Generally I look after myself because I want to live a long and happy life.
But sometimes I am inclined to eat a larger piece of cake than is strictly good for me or skip the gym. I also wonder whether I should be saving a little more into my pension pot.
There’s a balance to be struck but it returns to the same question. What exactly do I owe my future self?
Is my future self even me - with the slow but relenting replacement of cells that occurs daily I may be someone truly different in a few years time.
On balance, I have over many years chosen to take at least a little care of my future and at my age I have something to thank my younger self for.
But in that case, why is it so difficult. To decline an additional glass of wine, to postpone a purchase. Its not easy.
It’s righteous to be a good parent to yourself, so you don’t experience a fools end, or ‘hell’.
If you don’t care for your future self, you may have caused yourself to suffer.
Always try and make your future the best it can be.
If you were to lose all memories it’s wise to create an environment that’s supportive of your future- here is a direct link between your present self, and your past self, either being a good parent, or not. However, it’s also a skill-check, your past self must’ve known you were to lose your memories, and it must of created a beneficent environment.
You may think it was lucky you were a good parent to your future self, or the opposite, that you neglected your future self.
existentialism perspective: you’re not even really you. To say you have a future is idealism at best.
pragmatic perspective: it’s not necessarily hard to say no to that extra glass of wine either. If it is, fake it.
communal idealism perspective: thank you for looking after everyone and supporting our community. You didn’t have to pay to have that extra slice, you did it for our sake. Restaurants need patrons to survive. Even if the future betrays you, you’ll always have our appreciation in the end.
This is called persistence through time. One undergoes changes through time, but essentially you are yourself 50 years from now but with mental and biological maturity. This is something that maybe most of us are not aware of or not told about: if we wait long enough – that is if we are patient and have faith in the future --, not to die or thrown in prison, in psychiatric hospital, rehab, or the streets because of temperament, impulses, and emotional instability, we will have a stable, undisturbed, peaceful mind which is not afforded to us while we’re young. If we wait and be patient.
The cost of our maintenance through the years shouldn’t be too expensive. There is cost, yes, to live a safe life.
The famous “Ship of Theseus” dilemma. If you replace all the parts but the design, form and function remain the same is it the same ship?
What is the “self”. If you. develop dementia and lose all your memories, no longer recognize family, remember your name or that of loved ones, where has the “self” gone. Other might still recognize your body as Uncle John but is the “self” still there. So I don’t think the self is your physical body but instead your memories.
In any event “eat desert first, life is uncertain”. Planning for the future is useful but not at the expense of being “present in the moment”
Thomas Hobbes added a twist: what if you gathered all the discarded old planks and used them to build another ship? Tell me which one would you rather sail? And tell me which one is real?
“Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? The Summer Day by Mary Oliver
There is a consensus that looking after yiur future self is prudent. I agree. But why do we sometimes fail to put our long term interests first
There must be a limit to our generosity to our future self. If there are problems facing us in the immediate future we need to prioritise those. That doesn’t mean that we don’t care about our future selves but too much focus on our future welfare is impractical and counter productive.
We also naturally give somewhat less weight to future benefits. If we have a choice between providing more for the future or less for the future, we take into account the very real possibility that we won’t be around later. Don’t skip desert too often because it may be your last meal.
If we recognise the importance of our future welfare, why don’t we consistently act in accordance with that recognition? We leave the house determined to pass the cake shop by but come home feeling slighty guilty.
If, we care about our future selves, why do we sometimes act against what we know to be in our own interests? Why can a temptation sometimes seem undeniable even though the reasons for resisting it remain clear in our minds?
But don’t ignore your current needs. We need to be fair to our current person?
I would prefer always prefer to hear your own views - expressed clearly - than random musings
This was a good point. We may owe it others to look after ourselves and not to become a burden on society
Beautiful sentiment. You are a poet.
Very wise. By looking after our future we are ensuring a happier life for ourselves.
True. There may not be a desert on tommorow’s menu.
Indeed time flies, even though it seems when we are young to promise an eternity.
This is perhaps why Aristotle tells us that virtue is a matter of balance. Of steering between different motivations and developing habits that bring us to the mean
Because your current self is real too. It’s not less important than the future self, and experiencing pleasure is a way to take care of yourself as well. Never allowing yourself to relax or enjoy anything can lead to mental or even physical breakdown. Ask me how I know. I mean it won’t happen if you don’t eat cake but at the extremes it will.
Also when something is forbidden it becomes ten times more desirable. That’s just psychology though