[shun]

Can the instant messenger deliver the following echelons?

(1) The future time is within the present time:
"In two hours" is future time, but it is within today.
"Tomorrow" is future time, but it is within this week.
"Next month" is future time, but it is within this year.
"Next decade" is future time, but it is within this century.

(2) On the other hand, the present time can be also within the future time:
"This minute" is present time, but it is within "the coming hour".
"Today" is present time, but it is within "the coming week".
"This month" is present time, but it is within "the coming year"
"This decade" is the present time, but it is within "the coming century".

Note to point (2):
-- If today is Wednesday, "the coming week" is from this Wednesday to next Wednesday. That is to say, it connects to the present, though it refers to a future week and thus a future time. It is different from "this week", a present time, which spans from Sunday to Saturday, and Wednesday is within it.
-- Obviously, "the coming week" is also different from "next week", though both are future time.
-- The same explanation applies to "the coming minute/hour/week/year/century/etc."
-- Therefore, "this minute", a present time, is within "the coming hour", a future time.

If we combine (1) and (2) above, the conclusion can be the future time is overlapped with the present time, actually seamlessly. In other words, as can be said, future time and present time are the same. You cannot separate future time completely from the present time.

If this conclusion sounds odd to you, the story doesn't end here. Shape the reality you know to the rest of the story.