The Gravitational Pull of the Future

Great military strategists have told us that the outcome of a battle is determined before a single shot is fired. This is not clairvoyance but an astute insight into ways in which the future is inextricably tied to the present.

Might I extrapolate even further from this idea? We know that heavenly bodies like the sun and the moon exert a gravitational force on all surrounding planets, asteroids, and comets, based in part on their length, width, and depth, the famed three dimensions. Yet what about the fourth dimension, time? Could there be forces at work that draw us inexorably closer to our personal, professional, and pathological fate? Is there, in other words, a gravitational pull of the future?

For most academic physicians, this concept isn’t really too far-fetched. Take, for example, chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or circulatory problems. Once these have taken root within a given individual’s body, a new course is chartered, as if a ship’s captain has rerouted his craft according to a different set of nautical maps. “Without firing a single shot,” so to speak, an ailment like diabetes recharts the destiny of the person’s heart, arteries, brain, and kidneys. Unfortunately, diabetes is known to cause microvascular changes 5 to 10 years before blood sugar begins to rise—the seeds of future, possibly fatal health crises begin to work their mischief long before the person or the physician have a clue that something is wrong.

To this we can add many other factors, particularly those associated with DNA, the unique “hard drive” that is embedded in every single living human cell—yours is yours alone, unshared with anyone else in human history. Let’s not worry about the specifics of genotype, phenotype, karyotype, histocompatability antigens, and the like; you can read about these in Star Magazine at your leisure. Simply put, you may have an increased risk of cancer, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol or even acne (from an inability to fight skin bacteria, in case you’re wondering) based on your genetic makeup—your future may be partially predetermined by these mysterious and highly complex molecules.

Of course, your daily routine of selfcare is neither mysterious nor complex. Do you exercise effectively, if at all? Do you eat with isocaloric balance in mind--namely, keeping your weight healthy and stable? Are you developing rewarding and profitable relationships that may flower eventually into financial stability and personal happiness? Are you continuously learning newer skills that enhance and solidify your self-confidence? Is improvement in itself on your “to-do” list?

Or have you convinced yourself by means of delusional personal mythology and/or self-validating beliefs that it makes no difference how much you weigh, what your blood tests represent, or how high your blood pressure is? You might feel that your appearance is adequate, even if your clothing choices and posture telegraph a negative message to the outside world. How much are you in touch with what others see and think, as well as the “first impression” you make at school, work, or a social event?

These insights will also partially determine your future, and, conversely, given your present lifestyle choices in appearance and behavior, your future may evolve as a consequence of how you are acting right now. The “gravitational force” of disease, disability, antisocial behavior,and other negative entities might be pulling you inexorably towards a scenario of incapacitation, frustrated dreams, and unhappiness.

However, unlike unchangeable genetic codes, your lifestyle choices are exquisitely sensitive to change—better skincare, hairstyles, outfits, nutrition, and physique are helpful to anyone at any time, even by glamorous celebrities who continually reevaluate and recreate their image.

Whether “the future” is interpreted as next month, next year, or decades from now, there is always something you can do to make it better. Look in the mirror at your own three dimensions—length, width, and depth (or calculate your Body Mass Index, essentially the same thing). Then consider the fourth dimension, time, and its role in the outcome of your life. Fortune tellers might look at your palm, tea leaves, or a crystal ball in order to divine your fate. But using your own honest powers of self-observation, you can do this in a more predictable and cost-effective way—and, through the enjoyable process of self-reinvention, pave the pathway for yourself to a happier and healthier tomorrow.