The future cannot be foreseen - that is, we cannot know the future in the sense of perceiving the future as if it has already-happened, and cannot be changed. I am solidly convinced of this now.
Firstly on metaphysical grounds; in the sense of the nature of reality is such that the future is not predetermined.
For many reasons.
If reality consists in Beings, then beings are free by their nature (not as a gift of God). And in an ultimate sense, reality is indivisible, bits of foresight are not really viable - not least be the context of the bits of foresight is not knowable, so the future is not knowable.
I have explored in some detail accounts of several people who claimed, and had some evidential grounds for, to foresee the future - and none of them could do so - in the sense that they were often wrong about matters about which they were confident.
And I have myself experienced exactly this: I have been convinced about what would happen in the future, in a specific and timed way (although I didn't regard my sense of conviction as necessarily true - nonetheless I "felt sure"). And it did not happen.
I take this to have been a learning experience.
I conclude that the future just is not the kind of thing that can be foreseen, foreknown.
We only know the future in the usual way of "probabilistic" prediction, informed guessing etc.; based on the nature and motivations of things (i.e. the nature of Beings), extrapolation, understanding of causality and the like.
4 comments:
Yes and no. Direct precognition is absolutely real, and entirely different from informed guessing, but it is not infallible. Explaining why in any detail requires Dunne.
@Wm I regard Dunne's metaphysical assumptions as untrue. What needs explaining can be explained in other ways, as is always the case for phenomena. I have come to regard it as spiritually essential that we set aside, reject, ideas that the future is or can be something that has already happened.
If the future is unknowable, or most certainly not infallible in terms of our precognition, then why are people so keen on 'sanctifying' and 'absolutizing' their own promises? Sounds like a sin to me. Promises, wows, oaths, swearing by some symbol, assurances of the highest order such as the stuff politicians throw at the electorate (urgh)... why do we hold expressions like this in such high regard when they amount to nothing more than a human attempt at playing God? To my mind, they reeks of human arrogance and desire for power and control.
From childhood I remember children saying it is a sin to swear that you will be doing this or that. I can see it now: it's like some sort of Dunning-Kruger effect in relation to your future Self: to act all clairvoyant about who you will be and what you will do in the future when in reality you have zero power and control over your future self.
There might be a completely different version of you by then, transformed by your own growth and evolution, or by circumstances yet to experience and lessons yet to learn. Then in order to keep past promises you may be forced to abandon your real self at that point in time. How is that in alignment with God's will?
And why would anyone be allowed to issue such guarantees and take themselves so seriously in the name of their future self, as if they were God?
We certainly should take any promises with a grain of salt - not because people are bad, but because people are human.
I only want to see what people do now, every day, every moment and a stated direction for where they intend to go. But no more than that. Let the reality of who they are and where they're at renew itself every day.
Just say: "I promise to do my very best every day of my life as I move forward." It's about as good as it's going to get for us humans, for even Divinity can change its ways.
A friend was doing tarot readings a few days ago. I pointed out that you could just as effectively use an Uno deck for cartomancy, then idly picked a few cards as a game.
I got the blank card you write your own rules on as the card for my future. Learned my lesson lol. Pretty on the nose that.
Post a Comment