I often like to study the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. I feel drawn to it for some reason, it’s bleak outlook on life augmented by the poetic nature of the writing. I’ve always been very intrigued by the book, trying to understand its wisdom and complex and developed views on death, pleasure, wisdom, foolishness, vanity, meaninglessness, life and truth, to name a few. It’s one of the most interesting parts of scripture, or even historical literature. It’s quite an experience to read the unadulterated, explicit thoughts about life written so long ago, especially from a man (the preacher) who, in his day, had it all. And though the book is rife with poetic woe and not for the faint of heart, there are portions of it that are very simple and relevant to life in our modern age. One observation I particularly like is this: “I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor.” That one hits close to home. But in my study of Ecclesiastes, flipping slowly through ancient thoughts on life, meaning, and purpose, one verse in particular struck me as important. In 3:10-11, 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 our world, if pressed about it, most people would admit that inwardly they struggle with finding meaning in life. People go to school, they work, they get married and have kids, and inevitably arrive they at a crossroads where they’re struck by the brevity of life and time. 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 type of event is most commonly labeled a midlife crisis. The Bible references this type of feeling in many places, one of which is 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 thought about this notion, I couldn’t help but wonder what a world would be like where beautiful things didn’t fade away, where things were beautiful and meaningful always.
Imagine, if you will, a world where the fire of passion and depth 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. Never would he grow bored or impatient, though he spend days and weeks enjoying only 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 forever, just as the fairytale books tell us.
If you liked this post, you’ll love Ben’s book Shadows on the Edge of Town — a Theological Allegory packed with deep symbolism.
Check it out
Or leave me a comment
11 Comments
Hi Ben!
So if the burden on man is that beauty is fleeting, is the burden that we must find love and joy beyond beauty? I think this is another lesson on embracing the ordinary, or enjoying the space and stillness that happens in between the big moments in life. Very thought provoking!!
That’s a good thought, embracing the ordinary. I like that.
Hello Ben,
I agree with your thoughts about what the writer meant, that beauty is brief, and not just aesthetically, but in all things we value. The flower’s blossom, a baby’s charm, a love we thought was true and everlasting. This is something I have personally struggled with, trying to continuously tread water so as not to sink to the bottom of that river. But what I have recently begun to realize is that we are the river, we are all of it. As so, our happiness and beauty must be internal and not from the world around us. Then one must simply let it flow. Iris Krasnow in her book, “Surrendering to Yourself, You are Your Own Soul Mate” hits this point as she writes about the struggles of growing older and losing what we value most in the world. I personally have been trying to let go of some of my ego, the driving force behind our fallacies. We want, we get, then we what? It can be quite maddening, and definitely disillusioning. It’s the same as the expression of chasing rainbows. But ah, the joy of running into the sun.
Genevieve, that’s really cool that you often think about these same kinds of things. It was a big struggle for me a couple of years ago. Once I finally realized that I was never going to be able to hold onto the beauty and meaning I wanted, I began to put my let go of my ego, as you said, and began trusting in the Lord to do whatever he saw fit with this life of mine. That’s an interesting book title. “You are Your Own Soul Mate.” Do you recommend it?
Yes, I would recommend it. It has a strong maternal slant that was a bit tedious for me personally, but it conveys good points throughout. The stories told by other people that she included in the book are great; I think you would enjoy them. There are some meaningful quotes too.
Yes, things seem to come easier when we stop wrestling with the ego. She still hisses in my ear, but I know now who she is and I can tell her to shut her mouth- HA! And I am feeling much better already. I hope you are doing very well.
So what does one exactly need to do to become ‘Author of the month’ as you are currently featured?
I think the last paragraph speaks about a place called Heaven. That is what I imagine it to be like, or somewhat like….
Namaste!
Howdy. Sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. I didn’t see that you had left a comment. I think the feature you’re referring to is kind of dead right now, being that they’re a pretty new company. They’re working with multiple individuals right now, and I’m the farthest along, so I think until further notice, I get to be the featured author
I miss hearing about your musings! You must be busy.
I happened upon your blog while innocently surfing for “to know and be known.” It was no random accident that I found it. This describes exactly what I am facing at age 48 after spending vacation time in Yosemite alone last month pursuing solitude. I’m afraid I found more questions than answers. Thank-you for sharing, it is nice to read your thoughts.
Blessings, Steve
Where are you? Please tell me you are still alive.
Molly
Hey guys. Very sorry I didn’t get here quickly. I’ve been hit with a few really pressing projects that have taken me away from being able to write
Thank you very much Steve for your comments. I’ll send you an email apologizing for not finding your comments sooner. It’s really encouraging to hear what you said. Thank you. And thank you Molly for checking up on me. I’ll send you an email too. It would be nice to catch up 