Blog: The Transcendental Future - 2011-03-02
The Transcendental Future March 2, 2011,
Reading an interesting book: The Time Paradox by Phillip Zimbardo and John Boyd. It's an in-depth examination of how our attitudes towards time – past, present and future – affect how we live our lives. It is a worthwhile read. Doesn't have much to do with our discussion of the Church of Scientology – however…
I was reading a chapter on something called the transcendental future. Simply put, it has to do with people's beliefs about what will happen to them and the world after they die. For instance, Christians believe they will go to Heaven if they are good, devout, and pious. So this affects how they live their lives. Transcendent futures are usually unprovable, often improbable. But they are believed, and that is what matters. And no one reports back as to whether it's really true or not.
Belief in a transcendental future can have both good and evil results. Certainly, the Christian belief in an afterlife has inspired great works of art and architecture, great acts of charity and compassion and courage.