has been rapidly accelerating ever since. They tell us that today's world is changing at an accelerated rate, unlike anything past generations witnessed. Many historians, sociologists and journalists have expressed concern in recent years about the rapid change in our society. It all underscores a vital point: While our world has always experienced change, the rate of change is speeding up. They can also think back to a time when we didn't have to wait in long security lines at the airport, and terrorism seemed like something that only happened in far-flung lands. They'll often note how our "slow" computer we get frustrated with today was considered a "fast" machine just a few years ago. Though they're only in their mid teens, they can remember a time when people didn't carry cell phones and PDAs with them wherever they went, and when there were no such things as iPods, Wi-Fi Internet, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Amazingly, though, my kids have also remarked on how much the world has changed just since they were born. Of course, we've come to expect that lifestyles are going to change somewhat from one generation to the next. If you tell them what life was like when you were young, they may be astonished at how different things were "back then." I know when I tell my 14- and 16-year-old sons stories from when I was their age, they have a hard time grasping the concepts of typing term papers on a typewriter, writing out letters by hand, only having four television stations to watch, and having to go to the library to get information for a school project. If you have children or grandchildren, chances are you can't help but notice what a different world they're growing up in compared to when you were their age.
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