WindowView - Purpose Behind the Time Lines''Thought Space'' for the Future of the Human Race
Thinking of Trends Over Time
WindowView's time lines serve several functions:
First, a walk through time integrates science and Scripture into a larger reality over time.
Admittedly, only a subset of specific elements — within a greater universe of all events — are illustrated here. Given what is included... the time line gives a sense for CHANGE over TIME!
Change is evident in the use of the earth, awareness of our place in the universe, advances in technology for communications, for commercial ventures, for making war or peace, for the material (naturalistic) and religious world views, and other themes. Change is not steady state but varies with developing events over time. You know this already, but look at the fit and pace along time!
Assembling or observing the holistic view is an intended goal within the WindowView experience.
Where is time leading us?
A scriptural view is set in place from the start (Genesis 1). Science also comes along to both look back at beginnings (origins) and to observe what it can of natural (material) events. Science even agrees with the framework of Genesis. Further on time line there are transitions from the predominantly material to the scriptural events.
How is our understanding of our origin changing with time? Is the view changing here? How does science support the notion of Genesis beginnings? Our Science Area provides insight in relation to these time line questions.
Second, timelines illustrate trends.
While seemingly the obvious case, it is noteworthy to consider the increasing pace to human activity. TRENDS (as noted in the Convergence Area) emerge like the graphics depicting global population, increasing use of resources (consumption), mounting release of greenhouse gases (our exhaust if you will!), and mounting loss of species (declining biodiversity). The time line at first depicts minimal impacts and then a mounting of pace and potentially serious impacts in time ahead.
How do these trends impact our lives, the planet we live on, and the way we think of our life experience? Additional documentation on these changes is offered in our Window Area (especially Part I entitled The World focuses on the diversity of global changes that we now see).
Third, there may be shifts in the collective human consciousness — over time — that goes from a spiritual view to material view and back to a spiritual framework. And in time ahead, we may yet see a merger of seemingly eclectic elements to put both material and spiritual values in perspective together.
How so?
The fact that the biblical text does not lose value in light of recent scientific advances is of great importance. That scientific and philosophical developments supplement and not replace the biblical information is also key to grasping the forward momentum that the time line ultimately displays.
Note how biblical themes are set in place early on. Scientific discoveries — based on human ''sense knowledge'' (i.e., limited to the human senses and the extension of these by more recent scientific technologies) — build the material evidence to expand humanity's platform of naturalistic observations. Taking the material evidence forward leads some to extrapolate sense knowledge beyond biblical principles. Yet considering scientific exploration on a sound or reasonable empirical basis, information in the biblical text is only affirmed (to the extent that it relates) by science findings. Time at the window reveals the complementary nature to this relationship.
The mix of scientific advances propel humanity ever forward into cycles of increasing our use of material resources — note that some are not renewable. Global changes, if unchecked over time, now portend grim prospects. We see that, over time, humans increase the capacity to produce goods, to wage war, to advance medical sciences in incredible ways (certainly a human-centric endeavor), to use or anticipate use of resources on land and under the sea (i.e., the globe shrinks in dimensions as humanity expands the capacity to mine, harvest, and utilize all types of resources), and through time space exploration once pointed to the far reaches of space now focus back onto the surface of earth. Material activity is forcing us to think in terms of potential crises ahead. Human activity also forces us to face a clash in (religious and nationalistic) beliefs and adding another layer to an anticipated convergence in time.
Religious activity early on focused on the presence of God in the midst of humanity, but after the destruction of the Temple in Israel, past the dark ages there is a shift to a material, industrial, and technical focus driven by human activity — yet again there remains ever present a spiritual time line. The time line's inclusion of the ''church ages'' help to illustrate periods with varied characteristics that come through time. The current age shows a mix of activity with the main theme being apostasy — essentially an era of distancing from the God that once lived in the midst of those on earth. Picking up the biblical line again brings God back into the end of the timeline and into the many themes reflected elsewhere in the WindowView.
Do you see the motion and sense the direction of events over time?
Fourth, you may have previously wondered how biblical themes can possibly interweave with events as we see them today.
Yet, the daily news papers remind us that there is an ever present focus on Israel and the Middle East (see our news section: "Israel News and Views"). Events in Israel play into the time line especially as the Jewish faithful strive to rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem. The importance of the Temple in Jerusalem is evident all along the time line. The Bible indicates a third Temple will be built. The purpose to this is explored elsewhere in our Window Area (See Parts III and IV).
Associated political forces are also at play here, for example, oil is a king pin global and economic (material) resource that is potentially held hostage to events in the Middle East. How might resource issues as well as religious conflict bring us time and again to this global focal region?
Humans have continuously encountered a need for conflict resolution. There is the need to overcome global changes that potentially limit or threaten future generations. Add to this the tensions in the Middle East and the story line becomes complex.
Political efforts to achieve economic stability and global peace repeatedly achieve a stalemate. Perhaps the projected themes at the end of the WindowView time line simply indicate it is not political ideology that in the end makes the big impact, but faith and belief systems that drive human passions that make a key difference. This is truly the greatest example of ''Thinking Globally and Acting Locally,'' but not in the environmental movement sense.
Real progress starts with our core being, free will, choice, and faith based reality that stems from our true origin. The WindowView ultimately considers how numerous themes bring us along time and back to our relationship with the 'intelligent agent' that put us here in the first place (the action of that agent is evident in design). Ultimately, this is a place to consider a key relationship (which we consider further in the Harmony Area).
Consider:
What is humanity rushing forward to? What will be the net result of our current direction?
How does humanity propose to fix the dilemmas associated with global change? Can humans institute a fix?
Might current events in fact lead us to the themes illustrated in the latter stages of the time line (that is, the scriptural events that are projected to come in the future)?
What other questions come to your mind?
The time line elements are like the many panes in the larger WindowView... we encourage you to take some time to reflect, discern the view, and to think of what lies ahead.
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