Tempora Mutantur

It means "Times change."

I remember my father's widowed mother and her sister and brother-in-law, then contemplate my daughter and granddaughter. The change in beliefs, values and life-styles is complete. Five generations. To my parents and grandparents, the difference between Catholic and Protestant was enormously important. My daughter has always understood that she lives among Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and secularists.

Fran once reflected, "The people with whom I do not speak the same language! Like my mother to whom it matters enormously whether I am a Catholic or a Protestant... And I am either a Catholic or a Protestant... or else an atheist... or else something very strange!" (I did not think that Fran was going to pop up here but he sure helps.)

Science fiction future histories and time travel stories should show such social changes and Poul Anderson does in the generation gap between Nicholas van Rijn and Coya Conyon and in a future doctor's comments on Carl Farness' sexual mores.

Anderson does it.