In the past, I used to love to study the book Ecclesiastes in the Bible. It was like I was drawn to it, mystified by its dark view of life, combined with the beautiful poetry peppered throughout the book. I loved reading the ancient notions on death, wisdom, pleasure, meaning, foolishness, life, and especially beauty. Though the Ecclesiastes was written over 3,000 years ago, there were still some parts of it that were so completely relevant to our modern age. One of his observations in particular is this: "I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from a man's envy of his neighbor." Not much has changed has it? Even in his day, people were still "keeping up with the Jones'" But, through my study of Ecclesiastes, one notion in particular resonated with me. It comes in chapter 3, verses 10-11. It says:
"I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time."
At first glance, this appears almost like a contradiction. Why would making something beautiful be seen as a burden' not only a burden, but the overarching burden the writer feels that God has placed upon humankind? It's an interesting question, one which I didn't have an answer for, for a very long time. But as my study of Ecclesiastes and also of life continued, I began to find an answer.
In this world, if pressed about the question, most everyone would have to admit that they inwardly struggle with finding lasting meaning in their lives. People go to school, they work, they get married and have kids - And they ultimately arrive at a crossroads of sorts where the brevity of life and time finally strikes them powerfully. We wake up one morning, and realize that half our lives have been spent, but we still haven't found the meaning in life we thought was out there somewhere. This common occurrence is usually called a midlife crisis. There are many references in the Bible to this kind of feeling, my favorite of which is in Psalm 39:
"Each man's life is but a breath, Man is a mere phantom that goes to and fro; he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth not knowing who will get it."
I believe the burden he's referring to in Ecclesiastes can be most accurately summed up by this quote: "Melancholy is at the bottom of everything, just as at the end of all rivers is the sea. How can it be otherwise in a world where nothing lasts?" Henri Frederic Amiel. The word that describes this phenomenon is futility - that nagging natural law that slowly strips the meaning away from all the things we thought we'd always cherish.
According to the ancient writer, the overarching burden of life is that beautiful things just don't last, they only have their time, and the time they have is brief. When I first considered this notion, I coulnd't help but think about what a world would be like where beauty and meaning didn't fade away.
Imagine for a minute a world where the fire of passion and the deep depths of human emotion never faded - where meaningful activities and relationships never grew cold, retaining their vivacity for all of time. One could sit on the shores of a quiet beach, watching the waves lap against the sand, and be perfectly content, every moment holding the same feeling of peace and contentment as the one before. He would never get bored, never impatient, even though he spend whole days and weeks doing nothing but enjoying the simplest things in life. Also in such a world, one could maintain the fire and flame of love burning with the same vivacity for all of time. People would never "fall out of love" or "lose that lovin feeling" as the song goes. It would last a lifetime, and even beyond, just like in fairytale stories.
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Thanks for reading this study about the strange and interesting book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, and want to read more of my work, check out my books.
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