Is it better to fondly recall the past, live exclusively in the now or dream about the future? It may seem natural for younger people to be future-oriented and older people to cherish their past, but young people can get stuck on past events, and old people can relish today and anticipate tomorrow. Our best time balance is personal, and can change as we progress through life.

Our perspective on time is marked by change. Decades ago, people took black-and-white photos on special occasions and revisited the events in albums. Now, people snap images and send them via their cell phones, or they capture scenes on tiny digital cameras. In yesteryear, people depended upon letters or very infrequent visits with family and friends who lived afar, but now, people communicate instantly, near or far, via voice or text messaging on their cell phones.

Older people can remember gazing with wonder and awe at planets and stars in the night sky. Now we know much about the origins and distances of those celestial bodies and, thanks to the Hubble Telescope, we can even view on the Internet such phenomena as the collision of galaxies.

Technological developments have radically changed our lives, in some ways for the better, but often for the worst. Wars not only have continued but have far greater capacity to cause instant, widespread devastation. Dedicated organizations, massive supplies and quicker transport can relieve

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victims of natural disasters more effectively and comprehensively but, as seen in the recent cyclone in Myanmar, a regime bent on power and control can render those resources and logistics impotent as countless people die in the catastrophic aftermath.

Progress has been made in civil rights and protections for women, people of color, people with disabilities and others. Men continue to be paid more than women for comparable work, however, and millions of Americans live in poverty in the shadows of the most materially affluent people in history.

We can learn, gain perspective and enrich our current lives by visiting our personal and cultural past via words, images and memories — our own, our elders' and historians. "Remembrances of Times Past" (Northern Star Press) by Marta Hiatt is a fascinating read about what it was like in the 20th century, and what we have lost and gained from the experience and contributions of those who lived those years.

Growing Older is written by Sandra J. Cohen, R.N., and Roger Cormier, M.A., of Cohen Cormier Geriatric Care Managers, which provides care assessments, home care, placement assistance and care management. Reach them at 510-652-3377, 925-945-8855, or www.eldercare managers.com.