Unless one is able to live fully in the present, the future is a

The words of Alan Watts—“Unless one is able to live fully in the present, the future is a hoax”—resound like the tolling of a temple bell, awakening those who sleepwalk through the corridors of time. In this saying, Watts, the philosopher-poet who wove Eastern wisdom into Western thought, reveals a truth both simple and profound: that life is only ever now, and that the man who chases the future while neglecting the present is pursuing a mirage. For the future, that golden kingdom we dream of and fear, does not exist except as a shadow of the present moment. The past has already crumbled into memory, and the future lives only in imagination; all that is real—vivid, breathing, alive—is this moment, this breath, this heartbeat.

Watts’ insight arose from his lifelong study of Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and the mystic traditions of the East. In those ancient teachings, the wise understood that time is not a river flowing toward destiny, but a vast ocean in which every wave already contains the whole. To live “fully in the present” is not to ignore tomorrow, but to awaken to the eternal now in which tomorrow is already contained. The future is a hoax not because it will never arrive, but because it is never what we think it will be. It seduces us with the promise of fulfillment, whispering, “One day, you will be happy… successful… at peace.” But that day never comes—because happiness, success, and peace can only be experienced now, never later.

In the world of men, however, this truth is easily forgotten. The farmer dreams of next season’s harvest, the merchant of next year’s profit, the student of future greatness. And in their endless striving, they overlook the miracle of the moment—the wind upon the face, the laughter of a child, the sunrise that paints the earth anew. Watts reminds us that a life spent only preparing for what’s to come is a life never truly lived. It is a chain of waiting, a self-made prison where the door is open, yet few step through. To live in the future is to live in illusion, always grasping but never arriving.

Consider the tale of Siddhartha Gautama, the one who became the Buddha. As a young prince, he sought happiness in luxury, and later, in the severest discipline of asceticism. Yet in both paths, he found only dissatisfaction. It was not until he sat beneath the Bodhi tree, surrendering all future desires and fears, that he awakened to the truth of presence. He saw that peace is not earned by striving, but found in being—in the still, unguarded awareness of the moment. The enlightenment he reached was not a destination in time, but a realization of timelessness. In that awakening lies the same wisdom that Watts later gave voice to: that to live fully now is to touch eternity.

And yet, to live in the present is not to forsake vision or responsibility. It is not laziness, nor is it ignorance of tomorrow. It is to act with clarity, rather than anxiety—to build the future with calm hands instead of trembling ones. The builder who lays each brick with full attention constructs not just a house, but a temple; the musician who plays each note with awareness creates harmony not only in the air, but in his soul. Those who dwell fully in the present moment craft futures more beautiful than the dreamers who only fantasize about them. The irony, as Watts knew, is that by giving oneself wholly to the present, one creates the only future worth having.

The lesson is eternal and simple: live now, or never live at all. Let not your mind wander into what was or what may be. The moment before you is sacred—it holds the breath of life, the pulse of the universe, the very essence of existence. Do not trade it for the counterfeit coins of “someday.” When you eat, eat with awareness; when you work, work with devotion; when you love, love with your whole being. For to be half-present is to be half-alive. The miracle of life does not wait—it unfolds in each instant, waiting only for your eyes to see it.

Therefore, children of the present and seekers of truth, remember Alan Watts’ wisdom: the future is a hoax when the present is wasted. You cannot arrive at happiness later; you can only awaken to it now. Do not chase time—stand still, and let time flow through you. Be as the mountain, unmoved yet eternal; as the river, ever-flowing yet always here. For the one who learns to live fully in the present does not fear the future—he transcends it, and in doing so, becomes timeless himself.