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I'm not entirely sure either, but maybe it's meant to be interpreted in light of the 'existence precedes essence' concept of existentialism. 'Being' might then

I'm not entirely sure either, but maybe it's meant to be interpreted in light of the 'existence precedes essence' concept of existentialism. 'Being' might then mean leading a life where one choses their destiny, in contrast to mere 'existence'. Maybe the translation from French is not perfect? "The paradox of human life is precisely that one tries to be and, in the long run, merely exists." I think what she means is: if you have your life ahead of you, you can still choose your destiny (you can be something). However, having lived that life and looking back at it, history is fixed and there is nothing to choose when it comes to the past (it merely exists).

barryhoodlum 7y ago
From the article: "A woman psychoanalyst wrote me a very intelligent letter in which she said that “in the last analysis, desires always go far beyond the object of desire.” The fact is that I’ve had everything I desired, but the “far beyond” which is included in the desire itself is not attained when the desire has been fulfilled." I took "being" to include being somehow immersed in the "far beyond" once the desired lifestyle is met. Like realising you're in a dream without eventually waking up.