I know a lot of people (such as Jenny) like that uncertainty about the future and don't want to know about it in advance. They want to be constantly surprised by events, they find that exciting rather than frustrating.
But I want to know what's in store. I have lots of unanswered questions. How long will I live? How much money will I need? How healthy will I be? Who will die first, me or Jenny? What shape will the public services be in? What sort of government will we have?
I would feel a lot more secure and confident if I knew what's lined up for me. I could plan my life a bit better, allow for disasters or triumphs, create a smoother path for myself. I wouldn't be suddenly overwhelmed by some unexpected catastrophe and be left floundering.
It's curious that I'm so bothered by uncertainty this late in life, when my future is relatively short. When I was young and my future stretched ahead of me for endless decades, the much greater uncertainty didn't faze me at all. I just sailed along blithely, unheeding of what the next day would bring.
For me, this walking into the unknown is quite disconcerting. It makes the rest of my life too nebulous, too hazy.
I too would prefer to have clear knowledge of the future, about the same kind of questions. How long until we have a normal president again? When will the big earthquake projected for my area happen? What will be the winning numbers for the next billion-dollar lottery jackpot? It would be so much easier to plan ahead if one knew these things.
ReplyDeleteInfidel: Yes, knowing the winning lottery numbers would be good. But then lotteries would have to be abolished as everyone would win and no one would lose!
DeleteI am a more live in the moment person. There is good and bad with that. We cannot predict the future, we can plan for what we assume the future will look like but we don't have anyway of knowing. Who would have thought a decade ago the US would have a dictator. Or they it would be him?
ReplyDeleteSandra: But just think, if you knew there was going to be a dictator you could rewrite history and get someone else elected.
DeleteAh, yes. But I cannot.
DeleteSandra: True. We have to deal with the present as it actually is. Rats.
DeleteMy Dave is like you--worried about how life will go as we age even more. I think we have done all the prep we could do so I'm willing to just let it happen now. I do think about how I would cope if Dave goes first and it isn't pretty but it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: I wonder how I would cope if Jenny went first. Would I cope very well or would I be completely lost?
DeleteOld age is daunting and not for the faint hearted. I understand your worries, but try to live in the present and enjoy having good health.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I reckon we are all taken by surprise by the twists and turns of later late.
I know this might sound odd, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that I'll only die once! This kind on stops me worrying about a multitude of things that may or may not happen to me.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: I do my best to live in the present, but my mind won't always let me. "I'll only die once", that's an original way of looking at it!
DeleteNah, it would be awful to carry the weight of the coming disasters as well as the present difficulties.
ReplyDeleteDo your best in this moment and that will give you the best chance in the next moment. That is all
Kylie: Carrying the extra weight of coming disasters, that's a sobering thought. Unless you have the power to avert those disasters before they happen.
Delete"Worry is like a rocking chair--lots of action but no progress."
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Absolutely. But I'm a terrible worrier. Why won't my mind just calm down and take everything as it comes?
DeleteOh dear! I'm sorry this is bothering you. Sadly, there's not much you can do about. Live your remaining years the best you can.
ReplyDeleteColette: Thanks! Live my remaining years the best I can is sound advice.
DeleteWhat are you actually worried about, Nick? It would appear that you have managed to deal with everything life's thrown at you thus far, and I'm pretty sure you'll continue in that vein.
ReplyDeleteEryl: Well, all the things I mentioned, like how long I'll live, how healthy I'll be etc. But yes, I've coped pretty well with life so far, so hopefully I'll deal okay with whatever's round the corner.
DeleteI like to know what's going to happen too.
ReplyDeleteMary: Good to know someone else feels the same way!
Delete