A Phenomenological Examination of Temporality: Part 1
The Past
Man experiences time. We feel the past and the present, and we anticipate the future. On the surface, this seems like an evident thing. These constructs seem very real to us — we look at the past for pattern recognition, we go to therapy to heal us from past events.
We live in the present moment, though we are not aware of the present moment. Memories, perception, mis-understanding; all of these things cloud our understanding and ability to live in the present moment.
The future is not here, but it is always here. We are always barreling forward from the present moment into the future moment. We live in fear and anxiety or hope and excitement for a future moment. We look forward to that trip we are taking next year. But the future only exists in our imagination — we cannot experience the future unless it is through our present, and when we get there, the present slips through our fingers like it always does.
So what is it that we should do? Why investigate this at all? I think the relationship between man and his perception on time are important to how we perceive ourselves in the world.
If I am a person who thinks that the past defines all that I am and all I ever will be, I will either live in misery or bliss. But how does this person…
