Man lives by time. Inventing the future has been his favourite game of escape. We think that changes in ourselves can come about in time, that order in ourselves can be built up little by little, added to day by day. But time doesn’t bring order or peace, so we must stop thinking in terms of gradualness. This means that there is no tomorrow for us to be peaceful in. We have to be orderly on the instant.
We survive on time, but also hide inside it. Constantly postponing change, clarity, and order into the future as if time itself will do the work for us. Tomorrow becomes the container for everything we are unwilling to face today.
This way of thinking is deceptive. Time does not organise the mind. It does not resolve conflict, and it does not create peace. It only moves. It allows postponement to present as progress.
Real change is not cumulative. It is decisive. It happens the moment you see clearly and act. Even when action is taken later, the change still only occurs in an instant. Waiting does not improve it. It only delays it.
There is no future version of yourself that will be more ready to live well. Order does not arrive with time. It appears the instant you stop postponing it.
- What is often referred to as 'working on yourself' is actually postponement decorated as progress.
- The future becomes a convenient place to store responsibilities we don’t want to face in the present.
- This way of living feels reasonable, but it trains the brain to accept disorder as normal.
- Clarity rarely comes from accumulation. it comes from action.
Stop negotiating with the future.