We evolved to care about things that were close by or in the near future.
That makes sense. It’s a useful survival skill in a primitive world.
Today, though, our instinct for the close and the imminent is being used against us. Media and those in search of our money or attention bring the far nearby, amplify the reality of threats and emphasize sunk costs in pushing us to stay stuck.
We need to get much better at investing in the future, and being distracted by loud, sudden noises isn’t helpful.