I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is. –Alan Watts

While some might know exactly what kind of future they want to live in, most people are quite vague about what their time ahead might look like when asked directly. Rather than a weakness, this lack of clarity could also be an advantage when it comes to adapting to change. Instead of creating monumental strategies and sticking to them come what may, we can live meaningful lives today while developing a range of aptitudes to attune to uncertain, changing conditions. Curiosity, frugality, irreverence or equanimity all take uncertainty as a given. What can we extrapolate from these aptitudes that could encourage us not to shy away from uncertainty, but to inhabit, embrace and evolve through it? How can they be combined with hindsight, insight and foresight to ensure that we keep the systemic perspective of the long now, while we exercise our agency in shaping the present (and thus the future), for ourselves and others?

(a list of references and/or further reading)