Some months back, February of 2021 it was, I wrote of eternity (https://davidsplace.org/whither-eternity/). In that article, I was focused on the Universe, not us, yet it is for us that we most consider the concept of eternity. Why, we may ask? I have only one answer: we were told at an early age that we would live forever. Yes, this is something of which we never would have considered, otherwise. Remember that childhood teaching? It came, either from a family member or, most likely, a teacher of religion. That’s right; we called it Sunday school. That newfound knowledge meant little to us; after all, we were young and life itself seemed an eternity.

But then we grew up. By the time we are in our 50s, we begin to visualize that there is an end out there, an end to all that we know, yet it still seems in the far future. And now, that Sunday school lesson comes back to haunt us—but not for long. We remember there was a ‘requirement’ we received from that Sunday school teacher: we had to believe. Wow. That was it. We just had to believe what we were told and, voila, eternal life was ours. This sounded too good to be true, but why shake the leaves on the topic? Just accept and move on with our lives. That was how we left it then.

So, how’s that working for you now? The years go by and you’re starting to grasp that old age eventually will come, followed by the end as you know it. The fact that life is finite, not infinite, is becoming more clear. Whatever you wanted to accomplish in this life is limited, and much of what you wish for will never occur. At best, life will be a compromise and we must all find the ability to accept what is, as the end will be the end.

The good news on this is that our minds begin to accept this and start finding compromises to help us adjust to a different pace that defines the winter of our lives. For most of us, what we have accomplished on this life will not last, but will fade into the mist of tomorrow. The success of our lives must be found within us, and does not exist within others; our life was always singular, whether we understand or not.

As we begin seeing that life is finite, we begin facing the question of eternity. Do we want eternity? Or is it a concept with no substance? People speak of wanting to spend eternity while singing in a heavenly choir. Think on that. Have you ever been part of a choir? First, it’s work. Second, after you sing the same song the 3,000th time, it becomes boring. Are you living your life this way? Doing one thing only, and repetitively? Let’s face it: if you lived to be 150, you would be seriously bored. We need to rethink the entire issue of life and eternity.

Our problem, you see, isn’t eternity; our problem is our fear of death. Holding to a belief in eternity lets us avoid facing the bitter truth that, with death, comes the end of life. In that moment, we cease to exist. By saying we believe in eternity, we are pretending we are not afraid of death, yet in facing death, we will find the strength to live our lives in the present, instead of planning our lives in a future that will not come.

Is this an issue you can face yourself? Or must you ask someone else to reassure you of eternity? You can do this, if you only try. Just do it.