Facing the future

Manglal Chongloi *

Future constitutes one of the most important and inextricable parts of life. It is future that makes life a living value. It is also future that establishes hope and brings hope to a living human. Had there been no future, there would have been no God, no universe, no life. It is certain that every one will go into the future. But the manner how one enters into it and the things what one encounters in it will all be different depending on one's personalities, fortune and more importantly how one redeems the present time. We all live life for the future. Therefore, it is inevitably necessary to fittingly get ourselves prepared for facing the future.

There is not denying the fact that future is certain and certain things, what most of us expect would take place in it, will certainly come to pass sooner or later. The present distinctly speaks of what is going to happen in the near future. For instance, population explosion, oil crisis, food scarcity, climate change etc, are few phenomenons that would definitely take place even if they are most unwelcomed, which would, undeniably, be the resulting outcome of the handiworks of unscrupulous mankind himself. We know when those events come to pass, life will not be so comfort as it is today, and the difficulties will also be double or even tripple.

So, the future is congruous with the fruits of wisdom as well as fool. Fool is of rarely little or no use at all. Its price is heaviness to life only. However wisdom is well with every one who has. As the saying goes, as you sow so shall you reap, the future is there ahead to provide everyone unalterable opportunities for one to reap the fruit of what one sowed in the past. One who sowed the seed of wisdom will reap the fruits of sweetness while the seed of fool engenders that of bitterness.

Look back to your life and the lives of your fore parents upto which your memory could recollect or even before which you were borned. The deeds of your own or your fore parent's, right or wrong and their subsequent events, would appear in your memory one after another.You will then definitely agree that the position of your present life, may be a success or failure, is definitely the results of the actions of your's and your fore parent's in the periods you gaze back. Your present life standard will exactly be as the fruit of how you and your fore parents destined it some or many years ago. For example we reaped the fruits of freedom, freedom fought for us by our freedom fighters as many as 68 years ago. The target of life archery is no miss. It is the finest archer shooting its target with no mis. Every one's lifestyle on earth is the targeted object of his and his fore parent's past archery.

A very unpalatable but very interesting characterestic in one's life is REGRETION. One would find none on earth who never go unregreted in life because of the past life whether in matter of success or failure. A failed person regreted for his past mistake or wrong decision. A successful one also regreted for not doing better or acting in time in the past. If so, one compulsorily needs to adopt remedial and preventive heeding technique of life in the present time so as to have little or no regretion due to success rather than much regretion with failure. Let's learn a lesson of life from the past. If not we will surely be punished by the future. Remember, today is yesturday's future and tomorrow will be today's future.

The future holds both punishment as well as rewards. As has been mentioned, man reaped the fruits of what he sowed-the fruits of blessedness and curse. The fruits of blessedness, for which we need to strive to attain, is much much better than that of curse. Most of us suffer the clutches of life's misfortune, because we mostly did not heed about our future and did not look our footstep carefully before we leap or took right decision or deviated away from life's normal course. So a life of future prosperity or retardation depends on this present life's decisions and the manner we put those decisions into action.

Many a time warning against our wrong and careless actions towards the nature is being made by many prudent scolars, scientists and futurist. They oftenly warn us about the danger of ozone layer depletion and environmental pollution due to man's selfish activities on his excessive exploitation of natural resources, carelessness and mercilessness towards the environments- leading to global warming, and their subsequent effects on life of man himself, animals and plants that mankind is either totally blind of or blatantly ignoring about the danger that is coming. It must be borned in mind that the mistake what one committed against the environment will adversely affect everyone; and it is not only the responsibilities of the govt to safeguard the future. Every one-collectively and individually should be responsible for its safety.

Nevertheless, the future is beyond the control of mankind or any other super natural beings; and the future will come by, carrying its rewards and punishments with great might that no one will understand in what manner it comes. We can, however, to a great extent, which the causes and effects of this earthly events are directly related to or directly under the control of our thoughts, words and actions, do something to save the future. It doesn't mean we could control the future or could infallibly predict what exactly will happen and in what manner; it only means we can guide our future steps and course of actions through the way we live at present by way of being righteous, just, sacrificial, industrious, and judicious for the sake of not only the present but for future and the future generaton as well. We need to guide our future steps by being thoughtful for the future generation as we live for our children, who are going to inherit the future. Let's give up the negative conceptions of which others will cultivate, produce and sell; and we will buy and eat. Let us also for-swear the habits of converting cultivated land into construction plots, reckless burning or destruction of forest and other acts that are not good to nature.

Let's all be concious and careful about what and how we do things at present in consideration for the future. Remember, if our present habits of thoughtlessness and carelessness continue unabated, we will be held responsible and be condemned by nature. Whether or not the earth exists and passes by with blessedness into the future will depend on how we act and behave towards the present time and nature today.

Remember that mankind will not go unpunished for his action against life and nature. So, in order to pass through the future with growth and development in all walks of life, we must collectively as well as individually be responsible to make our life free from the practice of corruption, nepotism, favouritism, hatred, impatience, fornication, environmental destruction, greediness and selfishness, incompassion etc, which are the causes of future darkness and suffering; rather, practice blameless love and compassion for every one and everything in concern for the future and future generation, which is the methods we should adopt for the future survival. Know, also, this-life is going to successfully function by way of premaintained, presaved and precared systems of life giving and supporting eco system.So in order to face the future with full of life and protection, protecting the eco system is a must.

In the context of Manipur and with reference to its people having common past and present topographically, the future is also common to us all - breathing in the palm of the Sananleibak, and under one roof of democratic government in which we would also share the bitter outcome of today's mode of living in the near future. Therefore, it is invariably necessary for every one living within the territory of Manipur to get ourselves prepare for the future of the land we live in - firstly, to develop the feeling of oneness amongst the people, to stand against disintegration of the state and to fervently uphold the aged old integrity of the state. Secondly, to give up the practice of insincerity and dishonesty to set the state corruption free.

Thirdly, to reform educational system to bring about quality education. Fourthly, to reconstruct the economy of the state to enable the state self sufficiency. Fifthly, all student, civil and underground organisations should come to a negotiating table and settle their differences mutually with the govt. as well as amongst themselves too if necessary. Sixthly, the govt should show concern on the interest of the people; the people on the other should not simply create trouble or raise demand which seems impossible; rather, be responsible and dutiful towards the nation. The govt. and the people must be cooperative and be united in the struggle for development; and in the fight against the evils which govt. alone cannot do. Then only the state will be free from social, economic and political crisis through which we would be facing the future in a state of peace and prosperity.

Last but not the least, the final phenomenal reality relevant to the future is, death. None on earth will escape death or be able to control death. But by trusting in God, one can ensure God's care and thus, can direct one's future. Any way, Death is the gate way through which every living human being will get into his future eternity. And the future life after physical death is being propagated and preached by every religious belief. The hindu, for example, believes in the circle of rebirth in which one's manner of rebirth depends on one's lifestyle in the present time - the good to be reborned with blessedness while the bad with curse.

The christian believes in life of eternal and unchanging heavenly blessedness and hell punishment. Like wise every religious belief has its own teaching about future destiny. So, as every individual belongs to one of the religions; and has one's own belief about the future as per one's religious teaching, one should prepare oneself for one's blessed future destiny with a life of value living today. And it is to be borned in mind that one's future will be as exact as how one makes it today.