Feasibility of committing one's life to Life

Commitment to the future means that the first priority, when we make decisions, is what effect it would have upon, for example, our ability to take care of the future of Life on Earth. Any smaller commitments are then chosen based upon how they may ultimately affect the future.

Is commitment to the future of Life on Earth more or less feasible than a smaller commitment? Would a smaller commitment be more effective either for the future or for ourselves?

Is commitment to Life better for the future?

At first flush, it may seem more practical to commit to something smaller. (After all, what could be less doable than taking care of the future of Life on Earth? Our efforts are fulfilled long after we are gone.) However, commitment to the future of Life itself may produce better outcomes because:

• it encourages us to understand the whole picture so that, when we are formulating our smaller goals (such as to improve our health, relationships, education, local community, etc.) we choose smaller goals that provide the most support for the future (e.g. good health without being obsessive, relationships that make us stronger, education that makes us more perceptive and skillful, and local social norms that promote morality and practicality)
• it encourages us to be more flexible in our own goals and interests, and to change our goals if we discover that another course of action would make better use of our time (thus avoiding opportunity costs)
• it encourages us to deeply understand the whole situation so that we can actually make decisions that are better for the future

Is commitment to Life better for ourselves?

One of the main problems with making a smaller commitment is that they are not always relevant. For example, the pursuit of happiness can make us less happy. Likewise, placing our health, social life, or amusement as our top priority will also reduce the richness of our life as a whole.

Commitment to the wellbeing of the future of Life may produce better outcomes for ourselves because:

• if we commit our lives to some other goal than maximizing our benefit upon the future of life — for example, to follow our whims — then we may lack a reason to make our lives as sound and hale and practical
• it encourages us to develop our capabilities far beyond what they are today — whereas smaller commitments do not encourage the greatest skill growth
• by knowing that we are doing our best to make a real contribution to the world, it is better for our mental health
• it encourages us to improve the morality of the groups to which we belong (family, neighbourhood, business, nation) so that the groups are not self-serving and weak, but moral and robust

Although at first it may seem more practical (in a short-term sense) to not place top priority on the future of Life on Earth, there are many reasons why lesser commitments are actually less practical.