Camus cuts against the grain of deferred gratification—that comfortable lie we tell ourselves about sacrificing today for tomorrow's reward. What makes this different from mere carpe diem is the *moral* claim: he's saying that those who genuinely care about the future stop calculating and start *acting* now, fully engaged, with total commitment. A parent who rushes through bedtime stories while mentally planning next month's promotion isn't actually securing anything; the child learns absence, not security. Real fidelity to what comes next means showing up completely in this moment—that's how we build the world we'll inherit.