“… while we are alive we are in need of something more — security, peace of mind, happiness — some undefined quality which is more than breathing or existing.”
Between the time Rabbi Olan gave this radio sermon on October 8, 1961 and today, the challenges to understand, adapt, and find genuine meaning in life relentlessly persist. The demands of an ever-changing modern world — with its automation, digital advances, political shifts, social pressures — certainly encourage such a struggle.
“In all of our concern for a world which seems to overwhelm us and mystify us, we are still confronted with the hunger for authentic, genuine, real life.”
How then do we cope? How do we find that authentic, genuine, real life? By finding out who we are supposed to be and shaking off whatever holds us back. There is no time to delay; to know who we are, that is when we truly live.
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 