Prologue

Old men sitting by themselves, lost in the memories of their youth. That is what old men do; for there is not much left they are capable of enduring.

Age has robbed them of their vitality. No longer can they stand straight and move without pain or discomfort. The agility of the young has long ago vanished, leaving them a shadow of their former selves.

They are old; some may even say ancient. But they have dreams. Dreams of their youth and dreams of what was, or might have been, wander through the recesses of their minds.

Old men also have vision. Having lived for so long, they see the conflicts of life in a different way than their juniors. Unfortunately, these lessons in life are learned only with the passage of time. The younger generations take little heed of the words of old men. They too must sadly learn these life lessons through experience. Tales from the lips of the aged are most often met with skepticism and doubt. After all, this is a new world to those who are young. Old men live in the past, they argue, not knowing the truth of today’s world.