Everything Is Meaningless
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes 1, New International Version
I chose the first chapter from the book of Ecclesiastes because it evokes a feeling many of us may know well. This book was written by, or rather attributed to, King Solomon who is portrayed as one of the wisest kings of Israel in the Bible. While the historicity of the person of Solomon is debated (beside the Bible, there is little to suggest King Solomon has actually existed), the topics addressed in this book and this chapter in particular are topics everyone has to think about at some point. Throughout the book, the author goes through a variety of virtues and activities which are all described as ultimately meaningless. The poetic nature as well as the despair which can be perceived throughout the book make it well worth reading.
Spoiler alert (yes, this is an actual spoiler alert for the Christian Bible): The writer acknowledges that while everything may seem pointless, it still makes sense to enjoy it while it lasts. The book of Ecclesiastes may be the first true account of a “Carpe Diem” approach to life:
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 9: 7-10, New International Version
Obviously, there are strong religious undertones in the book. What I find astounding is that it seems so out of place. Typically, when you look at the Bible, you find God in control. Here you find one of the wisest men described in the Bible asking what to do when everything seems meaningless.
