The marks of great Character
Follow alone from the Tao.

The thing that is called Tao
   Is elusive, evasive.
Evasive, elusive,
   Yet latent in it are forms.
Elusive, evasive,
   Yet latent in it are objects.
Dark and dim,
   Yet latent in it is the life-force.
The life-force being very true,
   Latent in it are evidences.

From the days of old till now
Its Named (manifested forms) have never ceased,
By which we may view the Father of All Things.
How do I know the shape of the Father of All Things?
   Through these (manifested forms)! (Tao Te Ching chapter 21, Lin Yu Tang trans.)

Today, I want to explore the idea of  the  so-called “living in the future.”

The other day, I read a quote: “To hope is to give yourself to the future – And that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.” (Rebecca Solnit).

That quote is interesting on many levels. But first, as anyone on the path quickly learns, there is no past or future; there is only the present.

It is also true that many people trapped in the mind/ego world believe in both the past and future and actually “live” in them.

That’s what the quote is about. It’s a great example of the mind/ego at work. The entire quote suggests that the person who is hoping has had something of a bad past, which also exists in their present.

The only way out for this person is to hope for the future. But it’s more than that. One must commit to the future because it is the only way that one can survive in the present. In other words, because things are so bad in the present, the only way to survive here and now is to believe that the future has got to improve.

Before it gets too confusing, there are two ways of looking at the future.

The first is fantasizing about it, living in a daydream where we usually have an ideal life, doing what we want without worries or problems. On the other hand, some fantasize about the future, seeing only gloom and doom. Seeing their lives going downhill as the world turns to chaos.

However, a pleasant, fantastic future would not exist without a plan.  Nor will worrying about it make the gloom and doom future appear. But dwelling on either takes time and distracts us from the present, where we can do many other things.

Indeed, that type of future does not exist. And you cannot “live” in it.

Despite that, we cannot ignore the future because someday, we will live in a present that is now some time ahead of us. For example, in five years, we will live in 2029 (assuming we live that long). It will be the present of 2029 then, but now, in this present, we can look ahead to that date, which is for us in 2024, the future.

We do this in high school when we decide whether to go to college, a trade school, or maybe the military. Once we choose a direction, we have things to do to prepare for it, like applying to colleges or trade schools or learning about the different branches of the military and their career options.

Or, later in life, we may plan a new career, retirement, or even next year’s vacation.

All those activities involve visualizing the future and planning how to get there. Visualizing the future is essential to getting there. The better we visualize, the closer we get to what we want. Of course, it will be the present when we do get there.

Once we have a plan, the next step is execution. Every plan has several steps we must follow to reach that final goal. As we follow those steps, we will eventually reach that goal.

Things may change along the way, which may change the plan. So, we must review the situation at each step and see if it is still what we want to do. That way, we can maintain our path despite problems or setbacks that may arise. You can use many planners to organize your plan with dates and project steps to keep you on track.

Committing to this type of plan is vital, but it is not hope, as in the quote at the top. A well-thought-out and executed plan is not hope. However, rigidly following the plan without reviewing it, as mentioned above, is incorrect.

That is how we can use the idea of a future to reach our goals.

Remember the quote above? Its Named (manifested forms) have never ceased. The manifestation (the world and universe as we experience and know it) has been and will always be with us. We live and act it in all the time we are here in the physical plane.  We cannot escape it. We cannot avoid it.

Some say it is all an illusion. Perhaps, but it is a vivid illusion. I prefer to see it as real. As such, how we move through it is crucial. We must act to get things done, whether following a plan to reach the future or just having something for lunch.

However, all this talk of doing, planning, and goals seems at odds with Wu Wei or the doctrine of not doing. How are we supposed to set up a plan and work towards a future that doesn’t exist?

Why are we planning and setting goals if we are supposed to follow Wu Wei? And if Wu Wei means non-action or “not doing,” what does all this acting we do all the time mean?

That is a topic that deserves two blog posts.  Till next time,

Namaste,

Michael Tavella, author of

“Break Through To Your True Self”