TSL Chapter 15 -- Living In The Present

Summary

Screwtape returns to, and expounds on, an earlier theme of keeping The Patient focused on the future (or, failing that, the past), rather than the present. To this end, either fear or hope would work -- either keeps the mind fixated on what's to come instead of what's before it.

Screwtape also makes a strict distinction between the future (which is in time) and the eternal (which is beyond time). A focus on 'the eternal' is equally godly. Screwtape concedes that God allows some thought of tomorrow -- but just enough to plan virtuous outings (acts of justice or charity. Bruce Wayne would approve).

Finally, Screwtape addresses the phrase 'living in the present' -- as a common-wisdom term, it's usually wrong. 'Living in the Present' is likely either equanimity driven by a belief the future will be okay (in which case, it's just more of that sinful, earthly future-focus, although less alarming than fear) or it's a matter of a lack of reflection entirely: a human is healthy and enjoying himself -- in which case, while it's by no means Godly, it's still something a demon would want to quash.

Literary World Building

There's a bit of world-building here I want to acknowledge. Firstly Screwtape mentions the 'Philological Arm' of Hell -- presumably a bunch of demons who come up with clever words that can be used to put a good spin on a bad concept. "Living in the Present" is that kind of thing -- sounds good, but references a fallen, earthly state rather than an apparently-but-not-really-similar Godly state. Screwtape's example is "complacency" which maybe sounds good, but isn't.

One can imagine demoniacal linguists cunningly fabricating words to subvert the living.

Secondly, and more importantly: the whole concept of time and focus is something that I think a) Lewis is probably very much right about and b) is the kind of thing that appears implied by the Bible, but not explicitly stated.

As an eternal, timeless creature, it's just the sort of thing Screwtape would be extremely aware of, but it's also the kind of thing regular humans find odd. Screwtape's articulation of it not only demonstrates CSL's insight, but perfectly fits one of the most inhuman aspects of the character. Well done, Lewis!

My Reaction

"Give us this day, our daily bread," and Jesus's warnings about stockpiling resources imply a need for day-to-day dependency that precludes too much concern for the future. We're supposed to leave things up to God -- and should disaster we're unprepared for hit, to accept it as a welcome trial.

In other words: don't trust that God will take care of you -- act like he will, accepting that he might well not. In terms of worldly wisdom, this would be catastrophic irresponsibility: if I don't save money for my child's education and then -- surprise! -- no school! I'm supposed to pray for strength to accept my son's life of poverty. Likewise, rather than saving money for the proverbial rainy day (or major surgery), I should live paycheck-to-paycheck, and if an ear infection puts us all in the poorhouse (translation for modern day: the last car on the E-train), I should concentrate on lessons we'll all learn from those hardships.

As insane as this sounds, I think that that's a reasonable thing we're called for.

Typically people believe that God will provide. Or that He will provide except in those cases where he'll teach us something -- and those 'tests' will not be more than we can bear.

I recall a Christian I know saying (in a group discussion) he took comfort in the belief that when he "wasn't around" that God would take care of his family. I asked the group leader if God had stepped in front of the bullets aimed at children in Sandyhook Elementary School.

Evidently not.

As I said earlier in this blog, I believe terrible, mind-breaking things happen to Christians. Now maybe those people were faux-Christians, and God protects his own... but I find that even scarier -- that means if something really bad *does* happen to me, it means I'm damned.

I'd rather believe that God lets terrible things happen to us, and we're just supposed to smile and thank him and go on praying. As awful as it sounds, it's the lesser of two horrors.

I think I'm okay about not focusing too much on the future, but I recognize that I'm mostly fine because I think I can take care of most things that'll come (I can probably pay my bills. Probably). If tragedy were to strike, I think I'd be terrified -- I know (from experience), I'd ask God to help, but I'm equally certain that I'd expect nothing and instead of finding some inner, God-given Shalom or looking joyously forward to being closer to him, I suspect I'd just feel orphaned, devastated, and adrift.

Since tragedy is a when-not-an-if, I guess we'll just have to see.