- Ma'asim have no lasting worth
- Wisdom doesn't matter in the end because a fool could come after you and reap the benefits from your toil. Also, a fool and wise man both meet the same fate in the end
- After all the pleasure, you're left with nothing
Therefore, HaKol Hevel.
Next, the Neheneh (pleasure-seeker) jumps in. Or as I like imagine him, the hippie. He believes that everything is from G-d, the good will be rewarded while the sinners are punished, and man should just sit back and enjoy the world. There is time for every action and every emotion, so we should all just relax. The goal in life is to eat, drink, work, and recognize that everything comes from G-d. Why should you want to be a wise man? He says that we can't understand the world so what's the point in trying? We will never understand war and peace or good and bad so you might as well stop thinking about it. Also, why would you want to be a builder/Amal? Everything comes from G-d, not a human builder says the Neheneh.
Everything's predetermined, so we should all just enjoy life. Well, the hippie gets a little too hedonistic towards the end of perek 3. He explains that there are no responsibilities for our actions in this life since everything is predetermined. Therefore, man is no different than an animal. Men and animals both meet the same fate: death. So, if we all die and we're no different than an animal, then we're back to where we started: Hakol Hevel. So, if we're all just going to die on the same level as an animal, then the only thing left to do for man is to rejoice and live a hedonistic life.
Hippies have always fascinated me. I'd love to just drink herbal tea and do yoga all day, but I've got more important things to do with my life. Something about hardcore hippies has always made me think that they're a little immature. Not all of them, of course, but at some point you gotta get in the real world and try to make a difference. You have to learn to be competitive in this world to make a living and advance. Another person that seems pretty immature is Shlomo.
I mean, I can't say for sure yet that I know the meaning of life or what the purpose of man is, but I definitely don't justify these thoughts by saying that I can't be G-d-like and therefore everything else is worthless. Shlomo realizes that the only thing in life he can't have is immortality, therefore everything else he has in life is worthless. His attitude reminds me of my sister's when she was younger.
One example is with birthday presents. My sisters' birthdays are four days apart. Because of this, they have had a few parties together in the past. My youngest sister (Emma) will open up her presents and get so excited, like most kids do. Regardless of how happy her presents make her, the presents my other sister (Sophie) gets make her twice as jealous. As soon as she sees Sophie's presents, her presents seem worthless to her. All she wants is Sophie's presents, and if she can't get them then everything else is pointless and she will just cry until Sophie agrees to share. To my brothers, parents, and I this is all extremely frustrating and annoying. All you want to do is try to explain to Emma that she has all these other amazing presents and just because there's one thing she can't have (usually because she's not old enough) does not mean that everything else is worthless.
I'd like to think that this is how G-d felt when dealing with Shlomo. Shlomo is over there freaking out because he can't have immortality and G-d just wants to show him that he has all this other great stuff--wisdom, wealth, power--and he can't handle being G-d-like. The whole thing must have been very frustrating.
I understand Shlomo's desire to find the meaning of life and purpose in a life that may seem like a cycle with no progress made, but it can't be that life - immortality = Hevel, right?
I totally agree with you. When we learned through this part of Kohelet, I also thought that Shlomo was being incredibly immature to think this way. You said that Emma got jealous when she saw Sophie's presents. A study done recently shows that even animals feel the same way. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KSryJXDpZo) In the video, the monkey that gets the inferior food throws it back in the researcher's face. I might be jumping the gun here, but I certainly think that there is a worthwhile lesson to be taken away from this. It seems like jealousy and a desire for perfection are a part of human and animal nature. Maybe, in our quest for the meaning of life, we are meant to look at what Shlomo does not say about jealousy and meaning in life. He went into life with the mindset of, "I have to be the best," and came out sorely disappointed. I think it is the job of humans everywhere to look past what our superficial emotional responses are and enjoy the imperfect perfection of life.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa,
ReplyDeleteVery fascinating blog post. As Sarah wrote, Shlomo went into life with the outlook that everything had to be perfect. When he realized that life has limitations, he was distraught. However, we are human. We are not meant to be perfect. Being imperfect leaves us room for growth. I liked your second to last paragraph. Hashem was trying to show Shlomo what he DID have- wealth, tremendous power, and wisdom. However, Shlomo did not seem to want to realize that, and instead looked at what he did not have, and that left him disappointed.