2The ego invests heavily in the past, and in the end believes that the past is the only aspect of time that is meaningful. 3You will remember that we said its emphasis on guilt enables it to ensure its continuity by making the future like the past, and thus avoiding the present.25 4By the notion of paying for the past in the future, the past becomes the determiner of the future, making them continuous without an intervening present. 5For the ego uses the present only as a brief transition to the future, in which it brings the past to the future by interpreting the present in past terms.
