This essay explores the transformation of human perception regarding time and the future, moving from archaic fear toward hope linked to the concept of promise. While primitive man viewed the future solely as a threat, the discovery of time as a path toward fulfillment allowed for an outlook defined by hope. The text analyzes the intrinsic connection between promise and commitment through the metaphor of a covenant between humanity and the Divine. For the future to remain truly open and hopeful, this covenant must transcend common commercial logic. It requires maintaining a degree of original uncertainty and contingency, particularly on the part of the primary partner. Consequently, human ethical commitments should not be seen as rigid instructions or recipes that relieve the actor of responsibility. Instead, they serve as guiding principles that point toward the individual's own responsibility. Only a commitment understood in this way opens the path to the future without predetermining or closing it off, thereby preserving the space for freedom and authentic human striving toward that which transcends specific preconceptions.