Facing Uncertain and Potentially Horrible Destiny

 One quirk of human life is the fact that we are unable to see the future. This seems particularly interesting to me because it represents a very unique aspect of our physical environment--time. The unidirectionality of time is, in my opinion, the only reason that we can live the way we do.

If time did not exist, we would not be able to experience the goal-setting aspect of life, nor emotions, in the same way that we do. One part of living that I enjoy is the ability to control it. I make mistakes, endure challenges, enjoy successes, and feel excitement, fear, anxiety, and stress. As far as I can tell, knowing the future as well as the past would radically change these aspects of life. Thus it would feel out of my locus of control to alter such events. For example, if I knew I would get into a top university, what would be the fun part of writing the applications.

This unidirectional aspect of time also leads me to ponder a question related to the uncertain nature of our futures--given that we cannot anticipate future cataclysmic events, yet being full aware that such events are likely to come upon us, how can we live and prepare ourselves best for such events so that when they come, we can tackle them smoothly. After all, this is the virtue-seeking path that we strive towards, right?

So, there are two questions that I hope to discuss--”What is our survival guide to life?” meaning what can we do to be best prepared for unfortunate events such as the death of a loved one, and as a follow up, should we be living our lives in such a tense, anxious mode.

To discuss the first, I feel that remaining contemplative, grateful, and with an attitude of self-improvement are the things that have me live my life the most, in such a way that I can deal with difficult situations with focus, and without feelings of regret. Remaining contemplative and grateful, and sticking to a routine (which I continue to improve and strive towards) are habits that enable me to ponder my present situation, consider actions that I would have changed. The air of gratefulness keeps feelings of resentment out of my heart so that when thunder strikes, I am not bombarded with negative feelings, such as “Why is this happening to me?” or “Of course I was chosen for this”. Consistent reflection in my daily journal contributes to my ability to continuously self-improve. While I’m not sure I’m using these tools to the fullest extent, I believe in their capacity.

The last aspect of this discussion that I feel is worth mentioning is the balance of being prepared for the future and embracing the current moment. If I take the above habits to the extreme, I feel I might spend my life without enjoying certain parts of it to the fullest, such as the social aspects of high school and college. However, if I do not remain vigilant about potential occurrences and the habits that I set for myself, I wouldn’t respond in an optimal way to bad news, such as poor grades, family circumstances, or impacts to personal physical or mental health.