So far we have 3 views to the question:
How can man find purpose/meaning in this world given that he will ultimately die?
נהנה-G-d is in complete control- eat, drink, do good, enjoy the world because G-d created me and that is my purpose. Man has no influence or accountability. Life is purposeless. There is no difference between man and animal. Just eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you will die.
עמל-Man is in complete control. It is up to man to make the world a good place and help the oppressed. When I will this all stop? But even a king couldn't successfully accomplish this so how can it be done?
יראי אלקים-"Man is autonomous but G-d is sovereign." Response to נהנה-excuse to say G-d alone is in control (fool). Response to עמל-Arrogant to say man is in complete. Life is a journey not the destination. You will NOT reach your goal, but you do have a purpose-> Man is not G-d.
From these three views, the start of the יראי אלקים seems like it is the best answer to the question. Man and G-d work together and you have a purpose in life.
Each of the responses were a circle starting off okay and continuing to the final response that הכל הבל.
With the עמל he started off saying that we work to have our purpose and that G-d is not in control, man is. He says that man can make a change in the world. The עמל was not finished, though. He had more to say on this subject.
The עמל had a final speech in which he comes full circle:
He says that in the end your work doesn't pay off because you will die. Everyone has a certain amount of days given to them by G-d. No matter who you are in your lifetime, we all die in the end anyways. He says that it is better to not have to go through life at all than to have to live a full life. No one will know what happens in the world after they die. They will be forgotten, so why do anything that matters?
The עמל goes from Man can work and make a difference to G-d gave us the gift to be able to be able to work and enjoy to the days G-d gives us are not long to It's not worth living at all because after you die everything you do will be forgotten to הכל הבל.
In the beginning we had said that Kohelet's biggest fear is death. A fear of death is completely rational. However, I don't see this as just a fear of death. It's something more. It's so strong that he doesn't even want to have to go through the experience of life, so he won't have to go through the experience of death. He just wants to avoid death. Which is sad, because he is so caught up in the fact that at some point he will die, that it seems like he won't even allow himself to go through life.
He really should be taught the real meaning of "you only live once." This doesn't mean go do stupid things and waste your life; rather, it means appreciate the life you were allowed to live and the time you were so graciously given, because it is not infinite. There is so much man can do in his lifetime, and so much potential out there. The whole point of life is not supposed to revolve around death. It is supposed to revolve around what you can bring to the world you live in and how you can make the best out of the time you have in this world.
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