Why should we worry about any future life apart from this life?

This is not our only life and one day we will have to leave this world even if we do not wish to. And our future life will depend on our actions in this life.

Life is not a one-day match but a multi-innings test match. And the next innings will depend on how well or badly we played in this one. We begin from where we left off. So, to avoid any future distress and have a better future life, we need to think about it in this life.

And spirituality apart, don't we follow this system in our daily life as well? Don't we worry about our children's future welfare and thus send them to the best of schools and encourage them to work hard to have a better career? Don't we make investments to make our future secure, especially anticipating any emergency that might pop up? These are called short-term investments, and our holy scriptures, which are the guidebooks for humanity, encourage us to make long-term investments as life continues even beyond the present body.

As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (2.13):

dehino 'smin yatha dehe

kaumaram yauvanam jara

tatha dehantara-praptir

dhiras tatra na muhyati

'As the embodied soul continually passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.'

Further He says in the Bhagavad Gita (2.27):

jatasya hi dhruvo mrityur

dhruvam janma mritasya ca

tasmad apariharye 'rthe

na tvam sochitum arhasi

'For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.'

Thus, we must recognize that we are eternal beings and our life will not end with death, but will continue, and therefore we must prepare for the future. There is strong scientific evidence of reincarnation through the recollection of past life memories by children as investigated by Dr Ian Stevenson (around 3000 cases) in different parts of the world. Thus, science and scripture both confirm that we will have life after this life, and therefore it is wise to prepare for it. Just like a child who knows there will be exams after six months, we must be sensible enough to prepare for the same, to take responsibility for our lives.

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