Beyond the Planned: Embracing an Unimaginable 2026
As we step into 2026, the world is busy making resolutions. Most of these plans are rooted in the desire to control the future—to make the year “go as planned.” But I would like to invite you to a different kind of beginning: What if we aimed for a 2026 that is completely unimaginable?
The Trap of the Known
When we set goals, we usually rely on our past patterns. Our brains are excellent at remixing what we already know to project a “new” path. However, true “newness” rarely comes from within our own thinking. If a project or an idea is already fully formed in your mind, it is, by definition, an extension of your past.
To encounter something genuinely new, we must look beyond the horizon of our current logic. This requires a shift from “executing a plan” to “preparing to wait.”
The Practice of Kuyo: Punctuation for the Soul
In Japan, we have a profound tradition called Kuyo (供養). While often associated with funerals, its deeper meaning is far more expansive. It is a ritual of punctuation—a way to place a period at the end of a long sentence. We perform Kuyo for objects, projects, and relationships to acknowledge their contribution, offer gratitude, and officially end the current narrative.
Before we rush to fill 2026 with new activities, we must first “Kuyo” our past year. By consciously ending what has been, we update our relationship with our history. This is how we empty the cup. Without this punctuation, we carry the clutter of the past into the future, leaving no room for the unexpected.
Cultivating Plasticity
In my work, I often speak about Plasticity. Plasticity is the capacity of a system—or a human—to be reshaped by external input. It is the opposite of being rigid or “stuck in one’s ways.”
Emptying the cup is not a passive act; it is an active cultivation of this plasticity. By creating a vacuum in our schedules and our minds, we generate the space required for the “Unknown” to enter. When we stop trying to dictate exactly what will happen, we allow ourselves to be moved by forces, insights, and encounters that we could never have predicted.
An Invitation
Let us resist the urge to decide everything today. Instead, let us focus on the “Kuyo” of our recent chapters—clearing the mental and physical space to be surprised.
May your 2026 be a year that defies your expectations, shatters your existing patterns, and leads you toward a landscape you cannot yet imagine.
Happy New Year.
Shoukei Matsumoto
Secular Monk
Thank you for sharing. Your take on ‘kuyo’ as a ritual of punctuation was a revelation for me. I’d heard this word in the context of funerals but your article made me dig deeper into the etymology of the word. I was intrigued to learn how the association with funeral rites is distinctively Japanese. The metaphor of emptying our cup to make space for possibility is one that resonated.