of the past and the present

You know when you think back to when you were in Junior High School or let's go further back to primary school...and there were these people who you thought you would never like or get along with? Especially the bullies? Well, there was this boy who bullied everyone, and I disliked him immensely. I used to dread going to school because of him...but as the years passed,the memory of him dimmed until it disappeared completely. Then, just a few days ago, I met him. It had been nine years since we last met. He's an engineer now,runs his own consultancy firm, is happily marrried and is a new father...Was I blown away by the encounter! He is who he was, the core remains the same...what he was then, he still is now. I was surprised by his unexpected present. Everyone has the potential to be the best and has goodness within, even the most criminal of men. Buddha and his teachings come alive in these disparate yet connected incidents. Of the past and the present, and of the river and ocean...the same,always the same.