Have you ever watched the tide roll in from sea to shore?  This event occurs daily and, for those of us fortunate enough to reside or vacation in proximity to a shore area, it is an occurrence that we have all observed countless times.  Gradually, almost imperceptibly, what once was a sandy or rocky beach becomes covered by ocean.  Stretches of beach that just a short time earlier were the retreat of sunbathers and children at play now lie beneath breaking waves and salty sea.

Although incremental and relentless, the tide’s advance is neither consistent nor predictable.  A large wave may come ashore and dampen five or six feet of dry beach or rocks.  Subsequent waves may not reach the outer limits of their predecessors.  In fact, it may take quite some time for the ocean to occupy the boundary established by that first large wave.  It is as if each day sea and land do battle.  Sea seeks to overrun land, and land attempts to stand firm against sea’s daily onslaught.

And so it is in our lives both individually and collectively.  As people and society advance and grow, the process is not linear.  Breakthroughs and epiphanies occur in knowledge, education, and enlightenment, only to be followed by the vexing, persistent struggle against recidivism.  As humans, all that we become at the apex of our lives and civilization can fall away all too quickly and easily.  How far we fall and rapidly we rebound is a function of our desire and persistence to achieve our goals.

In its daily crusades, the tide advances until it can advance no more – occupying the shoreline to the fullest extent that Nature will allow.  In our own attempts to elevate ourselves and mankind, we should do no less.