Captivating Passage

"'You are no longer a child, Reuven,' my father went on. 'It is almost impossible to see the way your mind is growing. And your heart, too ... You do not see it. But I see it. And it is a beautiful thing to see. So listen to what I am going to tell you.' He paused for a moment, as if considering his next words carefully, then continued. 'Human beings do not live forever, Reuven. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than a blink of an eye?' He paused again, his eyes misty now, then went on. 'I learned a long time go, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be significant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here. Do you understand what I am saying?'"