Chapter 15 was my favorite letter this time. It focuses on the Past, Present and Future. Skrewtape believes that we must “get them away from the eternal, and from the Present” from page 76. The Past has some value to them, but believes that the Future holds “fear, avarice, lust, and ambition” from page 76, all of which are characteristics that the Enemy does not favor. He goes on to say that the Enemy wants us to thing about the Future, but more so in thinking of their duty tomorrow.
I thought about this in my own life and felt a connection to the letter because I’m in a phase in my life that I’m looking forward to the future. Although I don’t necessarily believe everything Skewtape is saying because the characteristics he told about the Future can be seen in the Present sometimes too, which makes me feel a little better about myself. I think it’s good to prepare for the Future but to also live in the Present. One quote I liked that he stated was “the duty of planning the morrow’s work is today’s duty; though its material is borrowed form the Future, the duty, like all duties, is in the Present” on page 77. I guess I liked the way he put that because I am living in the Present but just using the Future to decide what to do tomorrow.
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I like that you live in the Present but let the Future help influence the decisions you make. I can see Screwtape's point of trying to get people to not focus on the Past. When I start thinking about the Past, I think about all the negative things that have influenced my life in positive ways and all the fun times I've had and I am grateful for what God's given me. When people start realizing the things they've been given, faith in God becomes stronger. I think that no matter what stage (Past, Present, Future) people chose to live in or focus on, there will always be feelings of fear, lust, and ambition.
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