MEN SHOULD CARRY CATASTROPHE ON THEIR BACKS
Keeping an eye on our future can be very clarifying.
Whenever I see a man who seems lost in his life today, it is inevitably the case that he has lost his vision for the future that he is building.
Having a vision for our future helps us align our energies. It gives correct direction to where we should be spending our efforts today.
It’s difficult to feel engaged with life without a vision for our future.
****************
Considering that the future is always going to be uncertain and unpredictable, how should we proceed with envisioning it?
My advice is — be pessimistic! Don’t count on the future being as good or better than today. Expect things to go wrong. Expect disasters. Have a negative temperament.
Not being naive as a man is in part having this negative temperament. Not being naive is knowing that disasters await us — that the people and things we can count on today, we may not be able to count on tomorrow.
Answer the uncertainty of future with pessimism.
****************
Keeping an eye on future catastrophes and doing one’s best to prepare for them — this is also a crucial dimension of leadership.
We expect our leaders to be future-oriented. We are expecting that by following a particular leader, our future might turn out better than without that leader.
As a leader, accept this responsibility. Whether you are a leader on a big scale, or just a leader in your family unit, those who are following you are looking to you to cover their future, to prepare for the disasters to come.
— Om Rupani
www.OmRupani.org
