The Philosopher

There was a prophet in the court.  His name was Qoheleth the Philosopher and people listened to what he taught, but no one liked it.

            The Philosopher said:  “Everything is pointless!  All of life is meaningless, empty.  It is like trying to cath the wind with your hands—you work hard at it, but get nothing out of it.  Everything under the sun is pointless.

            “I was wealthy, and I was able to do whatever I wanted.  So I pursued pleasure.  I partied, I drank, I allowed myself to be entertained by comedies and musicians. I gained everything that money could buy—possessions and women and everything that anyone could want.  I participated in everything on the earth—but in the end, it was all boring.  And I had achieved nothing.  Everything remained the same as when I started.

            “Then I thought that I could gain great wisdom and be educated more than anyone on earth.  I would learn philosophy and be taught by the greatest teachers of the earth.  I learned everything there is to know—and then I realized that it, too was pointless.  No matter how educated, the wise man, after he dies, becomes as dead and as forgotten as the idiot.  In the end, they are both the same.

            “There is true wisdom, but it cannot be found.  God may reveal something to people—but it is beyond understanding.  No one will understand what is truly deep.  Every time we think we have it, we lose it.  And then, every time we understand what is right, we act in accordance with what is wrong.

            “Then I thought—I will work hard and do great things. I will work from early in the morning to late at night and I will accomplish great things and make a huge amount of money. I made great projects—gardens and huge farms and I collected an enormous amount of livestock.  And then I realized that if I work hard for all these things, I will not be able to enjoy it at all.  I will toil and work and then die—and some other lazy fool will receive all I got. 

            “So perhaps, I thought, we should strike a balance.  Perhaps it is good to work some and then to have pleasure.  After all, God gave us work, and he gave us food and drink to enjoy.  Then I realized—there are evil people all throughout the world who would steal what I have.  For every worker who enjoys what he has, there are three who are trying to steal from the one—and soon the one has nothing.  Theft and oppression are everywhere—both on the street and in the government.

            “All the wealth I had achieved, I understood, was pointless.  The more I have, the more I want.  The more I have, the more people there are to eat up my excess.  A poor worker sleeps well, but the wealthy man has so many worries, he cannot sleep. 

            “So I looked into religion, and saw many people devoting themselves to God.  They make great vows to God, and seem like heroes.  But so very few of them keep their vows, and then they are punished.  And so many dream, looking for messages from heaven—but in the end, they mean nothing.

            “Then I decided to get into politics.  I would look after the king, and be important in his eyes.  Whoever obeys the king will come to no harm.  And the king is the supreme power on earth.  But I realized all the limitations of the king as well.  The king cannot punish every wicked man, and at times, the innocent suffer—no matter how just the king.  The righteous receive the punishment of the wicked and the wicked receive the reward of the righteous.  And no one—not even a king—really has power over what is important.  Who can control the wind?  Who can determine the day of his own death?  In death, everyone is the same—whether important or a scoundrel or righteous or whatever else.  So what is the point?

            When we are old, all is darkness.  The brilliant are stupid, and the strong men hobble.  We lose our teeth to eat anything good.  We are afraid of everything.  And we can enjoy nothing.  Everyone experiences it—unless they die first.  And so the end of life is as pointless as its living.

            The Philosopher stood up and gave his conclusion: “My end is this: Under the sun, everything is pointless, without meaning. Do what you want—it is just luck and futility here.  But I charge you this way—do not live your life under the sun—only for this pointless age, this empty existence.  Rather, live for God.  Live for him while you are young—don’t wait until you are old.

“God alone is the judge of all men. In the end, he will judge all the wicked and reward all the righteous—and that is the only true justice that will ever exist. Our lives only have meaning if He gives it meaning.  Fear God and keep his commandments—for this is the one duty of humans.  And in his world, in his time, he will make everything beautiful and significant.”

Above is a summary of the book of Ecclesiastes, an ancient Hebrew book.