Mental time travel

One of the most unique skills of human beings is our ability to mentally travel through time. We can visualize our experiences from the past and use that knowledge to create a future that is in our favor. For example, we can see that food is in short supply and so we plant a seed to avoid starvation. But this is a double edge sword. The source of so much of our anxiety is worrying about a future that doesn’t even exist yet. The key then is to strike a balance between delaying instant gratification long enough to not sacrifice our future (for many who don’t even exist yet).

Another thought: How much of our daily decisions do we make that are focused on our future? Retirement, legacy, dynasty, inheritance, after-life…makes you think.