There is an old joke I heard, attributed to the Irish, but can probably be adopted by any sector of the population:
"There are only two things to worry about: either you are sick or you are well. If you are well, there is nothing to worry about. If you are sick, however, then there are only two things to worry about: Either you will get better, or you will get worse. If you get better, there is nothing to worry about. If you get worse, however, then there are only two things to worry about: Either you will live, or you will die. If you live, there is nothing to worry about. If you die, however, then there are only two things to worry about: Either you will go to Heaven, or you will go to Hell. If you go to Heaven, then there is nothing to worry about, but if you go to Hell you'll be so busy shaking hands you won't have time to worry."
Now, admittedly that is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and if you are of the Christian faith, it may seem a bit profane and irreverent, since Hell is not a place you would even WANT to visit, much less be confined. But the essence of the joke is still relevant, because it points out the futility of anxiety and worry about the future.
The quotes at the beginning of this post come from Seneca, a Stoic philosopher, who wrote in his piece titled De Brevitae Vitae (On the Shortness of Life ) writes that much of life is spent on trivialities and not on living life to the fullest. "Everyone sends his life racing headlong and suffers from a longing for the future, and a loathing of the present." And, again, he also says "the greatest impediment to living is expectancy, which relies on tomorrow and wastes today".
But, as quoted from the same text, "the future is doubtful". It a shame that I spent so much wasted present time looking to a future, basically thinking that I might live forever. When I was 24, Halley's Comet made its pass by Earth, an eternal cycle that only happens every 76 years. Obviously, even experiencing the phenomenon even once in a lifetime is a monumental event.
But, at that time, I spent more time contemplating living to the age of 100, the age I would be when it made another pass by Earth, than I did even enjoying the event that was occurring in the present time. I would often point out that, if I were to live to see it twice, it would, somehow, make me like Mark Twain, who was born in 1835, a year when the comet passed, and died in 1910, another year of the comet's cycle.
But spending time contemplating a future that is by no means guaranteed is not any more, nor any less, wasteful of time than is dwelling on the past: that period of time where I could have done a), but instead chose to do b), and now regret the decision. This can be summed up in the fact that I have spent a lifetime alone (meaning not married or having fathered any children). Most, if not all, of my graduating high school class did get married and had children and even grandchildren.
But, really, how much better would my life have been if I had gotten married? Sure, my path from 1980 (the year I graduated high school) to 2025 would have been different, but then, the people I have met who have had an influence on my life, and even, dare I say it, without seeming egotistical, the influence I had on their life would probably have had a different arc. Good or bad, what has happened to me has made me the person I am today. It doesn't matter much what potential outcome might have happened if I took a different path, because, after all, the past is immutable. Without the benefit (or, possibly, hindrance) of time travel, nothing can change the outcome, and therefore is a waste of time to dwell on.
Getting back to the "worry" aspect I mentioned earlier. I have learned that each day is a new day, and that the best solution is to take it that way; one day at a time, or sometimes even one minute at a time. So, even though my future is uncertain (as is everybody's...), my approach is gradually transitioning from "what will happen a year from now" to "what is going to happen today". But even then, I am not looking to what will happen 16 hours from now, but what I can do to make the present moment the most productive and inspirational, for myself as well as for those around me.
May your spiritual life be fruitful.
Quiggy
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