Live for the present but think about future

Saima Mehedi Khan | Published: June 28, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

'Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a present, for, it is really the present.' According to this popular quote, the present is all that matters. For, it is the time that we are living in, the time that defines us, who we are now, right at this moment. The present is the beginning of the future and the end of the past, it is the treasure that is given to us to cherish, and the most amazing characteristic about this gift is that it changes all the time. So, if the gift does not suit you now, wait for a while, and you will definitely be given what you have been waiting for. But here is where the problem lies, the interval of waiting is what separates the present from the future and that is an advertent implication of the advice- 'you must think about the future.'
Must you really? When you are certain about the uncertainty of the future, must you really compromise with your present to build a future, which in reality may not exist at all? What is the guarantee that there is a future?
The human psychology is that we never appreciate the things we have, or to be more precise, we are never satisfied with the things we have. We ask for more, and once we have gotten that, we ask for more again. The repetition is ceaseless; it goes on into the unforeseeable future, unless of course, in the midst of all the greed and gluttony we find ourselves dead or dying. Honestly you spend speaking, if you spend half your life saving every penny of your earning, the other half pondering over what will be the best investment. Then what will be left of the life you were meant to live?
At times, however, our intelligence seems to work in our favour. In those few rare moments, we begin to realise that the world is nothing short of a paradise and we are merely a group of visitors reluctant to believe that our lives are transient. Only then do we begin to live for the present, slide our debit cards in the ATM slot to fulfil the desires that we have been suppressing for such a long time.
Nevertheless, the crucial context of the future does not cease to exist. For the little illusion of permanence that the world can create is so strong that we are bound to ponder upon what may come about, should we live longer. Thus, decisions have to be taken, possibilities have to be considered, predictions have to be made and the future has to be planned. It is only prudent that we should think about the future. From a practical point of view, why should we not?
Hypothetically, if we do not invest a penny for the future, it would turn into an unavoidable black hole, and we, as helpless as we would be then, would be immersed in the darkness with no force to extract us from this malicious doom. It is necessary that we think about the future and what necessitates this action is our very existence. For, our existence depends upon the trilogy of time- the past, present and the future- and if any of them is given little priority compared to the rest, our existence might just as well turn rickety.
The abstract yet substantial thought- 'if tomorrow never comes' is not altogether deniable nor it is wholly acceptable, for, if it comes we should be ready for it, and if it does not, there will be no harm done. One must be capable of giving equal importance to the present as well as the future. To conclude, it has to be noted that despite everything, the present is impermanent, but then again, according to the famous economist John Meynard Keyenes, 'In the long run, we are all dead'. That makes the future impermanent as well. So what are we supposed to do with this extremely tantalising context? It is really up for each of us to decide.
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