Run to meet the future or it's going to run you down.

The words of Anthony J. D’Angelo—“Run to meet the future or it’s going to run you down”—strike like a bell in the heart of every generation. They carry the pulse of urgency, the fire of transformation, the unyielding truth that time does not wait for the hesitant. This is not merely advice; it is a summons, a clarion call to those who would live with purpose. For the future, like a great tide, moves ever forward—merciless to those who linger and merciful only to those who move with it. D’Angelo’s words remind us that change is not an enemy but a force to be mastered. To stand still before it is to be overwhelmed; to run toward it is to become part of its power.

In the manner of the ancients, let us say this: the river of time does not pause for those who fear to wade in. The future is no gentle stream—it is a roaring current that sweeps away the unready. Those who cling to the shore of comfort and nostalgia will find themselves left behind, mourning the world that was. But those who rise, who stride boldly into the waters, will find themselves carried to new lands, new discoveries, new selves. To run to meet the future is to embrace the truth that destiny favors the brave. The wise do not resist the coming storm; they learn to harness its winds.

We see this lesson written in the story of Thomas Edison, the great inventor who refused to wait for the world to change—he changed it himself. In an age lit dimly by gaslight, he saw a world brightened by electricity. Where others scoffed, he persisted. He failed, it is said, a thousand times before he succeeded, but each failure was a step forward—a sprint toward the future. Had he lingered in doubt, had he feared ridicule or defeat, the light of his vision might never have reached us. Edison did not wait for the future to arrive; he ran to meet it, and in doing so, he shaped the modern world.

The ancients would call this act of courage alignment with fate. For though no man can stop the march of time, every man can choose how to meet it. D’Angelo’s words remind us that the future is not the enemy—it is the proving ground of the soul. To run toward it is to choose growth over stagnation, creation over decay. It is to say, “I will not let tomorrow decide who I am. I will decide what tomorrow becomes.” Those who live by this creed do not shrink from change—they wield it as a weapon, turning uncertainty into opportunity.

But to run to the future is not to rush blindly. It requires vision, discipline, and faith. The future must be met with open eyes and steadfast heart. There will be obstacles—fear, doubt, failure—but each is a teacher, not a chain. The runner who stumbles yet continues forward is far wiser than the dreamer who waits for the perfect moment to begin. For perfection never arrives; it is the mirage that fools the timid. The only true perfection lies in motion—in the courage to begin before you are ready, and to adapt as the world shifts around you.

Consider, too, that D’Angelo’s words are not only for individuals but for nations, for civilizations. History is a graveyard of empires that refused to change, that stood proudly still as the world evolved around them. The great empires of Rome and Byzantium, though mighty, were consumed by their own refusal to meet the future. Innovation faded, arrogance took root, and time—relentless and just—ran them down. From their ashes rose new societies that dared to think differently, to embrace invention, to trust the strength of youth and the fire of progress. Thus, history itself whispers the same truth: adapt or perish.

O children of tomorrow, take this wisdom to heart: the future does not belong to the fearful. It belongs to those who rise before the dawn, who listen for the pulse of coming change, and who dare to move toward it. Do not wait for fate to find you—seek it. Build new skills. Question old ways. Dream not of safety, but of significance. The world moves swiftly, and you must move swifter still—not in haste, but in purpose.

And when your courage falters, remember this: the future will come whether you run toward it or hide from it. But those who run to meet it will greet it as an ally, not an adversary. So run—run with faith, with fire, with vision. Let your footsteps echo with resolve. For the world belongs to those who do not wait for change but become the change itself. In running toward the future, you do not flee from the past—you fulfill it.