Faith consists in being vitally concerned with that ultimate reality to which I give the symbolical name of God. Whoever reflects earnestly on the meaning of life is on the verge of an act of faith.
Paul TillichRead
In the depth of the anxiety of having to die is the anxiety of being eternally forgotten.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The fear of death is closely tied to the fear of being forgotten after we are gone.
This quote by Paul Tillich delves into the existential anxieties that accompany the inevitability of death. It suggests that deeper than the fear of ceasing to exist is the fear that one's life and essence may not leave a lasting impact, leading to the notion of being forgotten by future generations. This highlights the human desire for legacy and remembrance, emphasizing a longing for significance in a world that often overlooks individual lives.
Themes
AnxietyDeathForgettingLegacyExistential
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mortality and legacy during a philosophy class.
More from Paul Tillich
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He who risks and fails can be forgiven. He who never risks and never fails is a failure in his whole being.
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The citizens of a city are not guilty of the crimes committed in their city; but they are guilty as participants in the destiny of [humanity] as a whole and in the destiny of their city in particular; for their acts in which freedom was united with destiny have contributed to the destiny in which they participate. They are guilty, not of committing the crimes of which their group is accused, but of contributing to the destiny in which these crimes happened.
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Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human
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