Marie Taylor, Ink

We’re always hearing about letting go of the past. We must forgive and forget. Learn our lesson and move on. But we don’t hear much about letting go of the future. In fact, we constantly hear how to change it, direct it and create the future we want by intention, goal setting and the like.

But what if there was no future? What if there were no words in our language that described what might be, or would be, or could be. Would that force us to live more in the present, or would we make a hasty withdrawal into the past and expect more of the same?

People on death row or in hospice have a taste of living without a future. Their time is limited, their calendars not filled too far in advance. They do not plant trees and expect to sit in their shade. They do not have the luxury of planning what might happen someday.

What is it like to live without a ‘someday’. Someday when I am happier, richer, healthier, more famous, more loved, when I have more time … things will be different, things will be better, I will be happier, life will be good. Someday.

But someday never comes, does it? No matter how much we plan for it, we can not plan to be happier or healthier tomorrow. The only experience we can ever have is today, right now, this moment. If this moment is not happy, can I say that things will be better tomorrow?

How do we live if we let go of the belief that things will get better in the future? Can we accept that we may not get what we want no matter how hard we try, no matter how good we are, no matter how much we want it.

If we let go of our belief in the future, are we letting go of hope, or are we letting go of control? Is this the origin of faith?