"...what motivates our investment in goals and planning for the future, much of the time, isn't any sober recognition of the virtues of preparation and looking ahead. Rather, it's something much more emotional: how deeply uncomfortable we are made by feelings of uncertainty. Faced with the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds, we invest ever more fiercely in our preferred visions of that future - not because it will help us achieve it, but because it helps rid us of feelings of uncertainty in the present." - Oliver Burkeman in "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking"