Plans of future come from fears of the past || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2013)
Question: Acharya Ji, when I think of the future, then it appears like slavery of the past, because future emerges from the images of the past. But at the same time there is a fear that if I do not think of the future, from where will my action come.
Acharya Prashant: Pranab(the questioner) , it is actually very simple. It is not at all complicated if you look at it carefully. Future is automatically, naturally flowing from the present.
At this moment, several of us, as is evident from our faces, are listening carefully. Right? You are still and listening carefully. In this process of listening, you are not thinking, not planning; just listening. You are just present, and future is being created. Have we not moved in time in the last few minutes? Even as you are listening, is future not happening? Moment-by-moment, are we not moving into the future? We are, we surely are. And that is happening on its own, without needing any interference from our side.
But what do we think? Our usual conception is that – “Unless I create a future, future will not come.” Correct? Our conception is: “Unless I create the future, the future will not come.” Or let me put it this way: “Unless I create a beautiful future for me, there would be no beauty in the future.” Is that more correct? Is that the way you think, that – “Unless I create a beautiful future for me, there would be no beauty in the future”?
Listeners: Yes.
Acharya Prashant: That’s the way we think. Correct? Now going back to the example in the question. Considering this moment, the next second is the future, the next minute is the future, the next hour is future. Considering this second itself, which is very much available to us, are we not constantly going into the future peacefully, without problems, without any effort, just presence, just attention?
Let me take another example.
Let us have a seed with us. The seed’s nature is to grow into a tree. It is the seed’s very nature to grow into a tree. You do not need to imagine a future, so that the seed becomes a tree. What do you require? You just require that in the present moment you are with the seed, and you take care of it, and you give it water, give it sunlight, nourishment. And that will happen if you love the seed.
The equation goes: seed, plus air, plus water, plus sunlight, plus soil is equal to the tree. But in your mind, the equation has another variable. The equation in your mind is: seed, plus air, plus water, plus sunlight plus desire, is equal to tree. You feel that – “Unless I desire this seed to become a tree, how will it become a tree?”
The seed will become a tree on its own, the present will become future on its own. You just take care of the seed; you just take care of the present, future will come on its own. A beautiful tree will be born, a beautiful future will be born, you just take of the present, you just take care of the seed.
Is two plus two equal to four?
Listeners: Yes.
Acharya Prashant: But you will say, “Two plus two, plus desire, is equal to four. I (emphasising on the word ‘want’) want two plus two to be four.” If you have clarity, if you are looking at it correctly, then two plus two will naturally be four. Do you require a desire for it to be ‘four’? There is no need. All you need is appropriateness in looking at ‘two plus two’, and it will by itself come out to be ‘four’. It does not need your interference, because it is ‘four’.
A beautiful present is a beautiful future, because future is nothing but the present. The present of the next moment is the future of this moment.
Is it not? Is it not?
So don’t feel guilty at all that you are neglecting the future. In fact, if you are thinking that you are neglecting the future, you are still thinking about the future; still obsessed with it.
In this also there is a slight misconception that needs to be corrected.
We all have the ability to forecast. Forecasting is one thing, and desiring from the future is another thing. You see, based on how economy is going, the economist can forecast what will be the production next year. That would also be looking into the future. But that is not the same as being future-oriented. We become future-oriented.
You have the weather department. What does it do? It keeps forecasting the weather. That is one thing – to have the capacity to project a particular future. That is one thing. But to be obsessed with the future is an entirely different thing; an entirely different thing. To make the future the centre of your action, is totally different.
There are two ways of acting.
One is – “I am acting right now, and out of this a future comes.” The other is – “I already have the image of the future in my mind, and based on that image, I am working in the present.” Unfortunately, ninety nine percent of us work according to the second model.
See, the first model says, “I am in love with my books, I study in the present, and because I study well in the present, hence I will do well in the exams, which is in future.” The second model says, “When the examinations will be announced, when the exam dates will be put up, then to do well in that exam I will start studying. To take care of the future, I will start studying well.” That is the way of our life, that is the way of life of ninety-nine percent of the people.
Future comes first for you, and then present comes from there, which is an absurd thing. You are reversing the flow of time. What comes first- present or future?
Listeners: Present
Acharya Prashant: But in our minds, future comes first. We say, “That’s where I want to go, so today I must be here. I want to succeed in that examination, so today I must study.” The appropriate way of living is: “Because today I am studying, hence I will naturally do well in any exam. I am not studying for the sake of exam; I am studying because I love to study.”
Would it not be beautiful if you could live this way? Then marks would just be a byproduct. You may not top, but you will get sufficient marks. We anyway don’t top; not all of us are toppers here. But you will get decent enough marks. Marks would not matter, what would matter is the time that you spend with the books; the thrill, the joy, the fun with the books that is there.
Getting it?
Questioner: So can we say that we should not be bothered about the direction from which future is coming?
Acharya Prashant: Yes. Lovely! Feel free, let it come. Fearlessly, let it come. Have deep Faith that – “I am capable of handling whatever will come.” As they say, “Bring it on. Bang! Bring it on. I can take it. I am not afraid, I am not scared, not shivering. Just bring it on. Let it come. I have the wherewithal to respond to it. My Intelligence is adequate. There is a challenge, I will respond.”
The world is not a threatening place. Please!
We think that unless we secure ourselves well, the future can harm us. That is what we think that – if we do not secure ourselves well, there may be some danger in the future. And to take care of that danger, we must wear some kind of armour; we enclose ourselves.
Right? Is that what we do?
The word is not a dangerous place. Had the world been a dangerous place, how could you have been born? The very fact that you are here, means that existence has no enmity with you. This air that is available for breathing, did you plan to get this air? Does existence have enmity with you? You can hear, you can see, you have become young. Your arms are powerful, you have energy. Did this come to you because asked for it, because you desired it?
You have eyes, you have eyesight, is it because you desired it? Did you ask for it? Existence has given all this to you, how can existence be hostile towards you? The past was not hostile, the present is not hostile, how can the future be hostile? Why are you so afraid? You understand ‘hostility’? What is ‘hostility’? Enmity.
All that there is, if it had any enmity with you, then could you have survived? We are all such small beings. One meteorite, and everything would collapse and vanish away.
There is a very small range of temperature in which man can survive. If the temperature crosses the upper limit, everyone will be burnt to death, and if the temperature goes below the lower limit, we all will be frozen to death. Existence has given us all favourable conditions. Is it true or not? If the percentage of Nitrogen changes from seventy-eight per cent to ninety-eight percent, will we all die or not?
Is the world really a hostile place? Is it? Observe attentively. You may say, “It is not the world, but ‘others’ are our enemies.” Was it not the others who taught you how to walk? This language that you are listening, and I am speaking, this language, was it not given to us by others? (Pointing at different objects in the room) This paper that we use, this too was invented and given to us by others. This fan, these clothes that we wear, are these not inventions done by others?
Listeners: Yes.
Acharya Prashant: Essentially, in all planning for future, is the fear of future.
