Part 2-- Ecclesiastes

As we watch the news of the tragedy in Colorado and countless other civil wars and senseless deaths around the world, I can't help but ponder on what King Solomon wrote so long ago. We should live our life to the fullest and enjoy the moment with our family and friends and be content with who we are and what we have, because everything else seems to be fleeting and meaningless, and we do not know when our time is up. Life is like a vapor; it goes really fast (I have lived in the United States for 42 years and yet when I think about it, it seems as if it was just yesterday).....But that is easier said than done. Even King Solomon, who was wiser, most educated, with the highest status and ability, then we will ever be or have, had tried and failed. So, why is that?

He says that our life is filled with labor and activity, but where exactly does it get us? We are on a treadmill.He does not suggest that we should not work or not to want to achieve and have more out of life, but I think what he is saying is that sometimes we place too much importance on material things and selfish desires, but at the end we all end up the same. It seems like we go around and around in a circle, an endless cycle. As Henry Thoreau observed, "man lives a life of quiet desperation. There is an endless routine of another day just like the one before". Man is never satisfied. We want more; we are bored with the old, we look for new sensations, new sounds and new sights and yet we are still dissatisfied. But this is because we are looking in all the wrong places, as the song says. King Solomon, in Psalms 107:9 (which he also authored) says that we need to get "above the sun to the One who satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness". In other words, we cannot just be doing worldly things and relying solely on ourselves, by ignoring God and his commandments.

I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the Colorado massacre victims must feel, and I also wonder what evil force could have driven this nice looking young man, who seemed to have a bright future with his intelligence and education, to commit such an unspeakable crime. King Solomon observes that search of happiness in knowledge and education is not the sure road to fulfillment, but that taken by itself can be a bore. We see it in this young man who was a brilliant student and was working on his PhD. With that being said, it does not mean that intellectual pursuit cannot play an important role in life, but by itself, it is meaningless. King Solomon himself having all the degrees and diplomas didn't get what he was seeking, on the contrary, he concluded that it was all "grasping for something as illusive as the wind". He was frustrated to discover that book learning did not solve all the puzzles of life.

As we learn more about this young man and his background in the media, I cannot help but feel sorry for his parents. How would you like to be the parents of a child who can walk up to innocent people and without any hesitation snuff the life out of them? What went wrong? Are they wondering their role in all this? Unfortunately, our society has become more and more violent and more and more detached from human relationships. Life doesn't seem to have any value and people talk about being bored and their lives not having any meaning. Statistics show, for example, that the suicide rate is the highest among our college age young men and women. Why? Because they only see this life and nothing beyond. The older generation, my parents' age, also feel alone and lonely, very few come to visit, everybody is "busy" with their own lives. So, another pill that is hard to swallow is how fast we forget others and others forget us.  That's something Solomon brings up. How many of us remember the names of our great -grandparents, or the last 4 presdents of the USA? Yet, we think that we are so "important".....the world cannot function without us. When I worked in the corporate world, I always dreaded taking time off, because I had to take care of things at the office. Well, when I retired, I was replaced by someone else, and last time I checked the company is still in business without me and they are doing well! Who remembers me? When we die we are quickly forgottten. I have seen it too many times, especially as I get older and more and more people I knew have passed away. Man feels self-important, but that also King Solomon says, is Vanity.

As we will see next time, King Solomon discovers that without God all things are meaningless.

Stay tuned....

I can't believe how long it's been since I added something to my Blog. Everytime I plan to do it something comes up. As you can tell I am not a "disciplined" blogger. What I need to do is start scheduling the days that I will write and just do it and not get distracted with other stuff. Somehow I always get involved in "unplanned projects", and then I complain I have NO time. I just had a birthday a week ago and decided that some changes are in order. One of the changes is that I will write at least once a week, if not more. Since I may not always be inspired to share something new, I thought what better way then to share with you one of my favorite passages/scriptures from the Old Testament---The Book of Ecclesiastes. It consists of 12 chapters, so I will break it down to small little nuggets and try to summarize the essence of each chapter.

It was written by King Solomon of Israel, King David's son, some 3000 years ago, but what he wrote is still applicable today.Solomon was the man who God enabled to have anything he wanted and Solomon asked that God give him WISDOM. 1Kings, 4:29 says that "God gave Solomon wisdom and a very great insight, and understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore"...........that's a lot of  wisdom, wouldn't you agree? Men of all nations came to listen to King Solomon's wisdom, so why shouldn't we study what he wrote and use this wisdom as a guide to our own lives......?

Here are some interesting facts in history about King Solomon:

1) he had great wisdom
2) he had great wealth ("the riches man who ever lived")
3) he was one who never denied himself any pleasure
4) he had many servants
5) he was noted for a great building and beautification program in his Kingdom

At one time in his life he set out to find the true meaning of human existence. He was determined to discover the 'good life'. He figured that with all that he owned, if anyone could find lasting satisfaction, he was the one. What he was able to determine though, is that life is "vanity and wasn't worth the effort". He was not able to find fulfillment or lasting satisfaction. In spite of all his wealth and wisdom, he failed to discover the 'good life'. He was looking at life "under the sun", meaning that his search was confined to this earth. As we read the entire book, we will discover though  that at some point he figures out that we can save ourselves all the frustration, heartache and disappointment by looking 'above the sun'. If we study what he says, maybe we will not  have to live through his dismal experience, searching for satisfaction where it cannot be found.

So hang in there--not all is gloom and doom. Embark with me on this journey of studying this wonderful book together. I am looking forward to it. Stay tuned for Chapter One.

In the meantime, Have a Wonderful Day!