WHO HAS SEEN THE FUTURE? - TIMELESS EXISTENCE

The desire to know about future is natural in every person. Some tendencies, characteristics and luck factor come along with birth. From this we can easily guess that after birth everyone has to live out some essential karmas; what is destined shall happen. Should we assume that future is a series of definite incidents, which shall take place with the course of time? If one person has to live for 80 years, he has all things pre-determined for him, he shall get pleasures and pains from time to time. If we think future is not a definite incident then it should be as uncertain as tides in sea. Lets jump into the tides and ponder more J

WHAT IS FUTURE?

Time is an eternal process with no beginning or end. Bound by nature three classifications of time are felt : Present, past and future. When jiva (the living entity) realizes its true self and is away from all shackles it is no more bounded by time and nature. This is delivered state. Jiva takes birth and is eliminated by time again and again. When he gets away from limitations of time, he can't be destroyed and achieves immortality. Before achieving immortality everybody has to pass through the pleasing or painful tunnels of time. The time which has not yet come is future. The next step which I or others shall take is future, the next happening taking place is future. Is the time hoped to or feared to come also future, well it depends. The time which is already here is present and which has passed in past. Present is always momentary. A breath from future comes and goes to past, a word, a talk, an incident, any and all things become past fast.

FUTURE AS A DEFINITE INCIDENT

Lets ponder on the idea that future is as definite as the rising of sun in east, what has to happen will happen. Why future is important for us? Because our hopes, wishes, joys, sorrows are related with it. Why we get joys and sorrows, why not only the joys. Because it is all our karma. I think nobody can complain that he/she gets only joys in life and no sorrow for them. The doings of past shall give fruits in future, as you sow so shall you reap. Cut the chicken today and chicken will cut you tomorrow. This is theory of karma. Nobody gets a fraction less or more than his karma. Our doings enter the womb of karma. As the child takes birth after a specified period the doing also give their result. The difference here is that all species have a fixed time for birth of child, but fructification of doings has no fixed time. Doings can give result the very next moment or after eons. When a living form comes on this earth a group of his doings comes forward to give results in current incarnation. This group of doings (karma group) is called destiny. Based on their good or bad nature they give joy, comfort or sorrow and depart. Maximizing joys and minimizing sorrows is the priority of everyone. Efforts are always done to achieve this goal but it is not always possible to do this. Destiny is all powerful; normally people cannot rise over their given circumstances. Even if they rise then also this rise is proportionate to their previous circumstances. A pauper can make a reasonable good living but cannot always become a billionaire. Greatly qualified persons can be employed by rich by chance people. It seems destiny is all powerful. Future is as sure as the image in mirror. Nobody can fight with destiny, nobody can change future.

COUNTLESS FUTURES, AS NUMEROUS AS STARS

Let's ponder on other aspect. It is hard to say which shape the clouds in sky, tides in sea, flames, and smoke shall take. Time is also always moving and it is always hard to say which shape the future shall take. There are always influencing factors for everything. Future has also many influencing factors. Future depends on our efforts. It can be true that destiny present different circumstances for all. The kind of parentage, economic, physical, geographical circumstances one gets by birth are purely destined. Some persons get qualities by birth. Some acquire them by practice. Some are quick learners and others have to work hard for learning. Little success after heavy efforts or grand success after small works are also not exceptions. Instead of all this destiny is not a fixed thing.

            What is destiny? It is result of our doings. If we do something we get something. If we get bad or are not getting good enough then fresh doing can help us achieve desired goals. It means we can change our destiny by our efforts and wishes. We are always free to decide. At a given point of time I or you have many options before us. Our choice of options cannot and should not be destined. It is true that we all have different capacities and all can't achieve same goals. What one person has got can be utilized to the maximum. Instead of viewing destiny as a fixed thing it can be viewed as a state of capacities or incapacities. On a scale of 0 to 100 different people have different scores of efficiency. The higher score one has got the more he is capable to control his future. The way to future always goes through present. Whatever we do now has an effect on future. To maintain, enhance the good results efforts are needed. To dispel, marginalize, shun away the bad results efforts are needed. Right knowledge, right decision, right action can help in making future favorable.

            The past also has effect on future. But present is always important. We can learn from past and do in present. Intellect, experience, alertness are always our best colleagues. Acts of today change shape of tomorrow. Present is like crossroads and a number of ways lead to tomorrow. We can adopt any way and tomorrow shall be there. Many factors determine the nature of tomorrow. What's the conscious decision of present, with whom to meet, with whom to avoid meeting, what work to do now and what has to be put off to other date, whose influence to receive and whose influence to be shielded off, accept which benefit, refuse which one- these all factors and many others determine which future road we walk on from the crossroads of present.

            We can easily see that although future may look definite but it is not. Future is subjective to choice and freewill. By employing different characteristics future can be influenced and changed. Wisdom, knowledge, patience, devotion, dedication can together bring a future of our liking. Hence future can be compared to a step forward in dark. Although we may not see in advance where our next steps shall take us but we have control on our steps.

            Submission is also a good tool. Submitting ourselves and our acts to God or supreme consciousness and feeling ourselves merged with flow of life can do wonders. Gradually we can reach a situation where our conscious starts guiding us.  Life becomes quite smooth when we hear the voice of our conscious and act accordingly.