People go on about "Jewish guilt", but it's the Xians who go on about "original sin" and think they need special help to win G-d's love & forgiveness... while Jews wake up every morning and sing, "Adonai, l'shana sh'natata bi t'hora hi..." That is, "Lord, the soul you gave me is pure. You made it, you shaped it, you breathed it into me - and as long as it remains in me, I will praise and thank you!"
I'm working on a song by Brahms based on the Ecclesiastes verse that can be translated "futile, all is futile." It says we're no different from the animals; who says we go up and they go down after we die? - we're all made of dust, and will return to dust... and so we should just do our work, because that is our life.
I think Brahms, being Xian, wants us to think this is depressing and wants us to lament, but I think it's fine: I'm ready to be recycled or used for compost when I die. The body & soul S/He made is good, and they aren't just for me - I'm here because G-d put me here, and wherever / whenever S/He puts me later is OK too. Meanwhile, like the folks at the end of Candide, I'll cultivate my garden - because that's what I'm here for.
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