Why Worry about the Future?

"For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow only a vision,

But today, well-lived, makes every yesterday, 

A dream of happiness, 

And every tomorrow 

A vision of hope and joy.

Look well then to this day.”

The above-mentioned lines were written by Kālidāsa who was a classical Sanskrit writer, the greatest poet and dramatist in Sanskrit language. It shows the value of living in the present moment. Many people worry when they think about their future. If someone adjusts themselves to the conditions of the daily life, then there is no reason for them to worry about their future. The secret of happiness lies in doing what needs to be done in the present moment. We should accept the fact that there are things in life that are not in our control.

Some people have the habit of consulting fortune-tellers when they are in a chronic worrying situation. If you are picturing a negative outcome of an event which may happen in future, then you are in a worrying situation. The person who is submissive to the future becomes the plaything of fortune. The people who believe in what the fortune-tellers say will spend their money on so-called charms and rituals. And also they will spend their money on amulets to avoid the misfortunes. In such cases, ‘a fool and his money are soon parted.’

Once, the Buddha was asked the following question. “Why do the noble beings who have developed their mind appear so calm and radiant? The Buddha replied by saying:

‘They sorrow not for what is past, 
They yearn not after that which is not come,

The present is sufficient for them:

Hence it is they appear so radiant.

By having longing for the future, 

By sorrowing over what is past, 

By this fools are withered up

As a cut-down tender reed.” 

(Dhammananda, 1989, p. 127).

When something happens, the person who believes in fate will assume, ‘this was preordered or this was allotted by God.’ Such people will spend more time for praying. Most of the time people worry unnecessarily. The more you worry about your future, the more you lose your confidence. And also you will lose the peace of mind.

Buddhism gives you one of the best methods (only if one believes in Karma) to avoid worrying unnecessarily about the future. For that, one can reason as follows. “This is the result of my own activities in previous lives or in this life itself. I must try to rectify the balance by making the effort in doing good and by strengthening the mind through meditation. In doing so, the unfavorable effect of certain kammic forces can gain success.” (Dhammananda, 1989, p. 129).

We should not worry about the past and the present. We can neither go back to the past to undo the things that we have done nor can we anticipate everything that may happen in the future because the conditions of the world are in a flux. The conditions of the world are constantly changing, and at the same time, unpredictable. We can have a little conscious control only in ‘the present.’

‘There are no stars which we could trust, 

There is no guiding light,

And we know that we must 

Be good, be just, be right.’

‘Do not hark back to things that have passed, 

And cherish the future not yet come.

But who with vision clear can see,

The present which is here and now,

Such a wise one should aspire to win, 

What never can be lost nor shaken.’ 

(Dhammananda, 1989)

Therefore, it is important to do what can be done in the present moment instead of worrying about the future unnecessarily. Concentrate your mind in the present moment. That is the secret of happiness.

Bibliography

Dhammananda, K. S. (1989). How to Live Without Fear and Worry. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Buddhist Missionary Society.

Newman, b. (1992). The Power of a Successful Life. BNC Publications.