Human Behavior > The Physical, Ethical and Time Space of Man
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The Physical, Ethical and Time Space of ManMan experiences time in three configurations:
The Past, the Present and the Future. Man's past is part of his spiritual existence. He carries his past over into his present. The present is the fleeting instant of the here and now and the actions taken within that narrow time-frame - a moment that is indeed determined by the past and future. The person who is functioning optimally, however, has his or her eyes on the future. He or she is underway to becoming fully human. Indeed, he or she is underway to an eternal destiny and is merely a migrant and a stranger in this world.
This means that the development of a vibrant outlook on the future and advice regarding time occupation falls within the ambit of Functional Intelligence. Furthermore, counselling will also have to be aimed at teaching the client how to live in hope and take strength from it. In a certain sense hope is comprised out of all three the configurations of time. In the knowledge of the definite past the client can find assurance as to what the future holds for him or her, so that living in a dynamic confidence could direct his or her life in the present and help him or her to become a bearer of light. Man experiences time within specific boundaries.
Being a mortal creature, man has to find his spiritual existence within time. This realm of time has boundaries within which he has to fulfil his obligation to live in a positive relationship with his fellow mortals and the whole of creation. Mention of man's mortality naturally brings death to the fore. Several psychological theories have indicated how death and the fear that it invokes plays a major role in the thoughts and behaviour of adults. If we accept the proposal that death is an intrinsic element of true humanity the client will also have to be guided in making the latter concept part of his or her realisation of that humanity. Man is an Entity with a History. This tells us that counselling must always be directed towards the here-and-now situation of the client. The conditions under which he or she lives cannot be shoved aside by presenting him or her with theories having no correlation with them. In functional counselling particular attention must be given to the trends of thought of the day. The client must be made conversant with the meaning of the terms materialism, individualism et cetera, and must be helped to find out what influence these teachings have on his or her own way of thinking. |