Time, like the river, flows.

The river has three parts: the source, the body and the mouth. Time has three parts: the past, the present and the future. As time flows, we are carried along from the past to the future in the never ending present.

We cannot live in the past, just as we cannot exist only at the source of the river. If the source does not flow, it grows stagnant and therefore the waters must move towards the sea.

We cannot live in the future, just as the waters of the river cannot suddenly appear at the mouth of the river. As the river reaches the sea and becomes the mouth, it is the totality of its experience from the source. The speed and content of the river are built over time. We cannot know the future, dwelling at some future point that is a fantasy, but we can plan for it, being ever mindful of the lessons the past has taught us.

We must live in the present, just as the waters of the river flow. We must be mindful of past and learn from it, knowing that we come from the source, like the river. We must plan, wise, for the future, knowing that we must decide what we shall be as we approach the sea.

What sort of river shall we be?