When I think about the future,
I don’t feel excited.
I don’t feel scared either.
It just feels… unclear.
People ask me what I want to do next,
but I don’t have a clean answer.
What would an ossan think about the future?
Ossan’s answer
An ossan stops imagining the future
as a destination.
The future is not a picture.
It’s a direction.
When you are younger,
the future feels wide
because you haven’t tested yourself yet.
After failure,
the future feels narrow
because you know the cost.
An ossan understands this.
Not knowing what you want
doesn’t mean you’re lost.
It means you’re done chasing
borrowed goals.
An ossan doesn’t ask,
“Where will I be in ten years?”
He asks,
“What kind of days
can I tolerate repeating?”
The future grows out of that answer.
Quietly.
Without drama.