The hell of postponed happiness: why does the future overshadow the present?

The person who sees the present only as a means to reach the future deprives themselves of life itself. When the present turns into an instrument, it loses its meaning and becomes a heavy burden, filled with suffering and expectations. This view creates an inner hell where everything valuable is postponed “for later.” We see this in religious promises of paradise after suffering, in the justification of wars “for a bright future,” in endless self-denial for the sake of an ephemeral better tomorrow. This is not a path of creation, but a vicious circle that takes away the only thing we have—the present moment.

The present is the only place where we live. Expecting the future to bring happiness creates a chronic deficit of joy. We turn year after year into trials for the sake of a mythical reward that always slips ahead. “This year was hard, but next year will be better”—and so on endlessly. We don’t allow ourselves to stop and realize that life is already happening. We make plans, postpone desires, but we miss the main thing: happiness cannot be postponed. It doesn’t live in tomorrow—it breathes only here and now.

The philosophy of postponed time is a trap of the mind. We justify our inaction or suffering by saying that everything will get better later. “For better times,” we say, but better times never come. They cannot come if we don’t start creating them today. By postponing, we tie ourselves to illusory hopes that dissolve like a mirage, leaving us empty-handed. Only action in the present has real power. Only it can change something, not endless waiting.

When a person creates a “small hell” in the present for the sake of the future, they break their connection with life. The world doesn’t have to be a war to become a paradise. Any grand projects built on suffering remain destructive. True harmony is born only when we begin to value the present. We cannot create a bright future by immersing ourselves in darkness. History teaches us: a world built on blood brings happiness to no generation.

To break out of this vicious circle, we must learn to see the value of the moment. The present is not a bridge to the future, but a field for creativity and realization. Any goal must be connected to the joy of its achievement here and now; otherwise, it loses its meaning. Every moment already contains the potential for happiness. We can act, create, build without sacrificing the present. This is not a refusal of dreams—it is an understanding that the dream begins this very moment, not tomorrow.

Accepting the present is a choice of life. When we stop postponing happiness for later, we begin to see beauty even in the simplest things. Instead of suffering for a hypothetical result, we can enjoy the process itself. If each day is filled with meaning, we stop living for a mythical “later” and start living now. This is the path to freedom.

The future should not overshadow the present. Our task is to stop postponing happiness, to stop turning our days into waiting, and to start living a full life. Only by being aware of and embracing the present moment can we create a future that becomes not an illusion but a natural continuation of a conscious life.