Dec 18, 1943, to Eberhard Bethge (1 of 2)
Above all one must not give in to self-pity. Concerning the Christian aspect of the question, as the hymn says,
Let it not be forgotten,
what we so gladly forget,
that this poor earth
is not our home.
Yes, this says something essential, but only as the very last thing. I believe we should love God in our Life and in everything good that he gives us, we should love him so and hold on to him with such trust that when the time comes—but only then and not before—that we can go to him with love, trust, and joy.
But—to say it clearly—to think that a man in the arms of his wife should be longing for another world, to put it mildly is bad taste and at any rate not God’s will.
I am glad to read this in your translation – it reframes my memory of Letters from Prison. (A book I remember liking from my 20s when I could barely read – I mean that foolishly for I was taught to speed read and I was taught reading at my mother’s knee and I won prizes and accolades – but it did not make me a good reader ‘yet’. Good reading grows on us and cannot be rushed)
I think especially these letters should be savored and mulled over, not skimmed rapidly. Thanks for reading.