“Behind in Life” — a mistaken viewpoint
A thought that crossed my mind some time ago, rediscovered in the drafts. Glad to see it today.
There is no such thing as being behind in life when you’re constantly ahead of the future to come.
We’re often told or feel like we’re “behind in life,” but something here doesn’t make sense. To be “behind” something, such a something must exist. What is it? A person? A wall?
Behind “in life.” This “life” is singular, not plural. The life of whom? You. The life in question is your life and no one else’s. You could be the only person alive on this planet, with no other humans around you, and your vitality would still exist and still be yours.
So in this “life” that is yours, the claim is that you are “behind.” Behind what? A physical wall? A mental wall? A person in line at the grocery store? A person you chase after trying to transform their success story into your own? Behind what?
Searching the infinite possible answers, one thing becomes clear. This is the one thing that does make sense. No matter where you are, what time it is, or what you know… in the continuum of time, where your life resides, the you of this moment is undeniably, constantly, and simply ahead of the you of tomorrow.
People will say, “You have the rest of your life ahead of you!” And if your life is ahead of you, you must, by definition, be behind it.
Why not turn this around? Or even better, walk around. Move from your side in the present to the opposite side of the rest of your life. Stand at the moment of your death and look back to where you once stood. From this direction, the you reading this right now comes before the you reading this tomorrow and the you on your death bed. You today are ahead of the rest of your life.
Your life, your journey, your growth and your struggles are not waiting for you to catch up to them. No. They are yours to drive, to manifest, to begin. Unravel what comes next with your own hands. Take one step into your future with agency and direction, spontaneity and luck, and the wisdom of yesterday’s you that brought you forward today.
Then take another step. And another. On you go.
