The End of an Era

We're never satisfied, are we?

Kohelet is over, as you've probably heard, and I for one am not taking it that well. I'm pretty bummed out, feeling kind of sad. And being sad reminds me of having existential questions. And having existential questions reminds me of learning Kohelet... and then I'm reminded that we're not learning Kohelet. I think you get the point. Most of you guys did lovely jobs taking Kohelt into perspective and wrapping it all up on this lovely blog, so I'm not going to repeat any of you. Instead I will (you guessed it!) bring out some Calvin and Hobbes. Because I don't know when else I'll be able to so extensively blog about them. And that makes me sad. Oh, wait a second... I feel like we're just going around in circles- like this whole blog is cyclical. Is life, like this blog post, just one big cycle? Is it possible to make a difference in this blog, or in life? Oh, goodness! 

Right! Well, in no particular order, here are some Calvin & Hobbes comics that remind me of Kohelet. 

To me, this brings to light the whole question of man's power over nature. How much control do we really have? We like to think we're the masters of the universe and that we control for everything, but, ultimately, we are brought to realize that no, we are not in control. There are factors we cannot account for. Unlike what the amal would like to believe, man can't fix everything. Which is okay, says the Yirei Elohim. We just need to recognize the hierarchy. 

Mostly, this comic makes me happy. But I think we can relate it to Kohelet in the following way: oftentimes we are searching for happiness or meaning in the wrong places. We "wish" too high and get disappointed when our wishes aren't fulfilled. If we keep our heads on earth and are realistic about certain things in life, we can be happy individuals. If we are on the hunt for "big riches" and "power", we're not going to find meaning in our lives. Here are two other comics that echo the same ideas.

Looking for meaning in the wrongs places...

I'd advise Calvin to give Kohelet a good read through and then reevaluate some of these thoughts.

One of the other important things that Kohelet taught us is that finding happiness in ignorance is foolish. We must seek out answers and question. Even if we are unsatisfied with the answers we find and even if we don't find answers. Simply not thinking isn't really an option. It's in someways even "irresponsible", as Hobbes says, to live a life of ignorance. While learning Kohelet we grappled with some real difficult questions. Even though it was frustrating at times and I'm not completely pleased with all the answers, I'm glad that we spent the time discussing and delving on the hunt for answers and meaning. 

This reminds this of the "ein chadash tachat hashemesh" refrain that we saw a lot at the beginning of the text. Sometimes it does feel like it's just "school, school, school," don't you think? It's important for us to recognize that every day is different. We should all try to "go for the gusto" in a way in our lives- you know, mix things up a bit- just to remind ourselves that every day is different and wonderful.  

Sometimes we forget that believing in something means taking a leap of faith- putting faith in something that we can't see. 

Why do you suppose we're here? Big question, huh? How do you think Kohelet would have answered this question?

Why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad things happen to good people! This was the turning point of the Nehaneh, and something the Chacham also struggled with. What they didn't realize was the two tiered system of justice that God has. But, you've got to give it to them- those are some hard questions. It's hard to have undying faith all the time when things like this are happening in your life.

This one is just kind of silly. I'm not sure I can justify it. Any ideas? Hah. Sometimes it does seem like God has a goofy sense of humor,  though. 

Wait... There's More!