It may seem somewhat out of place to end a book on life with metaphysical speculations about eternity. But physical life is ultimately meaningless except in the context of eternal life, and eternal life cannot be a viable proposition unless there is survival of some part of the personality after physical death. As Jung remarks in the penultimate chapter of his autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections, everyone should form some conception of life after death. To have failed to do so is a great loss. Indeed, I would add that to hope for some working-out of this life's experiences is the height of reason.
To anticipate annihilation is not stoical courage but irresponsible folly, for it negates on a larger scale those very qualities that men of all traditions hold most dear. If we live spiritually now, we can accept the summons to eternal life in every action we perform. And when the night comes in which we can do no further earthly work, the light of the Spirit will reveal new realms of exploration into the being of God.