Permanant Interim

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Much of life is lived in the “interim.” Interim is defined as “not final or lasting; temporary until somebody/something more permanent is found.” As a child, you are waiting to grow up. A teen would want to become independent as soon as possible. A student would want to finish their education and get a job to make money. If you are waiting to find a partner, life is lived in anticipation of that day when you will find your heart’s desire. Busy middle-aged people are waiting for the retirement day! And if you are at my age, where formal employment is over, but you are still active formally and informally, you are waiting to see what the future will be like.


As of now, we are in a two-month interim in our nation. Elections are ongoing, and we are waiting for something to happen. One group is waiting for the current dispensation to come back with more power, while others are waiting for a change. Again, waiting for something to happen!

 

There is a mindset that one tends to develop as we constantly live in waiting for a change to happen. It is called the “Interim Mindset.” Some writers call it the “Permanent Interim.”

 

There are a few ways this plays out in real life:

 

The Blissfully Futuristic: Those who live in a fantasy world, always looking ahead to a day when they will “live happily ever after.” Today is just something to endure because the future is bright and light! So, they ignore today as much as possible.


The Fearfully Futuristic: Others who are fearful and paralyzed by fear of the future, so they are frozen in the present. These people end up hurrying, worrying, and eating too much curry, developing ulcers and other stress-related issues.

 

The Feet-on-the-Ground People: They live for today. Eat, drink, and be merry—YOLO (You Only Live Once). They are actively engaged in the present with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). They figure they will face the future when it comes, but now, they live for today.

 

I recently learned about this during a hike. You can read some of these thoughts isection 3 of this blog: [Climbing Mountains: The Creator’s Handiwork]

https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2024/04/climbing-mountains-creators-handiwork.html

 

I was constantly living in the future, enduring the pain of today while anticipating the moment I would see the mountains. But some of my friends were living not in the permanent interim but with a “Here But Not Yet” perspective.

 

There is a story in the Good Book about Jewish captives who were taken to Babylon. Their religious leaders and prophets told them, do not worry, you will soon return. Live as if this is only an interim. 


Interestingly, yet another prophet gave them a different perspective: “Build houses and make yourselves at home. Plant gardens and eat what grows in that country. Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away. Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare. Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.”

 

And then reminding them, “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you—bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.”

 

This presents an interesting picture: live not in a permanent interim but in an actively engaged, feet-on-the-ground, passing interim!

 

I wonder, how will I live today?

 

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