Things I’ve Learned While Roaming the Earth

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.


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