1.
This week, I had a hard time leaving bed in the morning. I’ve stayed up later than usual to watch TV. When the morning came around, it was challenging to resist staying wrapped by the thick, soft fleece blanket like a burrito.
“Am I ready to touch the cold floor with my feet? Is it time to face the world?” I asked myself. “No, I’m good. It’s nice and toasty here.” Zzz…
I’ve aspired to leave bed immediately in the morning for most of my adult life. In my first semester of college, I had this 8 a.m. class where the professor would lock the door shortly after class began so the late students couldn’t enter. I struggled to show up on time despite living only 15 minutes away. One morning, I was approaching the classroom at precisely 8:05. The open door gave me hope, but the professor saw me running from afar and quickly closed the door with a big grin.
After college, I would take a bus to cross the Bay Bridge for my job in San Francisco every day. Even though the bus stop was right outside my apartment complex, I often missed the bus by a minute or two. The few minutes of snoozing ended up costing half an hour or more. As I watched the tail of the bus fade away, I vowed to show up early every time. I would, of course, repeat the same mistake in a few weeks.
The tension of today vs. tomorrow—that’s the theme I’m exploring this week.
2.
In my first year of living in America, I was pleasantly surprised by how abundantly available candies are during Halloween. One day, I took a handful of free candies home from school. A piece of chocolate blew me away.
I read the orange packaging to see what I ate: “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.” That was the most delicious chocolate I’d ever eaten.
My roommate went to Costco that weekend. He brought home a “party size” bag of Reese’s with at least 50 pieces. He and I devoured half a dozen together—by that, I mean he ate one, and I ate five.
Overeating chocolate can’t be good for me, I thought. I should stop there.
I emptied the entire bag by myself within the next twenty-four hours. It was delightful in the moment, but I felt awful after. I avoided Reese’s for the following three years.
If a psychologist selects me for the famous “marshmallow test”—the experiment that studies the effect of delayed gratification on future life outcomes—I won’t do very well.
3.
My family had a white Pekingese for almost 15 years. Like most dogs, Xing was very easily distracted, especially by food. He would be playing with a toy in the living room, but once he sensed any vague opportunity for food—the sound of plastic packaging or the microwave’s “ding” sound—he would immediately drop the toy in his mouth, listen attentively, and decide whether he should run towards the kitchen.
Despite his love for food, he never seemed to worry about where the next meal would come from. When he was hungry, he ate. When he was full, he walked away from the bowl of food.
That’s one of the biggest differences between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom: animals are locked in the present. Humans plan for the future.
4.
An Aesop classic:
In the warmth of summer, Ant worked tirelessly to gather food.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper as he danced, “instead of toiling and moiling?”
“I am gathering food for the winter,” said the Ant, “You should do the same.”
Grasshopper sang and danced.
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper. “We have plenty of food right now.” But Ant continued working.
The seasons changed. Ant’s home was filled with provisions, but Grasshopper was cold and starving. Regretting his lack of preparation, Grasshopper sought help.
Ant was kind enough to welcome him with warmth and shared her food.
5.
Recently, a friend asked me what I thought about Nayib Bukele, the recently reelected President in El Salvador. Once calling himself the “world’s coolest dictator”—and more recently a “philosopher king”—Bukele gained public support in recent years with an 80% approval rating. His astronomical rise stemmed from his success in cracking down on gangs and lowering homicide rates. People now feel safer walking on the streets.
Over the last few years, Bukele consolidated power and effectively turned the country into a police state: Soldiers can whisk citizens off the streets and into prison without stating the reason. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested. Government critics and political opponents fear prosecution. Journalists are spied on.
My knowledge of El Salvador is extremely limited, but the reelected president’s practices remind me of China. Authoritarian regimes often establish a similar social contract with the people: The leader promises to provide immediate benefits like security or economic growth. Its policies are swift and effective since the one-state government is unencumbered by gridlocks typical in a democratic system. In exchange for the benefits, an autocracy demands unwavering loyalty. The people pay the cost of reduced privacy, due process, and freedoms like speech, protest, and journalism.
The book What We Knew features interviews with German civilians after World War II to understand why people supported their leader during one of the darkest times in human history:
[Interviewer]: At the beginning of this interview, you said that most grown-ups welcomed Hitler’s measures.
[German civilian]: Yes, clearly. One has to remember that in 1923 we had inflation… The [currency] had inflated a trillion times… Then Adolf came to power with his new idea. For most that was indeed better. People who hadn’t had a job for years had a job. And then the people were all for the system. When someone helps you get out of an emergency situation and into a better life, then you’re going to give them your support. Do you think people would then say, “This is all such nonsense. I’m against that”? No. That doesn’t happen.
In the last few decades, China lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. El Salvador’s murder rate dropped by 70% in 2023. If a citizen has no food on the table or worries about his family getting killed today, choosing a draconian leader offering “protection” is reasonable.
The benefits, however, come with risks in the future. When a person has absolute power, his ultimate concern is to preserve his power above all else. China removed the two-term limit on the presidency in 2019. El Salvador’s constitution used to have a one-term limit on presidents, but a court of judges appointed by Bukele lifted the ban for this recent election.
History shows power tends to corrupt. A dictatorial leader’s agenda often diverges from the people’s interest over time. The system is thus inherently unstable with an unpredictable outcome.
Will El Salvadorians’ lives be better off under Bukele? It’s not for me to judge. The people, however, will bear the risks tomorrow for the gains today.
6.
If we don’t live in the present now, when?
If we don’t plan for the future now, when?