'The greatest problem is not how to continue but how to exalt our existence. The call for a life beyond the grave is presumptuous, if there is no cry for eternal life prior for our descending to the grave. Eternity is not perpetual future but perpetual presence. He has planted in us the seed of eternal life. The world to come is not only a hereafter but also a herenow.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Life should be about elevating existence now rather than waiting for an afterlife, as eternity exists in the present moment.
- In plain terms
- Focus on making life meaningful today instead of just hoping for life after death.
- What can you take from it?
- Treat the present moment as eternal rather than deferring value to the future.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you experience eternity in the present?
- What makes life worth exalting now?
Another view
It may overlook comfort traditions that emphasize an afterlife for comfort or motivation.
More from Abraham Joshua Heschel
'Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.'
Permalink to quote #14 'Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.'
Permalink to quote #13 'The road to the sacred leads through the secular.'
Permalink to quote #12
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