You’ve heard the question, and likely asked it yourself.
“Are we there yet?" ask the children, sitting in the back seat
of the car.
“Are we there yet?” asks the dog, waiting for the next
feeding.
“Are we there yet?” asks the writer of the editor, hoping
the last revision nailed it.
The question
reminds me of the late great Yeshayahu Leibowitz,
a professor of chemistry and a religious philosopher. He said to be wary of
anyone who tells you when the messiah will come, for the messiah is always
coming but never there yet.
After the year we’ve
had, I hear this question almost daily. If not from others, then inside my head.
But then I remember
Leibowitz, and answer myself. We are always on the way, never there.
Living in the
moment.
©by Shelagh
Duffett
7 comments:
Indeed, no one knows the time (and in the case of Christians, for the second coming). I am very, very interested in what the Jewish people think since they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Who do they say He is, then?
I have talked to my Muslim friends who believe Jesus is a prophet. They don't believe He died and rose from the dead.
But that is the Christian belief and if He didn't then our faith is in vain.
The present is all we have. It's always a good reminder to live it well. Thank you MIrka.
Jews believe the messiah is still coming, though he may be tardy, as the prayer goes. I recommend finding essays by Liebowitz if you are interested in a better articulation than I could give to religious Jewish thinking, which isn't uniform at any rate.
Waiting is hard, no question about it. And especially the not knowing when. But God can teach us many important lessons during and through the waiting. If we're receptive.
I'm not Jewish, but in many senses, I think we're always on the way.
Love,
Janie
It's so important to learn to live in the moment and enjoy the journey.
I do believe in making the present as fulfilling and worthy as possible, given that it's all we can control. And, while a Christian, frankly I'm not waiting for the Second Coming. For all I know, we could be in the middle of it right now and it wouldn't change what needs to be addressed: Love thy neighbor. Help the poor. Support justice. Correct injustice. Be kind to others . . . all of that.
Meanwhile, I have to confess that, while reading your post, "Waiting for Godot" popped into my mind.
I thought of "Waiting for Godot," too, Elizabeth!
Living in the moment is also very Zen. It's something I'm working on. :-)
Post a Comment