Nigel 
September 11th,2009I’ve been reading the Jewish book of Ecclesiastes which is in the Christian Old Testament. Not something to read when down,but fascinating.
It seems to have been written by King Solomon of Solomon and Sheba fame towards the end of his life. He was renowned for his wisdom. Some of his sayings (not all of which make sense to me) were gathered together in the book of Proverbs. He was a polymath,interested in almost everything. He was rich beyond comprehension. He should have been happy but in the end he wasn’t,and this book collects some of his rambling moans about how terrible life is.
To everything there is a season
Part of this book was adapted into the song ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything there is a Season)’by Pete Seger in 1959,and The Byrds did a hit version of it. Here is a Wikipedia article on the song.
So there are some great sections in the book. Here are a couple of other useful quotes:
- If you love money and wealth,you will never be satisfied with what you have.
- A few dead flies in perfume make all of it stink,and a little foolishness outweighs a lot of wisdom.
Strangely for the Bible most of the book is a raging against God that every aspect of life is meaningless. Here is a sample:
I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards. I had flower gardens and orchards full of fruit trees. And I had pools where I could get water for the trees. I owned slaves,and their sons and daughters became my slaves. I had more sheep and goats than anyone who had ever lived in Jerusalem. Foreign rulers brought me silver,gold,and precious treasures. Men and women sang for me,and I had many wives who gave me great pleasure. I was the most famous person who had ever lived in Jerusalem,and I was very wise. I got whatever I wanted and did whatever made me happy. But most of all,I enjoyed my work.
Then I thought about everything I had done,including the hard work,and it was simply chasing the wind. Nothing on earth is worth the trouble.
What is going on here?
How can a guy with everything be so thoroughly miserable?
Here’s my own guess. I think he started out caring for his subjects and the people round him. Then he increasingly shifted to seeking pleasure,happiness and fulfillment for himself. The strange but encouraging thing about doing this is that it doesn’t work.
Focussing on my own needs makes me miserable. Focussing on other people’s needs makes me content and fulfilled.
Obsessing about my own happiness is likely to get me brooding over how little time I have left to enjoy pleasures. Working to benefit other people shifts attention away from my own approaching death. It also puts my life into context. I may feel like I am the centre of the universe,but I’m not. Every person is equally important,equally significant. I am one of many.
Depression is partly a turning inwards. It tends to exclude relating with other people. It drains away my care for them. It takes away the energy I could use to their benefit. It makes me dwell on how unhappy I feel,and therefore inevitably prompts me to go for easy but brief fixes such as alcohol,comfort eating,and inflicting my anger and depression on others.
This post kind of bridges the next and the previous ones. If you get down a lot I hope the three together will help at least a bit. Let me know.
Source
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992,1995 by American Bible Society,Used by Permission.
