Vanity of Vanities

Hopelessness and despair are marks to define this generation. Despite the discoveries in science and progress made that rival every other generation, there is still something missing. Meaning for life, the reason to live has been extracted while the focus is placed upon survival alone. Philosophical discussions on meaning are usually ignored because they require a level of thinking that can be depressing if the pursuit is not in the direction of concrete answers.

 

When I was in high school, I had a coach that required us to excel in sports. I was one of the worse basketball players on the team. The coach knowing that I was in the ministry asked me to sit in his office and write down my philosophy. I didn’t even know what the word philosophy meant at the time, but I wrote down every thought that came to mind. It was then that I discovered something about myself. I wanted real answers to questions that were deeply imbedded into my soul. I was aware that there was more to me than what I was then able to express, but somehow, I needed to get what was in me out there for others to see. Some never reach that point in life because they merely redirect their attention towards more” entertaining and lighthearted things. These are the people that drift through life only to be disappointed with themselves and others who are around them.

 

To be anesthetized by overly stimulating oneself with addictive habits provide temporary relief, but the higher the high, the lower the low becomes. Ignorance is not bliss but rather escapism. It provides excuses for those who would rather not think but would merely want to feel things. 

 

“Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That’s what the Quester says.]

There’s nothing to anything — it’s all smoke.  What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?” Ecclesiastes 1:2-3  ___from THE MESSAGE:

 

You have a philosophy and is living your life as an expression of whatever your philosophy is. “philo” means love and “Sophia” means “wisdom.” The love of wisdom is the quest of every human. Many crash because their wisdom runs its course without a goal in mind. As we grow older, we often reflect over the activities of our past. Yes, it may have been fun, but what did it represent? Was there anything of value left behind for the generations behind us to use? Was there a path blazed for them to follow? Is it our desire for them to walk in our footsteps? The Quester or the Preacher in Ecclesiastes said, It’s all smoke. There is nothing to anything because he did not look beyond the sun for meaning. He thought that being experienced in all that life had to offer would be enough. Let his failed attempts save you the trouble of wasteful experimentations. Life is too short to waste on meaningless activities. Only God, who is above all, can give us the true meaning for our existence. If any person lacks wisdom of Sophia, let him ask God. What he receives from God, if applied, he will love.