It is a prevailing mindset among some people (these days) to call out :
- live in the moment
- have fun today – why to hustle or work hard today, what if there is no tomorrow
These lines hint that the future is uncertain and you might die suddenly – out of a heart attack, in a flight, in a car crash so why to hustle soo hard today when tomorrow might not even arrive.
I feel there are 2 fundamental flaws in this approach of thinking – perception flaw and probabilistic flaw.
The perception flaw
There are some assumptions here.
One very basic assumption is that the person doing the hustle is not enjoying it. Maybe they are hustling towards something which is the purpose of their life ? What’s more fulfilling than that ?
Related to this is the assumptions around the definition of fun. Travel might not be a fun thing for everyone. Some people might just chill in their room and on their screen (it might not be healthy for them) but it could be fun.
The second very basic assumption is that the person doing the hustle has a choice. Sometimes there is no choice.
The probabilistic flaw
Sure, someone can die at any moment.
But the question that is being missed here is – is the probability of dying within the next 2 months so high that I might end up giving up working hard for the next 2 years ?
Sure, if I am certain that I might die with 80% probability in next one year I might certainly reconsider my goals (e.g may be I might give up career and just go on a travel spree, or may be I might simply go and start living with my family), but is it 80% ?
Assuming you are in decent health and not involved in extreme situations (adventurous sports, crime, etc) what is more probable – you living for next 10 years or you dying next year ? It’s most likely that you will be alive in the next 10 years.
And in that case what is more optimal – you betting on longer goals (while having some balanced fun in the short term) or you letting go all your longer term goals.
What if there is actually a tomorrow ?
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