Dreaming

Tick tock

Suppose you were BMWP for a moment (Lucky you) and you were having a dream. In that dream you were speaking to the Substack Oracle. And the Oracle told you that you only had three deeply pivotal essays you were to write, but you had to chose between the idea of them being your next three posts or your last three posts - which would be 10 years from now. “Deeply pivotal” meaning that they would propel you to writing your very first critically acclaimed book.

Three essays that would hit the masses the same way The Alchemist or Siddhartha hit me.

Three essays that people would still read when you weren't here to explain them.

The essays that your children would often refer to when looking for guidance.

Three essays that would be distributed in universities as mere examples of undeniably wonderful prose.

What would you say to the Oracle?

Too late.

You woke up.

The reason perhaps the Oracle didn’t let you choose is possibly because She wanted you to realize that the value of the essays
was tangled up in when they landed —
that time is not neutral,
and neither are we.

In my head, I'd like to believe that the moments in my past are just as meaningful as those yet to come. But I'm not sure that's true. I value certain accomplishments far more now than I would've if they were done 10 years ago. And I know certain tragedies were absolutely necessary at a certain period of my life than they would be tomorrow. So there is meaning behind not just if things happen but also when they happen.

Would it matter to you if pleasure, like achievement, or the pain of suffering happened in the near future or distant future?

I can't answer if I'd rather the three posts be now or later, but I'm almost certain there is a more right answer between the two.

…..

If I were to zoom out a bit, these are question our leaders should wrestle with every day as decisions are made about federal financing, global climate change, and health care resources. The argument itself will almost always create a moral dilemma. And that's the point. We actually chose leaders to make moral decisions over empirical ones. These choices are never just about money or policy. They are moral wagers and time is our currency. With time we make purchases with moments we will never get back. And time, whether we believe it or not, is a creditor that discriminates.

…..

Somewhere the Substack Oracle is smiling, almost as if She knew I’d wake up still arguing with myself.