Ecclesiatses Essay

Through this essay I will compile all my thoughts and reflections on the book of Ecclesiastes, as I was assigned to. I will divide them as the book itself is divided.

Everything Is Meaningless- Wisdom Is Meaningless

As I went through this first part of the text I have to admit I found it very contradictory with the rest of the Bible. It was dark, sad, depressing, gloomy and pessimistic. It made sense, but in my unthinking state all that could go through my mind was: I bet Solomon must’ve just had a rough week.

There was a phrase that I truly disagreed with, but I knew I shouldn’t forget it.

“What is twisted cannot be straightened;

what is lacking cannot be counted.”

Pleasures- Wisdom and Folly- Toil: Meaningless

He talks about how he has had basically everything any man has desired in a time of their life. He has benefited of all the pleasures you can imagine, and in addition, he had wisdom. However, he feels like this is pointless; “chasing after the wind”. He says that

“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;

the more knowledge, the more grief”

I have thought this before, and in a way, still do; since, for example, when you are told that someone has spoken behind your back, the fact that now you know brings you grief. However, does ignorance bring you peace? So as if you learn more about what’s right or wrong; if you can’t realize that something you do is wrong, then how wrong is it? But after you are told that it IS wrong, then you feel remorse of your action. Maybe something was telling you that it wasn’t right, but ignorance anesthetized your awareness and after the effects are gone, you get the slap in the face; reality. I think this is what he meant by that.

Solomon hates life on Earth, he has made it clear. It is so meaningless. Working is meaningless. How will your work help you, if anyways you will sooner or later die? And when you do, your successor will carry on with what you left (whether he can multiply or destroy it) and then he will die as how you did. So what’s the point? Again, humans keep on “chasing the wind”.

A Time for Everything

Whatever is has already been,

and what will be has been before;

and God will call the past to account.

This is so true. Not if you see it like “Oh, but iPads were released until 2010”.. but there are iPads in the Modern Times, as in the Medieval, and even when the caveman were around. iPads will keep on releasing as they have for centuries, only that on different circumstances, with different shapes and with different purposes, but for the same people.

Something pointless about life is how the rich will never have enough money, and how the poor will always be. God made this an important part of our materialist world to make us work towards Him, if not, life would really be pointless. But let’s not jump steps. We still feel the world is meaningless, dark and dull.

Wisdom- A Common Destiny for All- Wisdom Better Than Folly

From this part on, I can reach an agreement with Solomon. I have cleared a couple of variance going on in my head about the first half of the book. Here, he reaches conclusions, he lets go of the dark, pessimistic ideas and goes deeper into what we should do. Like, this is what we have, what will you do about it? We humans have many choices in life; but I think that there should only be two: Do you want to be a cliché, or do you want to be a hero? Let me explain. Through life, you will have happy moments, sad moments, you will meet people, and the ones you love will die someday. But it can all be easier if you don’t avoid reality. Being realistic in life is not being pessimistic (as I thought Salome was at first). For example, I can say that I have a lot of “friends”, but I know which friends will stand by me when I need it, sadly, they are extremely

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