Things that were, things that are...

In "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring," Galadriel, Lady of Wood and the ruler of Lothlórien, looks into her mirror and proclaims that she can see:

Things that were

things that are

and some things that have not yet come to pass.

While we don't all have Galadriel's mirror, or nearly as impressive of a title, being able to think about the past, present, and future is an invaluable tool. The process of intelligent progress requires the active implementation of all three. 

Progress is having a vision of how a situation should be and working to turn that into reality. It's essential to have a clear understanding of what's currently going on in order to be able to work towards the future you see. However, understanding the past and the process that created the situation in front of you is almost as important. Identifying historical trends and behavior helps to inform a strategy for how to turn the present into the future.