Many people argue that it is wasteful to plan for the future and individuals should focus more on the present instead. I personally agree with this statement due to the unpredictable nature of future and the fact that people can become more adaptive.
First and foremost, the future is inherently challenging to be predicted. Even with extensive preparation and research, there is still a chance of unexpected events occuring. Therefore, attempts to plan in advance for the future would usually result in vain, causing many detrimental effects on the planners. They might feel upset or angry when the future is not similar to their expectations, potentially leading to self-doubts or depression. For example, a research carried out in Vietnam showed that more than 70% of the plans the surveyed adults made failed to become reality. As a result, trying to plan for the future often brings back no actual rewards or benefits.
Moreover, concentrating on living the moment can train an individual to become more flexible with their life. By not planning ahead, they will have to deal with their situations with little preparation, thereby forcing themselves to learn to adapt to new environments. Because of that, not only are they not bound by any expectation of their own about their future but they can also live a worry-free life since they have adapted to thrive in most situations. This can be a major edge over other individuals’ competitors. For students, those who are more adaptive would not struggle to prepare as much as others for the same test. For adults, being flexible with their work provides many benefits such as more spare time or more job opportunities.
In conclusion, even though planning for the future can bring about some benefits, I think that it is ultimately a waste of time. In contrast, focusing on the present can actually train a person’s adaptibility, which would give them an advantage over other people in their life.