“No one really has enough time to complete the work of life.”

People of faith sometimes pray for forgiveness of sins of omission – the good that we have left undone. In his October 20, 1963 radio sermon, Rabbi Olan challenged the notion that leaving good things undone is an embarrassment. He suggested that life is short, even for those who have lived many years. To complete one’s life’s work while still alive is tragic. How will you fill your remaining days meaningfully? Wouldn’t it be better to hand off some tasks to the next generation? In that way, your life’s work will continue into the future and your memory will be perpetuated.

“In a profound sense there is no death so long as those who remember carry on the unfinished work of those who die.”

Have you checked off all of the boxes on your life list? If so, what’s next? If not, try re-envisioning unaccomplished goals as part of your bequest to society.

(Rabbi Olan quotes Cecil Rhodes.)