A lot of people seem to take in the phrase "a bright future" as a promise that the future holds a better life. As for myself, I try not to be so naive. To me, the future holds brightness because it has that possibility to be a better situation than the one you are either currently living in or one that you have lived in the past. It's the future itself and the endless choices and opportunities it holds that is so bright, not some predetermined paradise that is held out of your grasp by time. The past is always dark because it's already set. There's no changing what has already happened and once the present turns past, it will only continue to dim until it is forgotten. So don't just wait and sit in the dark, assuming the future will brighten up on its own. You're going to have to turn on the light switch yourself.