The Time Paradox

Time is one of the most frequently used words in the English Language. We are obsessed with time. Clocks are everywhere and they rule our lives. What is our relationship to the past and the future? And what should our relationship be? Zimbardo and Boyd have written a book titled The Time Paradox for the self-help market that tries to answer these questions.

The book probes into how people feel about their past, present and future. The reader can take a quiz that contains questions designed to get at our feelings about our history, circumstances and future.

With respect to the past, the book breaks personal feelings into Past Negative and Past Positive. Do you see your past as full of pain and failure or do you look back fondly on your personal history? You perspective on the past has a profound influence on how you approach life.

With respect to the present, the book breaks personal feelings into Present Hedonic and Present Fatalistic. Do you see the present as a big party, doing whatever feels good right now and not worrying about the future or do you believe that what is going to happen is going to happen and you cannot really control your life?

With respect to the future, the book breaks personal feelings into Future Focused and Future Transcendent. Do you consider the consequences of your actions and carefully plan your activities or do you think that there is a life after death waiting for you and it is more important to consider your plans in light of the life to come in a transcendent realm?

These are the six basic perspectives that Zimbardo and Boyd identify. Of course, these are not absolutely separate from each other and everyone falls somewhere between high and low for each of these time perspectives. It is important to understand how you relate to your personal past, present and future. If any one of these perspectives dominate over all the rest, it can cause problems in your life.

Obviously, seeing the past in negative terms will have a negative impact on your life. If you have had serious pain, suffer, loss, etc. in your past, it will be beneficial to find a way to look on the positive side of those event, however you can. The best perspective on the past is to see it in a positive light.

If you are too focused on the pleasures of the present moment, you may cause problems for yourself and others in the future. On the other hand, if you feel that you really can’t control your life, this will also lead to serious problems. The best perspective on the present is to enjoy the present but not to the exclusion of everything else. You should definitely understand that you CAN have control of your life and not be too fatalistic.

On the issue of the future, you should have concern for the consequences of your actions and make plans but not to the point where you cannot enjoy the present. People who are too focused on a transcendent future will tend to ignore important aspects of life in this world.

So, look back positively on the past, enjoy the present and plan for the future. This, in a nutshell, is the advice of the book, The Time Paradox.