Under The Sun

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• Ecc 6:10 . .Whatever happens, it was designated long ago and it was
known that it would happen; as for man, he cannot contend with what is
stronger than he.

I guess you could call that attitude fatalism.

Some things really are predestined and often we just have to face the facts;
e.g. old age and death are two of life's unpleasant realities. Everyone is
stuck with debilitation and there's no use in fighting it. Menopause is another
chipped-in-stone fact of life that is just as real as the air we breathe all
around us. If couples aren't careful, and let too much time slip by,
menopause will steal away their chances for a baby.

And on top of that, the older a woman gets, the more her eggs age and
become less viable than when she was young. The same problem exists for
men, just in a different way. Men aren’t born with all their sperm cells. Fresh
ones are manufactured by their bodies all the time. However, those fresh
cells are the cells of an aging man. So if a man waits to have children when
he's old, his chances of producing a child with birth defects increase.

Some people enjoy toying with death; and go hiking in the wilderness all
alone and/or jump off high places with a bungee cord. Some say people like
that have a death wish. No, what they really have is a wish to flirt with
death and live to tell about it. Their attitude is: If you aren't walking on the
edge; then you're taking up room.

Personally, I don't want to die like a fool. People who tempt fate by
participating in extreme sports are just asking to be dead and/or crippled for
life before their next meal-- and then what? Is existence strapped to a wheel
chair and a respirator really their idea of fulfillment.
_

 

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• Ecc 6:11-12 . . Often, much talk means much futility. How does it benefit
a man? Who can possibly know what is best for a man to do in life-- the few
days of his fleeting life? For who can tell him what the future holds for him
under the sun?

Solomon's comment pertains to a man's time "under the sun" rather than
after his death.

They say for every action there's a reaction; and that's generally true. But
who can really predict the repercussions of their decisions? In other words:
when a butterfly flaps its wings in England, does it put in motion other acts
of nature that eventuate in a typhoon in Samoa?

Life isn't like a chess game where the masters can see twelve moves ahead.
No, life is oftentimes a gamble. A young fellow contemplating the risks and
responsibilities of marriage once lamented to me how chancy it is to get
married in these days with the world in such turmoil and the economy
uncertain. But I said to him: Life goes on.

My friend realized of course that life does go on even under the extreme
threats of nuclear war, terrorism, air and water pollution, drug cartels, road
rage, brown-outs and water shortages, insane oil prices, acid rain,
pandemics, activism, crime, prejudice, drive-by shootings, global warming,
unemployment, economic collapse, and reactor melt-downs. People do
manage to somehow cope and keep going.

Well, not long after that, he married his best girl; who proved to be just the
right one for him too. His pretty bride made him forget all about the dangers
of lay-offs, spiraling medical costs, and mortgage debt. My young friend
never felt better in his life. Carpe Diem.
_

 

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• Ecc 7:2 . . It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting; for
death is the end of every man, and the living should take it to heart.

Who, under the age of twenty-one, is ever going to take that one seriously? Birthday
parties and beer busts are far more fun than funerals; although as I get older, I tend to
dread my birthdays more and more. When I was young, birthdays were fun, and getting
older was exciting. But aging is not so fun anymore. Age is turning me into an ogre, and
I can't stand the sight of myself in a mirror; especially one of those large full-length
bathroom mirrors they invariably install in motel rooms.

But a funeral can really make you aware of your own mortality in a very special way. My
wife's mother died in 2005, my own mother one year later as well as a good friend at
work; and my favorite nephew dropped dead to the floor in 2015. All those passings
disturbed me because I realized the grim reaper was closing in, and had started picking
us off one by one. It's only a matter of time now before my own number comes up.

• Ecc 7:3-4 . .Vexation is better than revelry; for though the face be sad, the heart may
be glad. Wise men are drawn to a house of mourning, and fools to a house of
merrymaking.

Those kinds of "wise men" are well known as party poopers and wet blankets. While it's
true that revelry can't make a person truly happy on the inside, it would still seem a
much better choice than one's mind dwelling upon Death. You know; it's only natural
that Solomon would believe that mourning is better than revelry because he was a
gloom-caster to begin with; and his nature was to shun merriment. (Ecc 2:1-2)

Solomon didn't even know how to have fun. The problem is; he was just too smart for
his own good; so smart in fact that all his knowledge and intellect clouded the man's
spirit and prevented him from having any fun at all. (Ecc 1:16-18)

Solomon really needed to get out and paint the town once in a while; see a good movie,
ride a pony, go to Las Vegas, stroll the beach, take in a Broadway play, roll the dice,
joust a windmill, drop a coin in a wishing well, go boating, let his hair down, play a video
game, maybe even get plastered sometime-- anything but sit around thinking about old
age and death. No wonder the poor man was so negative!

In the movie "Titanic" Leonardo DiCaprio convinces Kate Winslet that there is more to
life than being rich, connected, and pampered. He suggests she learn to ride a horse like
a man and learn to spit like a man. Sure: why not take off the Spanx, lose the Silkies panty
hose and Jimmy Choo heels, and try something silly like skipping stones across a pond?

I once heard Billy Graham say: The smallest package in the world is a man all wrapped
up in himself. Well . . amen to that! Billy was so right. And I would add that the most
unimportant man in the world is one who is totally self-absorbed. Some people really
need to get out and do a little mixing and have a good time once in a while: break the
monotony, do something stupid, get out of their rut; live a little.

But Solomon just couldn't do it. There are some people not only fun-challenged, but
they can't permit themselves to indulge in fun. It's like a mental block-- a hang-up.
They're afflicted with fun-impotence. They feel guilty about having fun, they scorn fun,
and look down upon themselves for letting any into their lives.
_

 

[oyster67]

Youngster's can't really appreciate their expiration date as three brief
decades: to them, 32 or 34 years seems long and way out in the distance.
As a result, the withering process often sneaks up and takes them by
surprise like starting a frog off in cool water and slowly bringing it up to a
boil. Of a sudden, one day it swats them in the face like a rolled up
newspaper that they're "old school" and replaced by a young, hip generation
wherein they've been accustomed to thinking all along was themselves.

Amen! You're still only young, but yer gonna die, young man, and then the Judgement.

 

[LoveBrokeThru]

How can we reconcile this negative view of God with the rest of Scripture?

Soloman was not describing the "new creation" that is to become a Son of God, born again.
So, the born again, are not related to his somewhat depressed somewhat negative view of existence, tho there is no doubt that life is hard.
IN fact, life is a test, for the most part, non stop.

WE, the born again....... are in the world but not of it.
We are to have the "Joy of the Lord", and there is no depression found there.

 

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• Ecc 7:10 . . Don't say: How has it happened that former times were better
than these? For it is not wise of you to ask that question.

The problem with the good old days is that we often conveniently forget the
bad parts and sometimes invent good parts to take their place; viz: the good
old days are often a combination of poor memory and a good imagination.

Lyrics in Carly Simon's song "Anticipation" say: "I tell tomorrow, these are
the good old days". Get her point? You are living in some good old days right
now, this very moment; and in the future you'll look back on them with the
same sentimental yearning that you are now looking back on earlier good
old days. Carly's song was released on an album in 1972, some 50 years ago
as of 2022. Was she right? Were those days good old days good for her?

Sometimes there's no denying the good old days really were better than our
present lot in life. People with serious illnesses and handicaps were certainly
better off before those problems degraded their quality of life. I think a
young girl with Herpes and/or an unwanted pregnancy would agree that
things were better before.

Myself, I would have been dead with appendicitis as a teen-ager were it not
for modern medicine. And yet again in my 40's with a kidney stone. And yet
again in my fifties with Grave's Disease (hyperactive thyroid). I think anyone
would agree Americans are far better off today economically than the
1930's. So not all the good old days were good. Some of those good old
days would have been fatal for many of us-- not only in health, but also in
hard labor and low pay.
_

 

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• Ecc 7:11-12 . .Wisdom is as good as a patrimony, and even better, for
those who behold the sun. For to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be also in
the shelter of money, and the advantage of intelligence is that wisdom
preserves the life of him who possesses it.

* Solomon's comment is for those who "behold the sun" as opposed to those
who behold the face of God.

Wisdom isn't just an accumulation of information like a journal or an
encyclopedia. Wisdom is a combination of knowledge and understanding
gained through experience. That's why so many young people are air-heads.
Although they're better educated; they just haven't lived long enough to
really know the score.

But youth isn't necessarily an indicator that somebody hasn't got any sense.
If young people are fortunate enough to have the benefit of a mentor, like
say a savvy parent or a connection in the Big Brother program of their town,
then they have on tap the wisdom of an older person who knows many ins
and outs of life. However, too many young people are vain, conceited, and
arrogant, and tend to have the attitude of a know-it-all. For them, a mentor
serves no purpose because those kinds of young people are of the sort who
want to find out everything for themselves, rather than be instructed.

Wisdom is a far better inheritance for a young person than money and
property. Wisdom will enable a wise youth to get the money and property
later. But no amount of money will enable a dunce to attain wisdom.

"What good is money in the hand of a fool to purchase wisdom, when he has
no mind?" (Prv 17:16)

Good sense is far more important than money. A young co-worker of mine,
who had been out of work for quite a while, took his very first paycheck to a
sound shop and spent the entire thing on a $700 stereo system for his car.
The car was an old clunker and the stereo was actually worth more than the
car. Now there was a boy who seriously needed some counseling.

"There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish
man squanders it." (Prv 21:20)
_

 

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• Ecc 7:13-14 . . Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what
He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of
adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

Solomon's references to a God are mostly rhetorical in the book of
Ecclesiastes. When he says "consider the work of God" I suspect he's just
referring to the natural order of things under the sun.

The Scottish poet Robert Burns noticed that life sometimes throws a curve
ball at you in spite of your best precautions. Fate often casts its long shadow
when human beings set about planning their lives.

Burns was out one day plowing in the field and uprooted a mouse's
underground nest who was all set for the oncoming winter. The mouse had
picked a fallow field as the site for its winter retreat thinking it would be safe
and snug; unmolested during the cold. But it didn't (or maybe we should say
it couldn't) know the workings of powers higher than itself-- in this case,
human beings and their farm machinery.

But, mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men [Oft go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain for promis'd joy.

Take for example Job (Job 1:1-3). He was all set to enjoy retirement when
of a sudden, without the slightest warning, his world fell apart even though
he was the most righteous man of his day and deserved only the best of luck
rather than bad. But completely unknown to him were higher powers-- God
and the spirit world --in a contest of loyalties; with 'ol Job right smack in the
middle of their contentions. Consequently; he lost everything-- his family,
save for his (un)loving wife, his livestock, all his houses; and his health. In
very little time, Job went from wealthy retiree to disabled pauper.

Job surely knew he didn't deserve the bad luck that came his way. But like
Robert Burns said: The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. Why?
Because as Solomon indicated; you can neither predict nor fathom the
ambitions of powers and circumstances beyond your control. The spirit world
is a higher power than Man, just as Man is a higher power than mice.
However, as mice cannot control the ways of Man, neither can Man control
the ways of the spirits. Therefore; both men and mice are subject to the
whims of powers beyond their control so that neither one is superior to the
other in that respect.

It's not uncommon to see property owners forced out and/or displaced
because of Eminent Domain; the power of a state, provincial, or national
government to take private property for public and/or economic use. So
then, like the mousie in Burns' poem; your land is never really your land.
Higher powers are at liberty to condemn your property and take it away
from you at will for what they inevitably categorize as the so-called "greater
good".
_

 

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• Ecc 7:15-16 . . In my own brief span of life, I have seen both these things:
sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a
wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness. So don't overdo goodness
and don't act the wise man to excess, or you may be dumfounded.

Some ultra ascetic types are obsessed with self denial-- don't do this, don't
do that, don't go here, don't go there, don't look at this, don't look at that. I
once knew an ascetic type who actually felt guilty simply by walking through
the door of a Blockbuster video store; and was so offended by young
people's music that he made his teen-age son listen to his boom box
outside; even in inclement weather.

Dr. Laura (who's normally pretty level-headed) says that any parent that
would take their child to a mall that has a Victoria's Secret store is a bad
parent. That's asceticism (not to mention bigotry). Well; asceticism can
guarantee no one long life nor does it necessarily make one a better person.
Asceticism can, in fact, result in a superiority complex and, maybe even
neurosis.

It would seem that the best way to enjoy) a long life, as opposed to merely
existing, is by sensible practices in diet and health. But those things, as
sensible as good diet and healthy habits may be, won't guarantee good
health and a long life.

I once worked in a family-owned boatyard in San Diego run by a man and
his three brothers, and his two sons. One of the sons was a model citizen
and the picture of health. He was married and had a little girl, didn't run with
a bad crowd, didn't smoke or drink, didn't stay out late, didn't eat fatty
foods or sweets, jogged regularly, attended church every Sunday and played
piano for the choir, and he was young; barely twenty-six years old.

Well, one day he complained of stomach pains and upon examination there
was found in his abdomen a cancerous growth as big as a child's nerf
football. He underwent surgery, lost a testicle, suffered through chemo
therapy, and last I knew, was doing okay. The cancer was in remission but
they had to keep an eye on him all the time.

In contrast, the vaudeville, TV, and movie star George Burns smoked a cigar
every day of his life until he died at age 100. Go figure.

You know, life is short. If us "good" people deny ourselves every little
pleasure, one day we'll regret it, especially if our own life ends too soon and
those we consider wicked live full, prosperous lives long after we ourselves
are passed away.

• Ecc 7:17-18 . . . On the other hand, don't be too wicked either-- don't be a
fool! Why should you die before your time? So try to walk a middle course--
but those who fear God will succeed either way.

The recommendation in that passage is to do everything in moderation.
That's the key. Excess is what ruins people-- too much tobacco, too much
coffee, too much gambling, too much education, too much ignorance, too
much quarreling, too much sugar and fatty foods, too much alcohol, too
much work, too much play and even too much religion.

Too much of anything is bad; even too much recreation. Everyone knows
that, but no one takes it to heart. Some abstain from everything thinking to
make themselves ultra pious. But piety is not found in excessive self-denial.
After all, God created all things for Man to enjoy, rather than to abstain
from. (1Tim 6:17)
_

 

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• Ecc 7:19 . .Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in
a city.

Far too many State and Federal government officials are very good at
winning an election while neither sensible nor apparently capable of
exercising good judgment in their capacity as leaders and managers.

They say that two heads are better than one, but in this case ten are inferior
to one when that one head is the only smart head hereabouts.

The wise man is circumspect; which Webster's defines as careful to consider
all circumstances and possible consequences, i.e. the wise man is smart
enough, and prudent enough, to decide upon a course of action that's best
for everyone rather than only for himself and/or special interests; and there
are times when the wise man is so clever with words that he can persuade
ten block heads to do the right thing.

• Ecc 7:20 . . For there is not one good man on earth who does what is best
and doesn't err.

Solomon was a keen observer of people in power. He knew they couldn't be
trusted. Too many people look to government to improve their quality of life
and to remedy society's ills. That is a bad habit because human government
is made up of human beings, and human beings cannot be trusted to always
do what is right because they have prejudices and biases, private ambitions,
axes to grind, hands to shake, boots to lick, favors to repay, promises to
keep, opportunities to grab, and friends to curry.

They also have mental, physical, and emotional problems that effect their
judgment and sometimes put them in a bad mood. Sometimes they drink,
which loosens them up and often disposes them to do things that are not in
the public's best interests.

Only the foolish believe their government to be as pure and honest as the
angels of God. They aren't. They weren't in Solomon's day; and they sure
aren't now. The voters who put their hero in office, believing him to be a
Messiah capable of healing their country's ills and giving people hope, are
often very disappointed to discover he's just another cheap politician with a
charismatic persona and feet of clay rather than gold.

• Ecc 7:21-22 . . Finally, don't pay attention to everything that is said, so
that you may not hear your slave reviling you; for well you remember the
many times that you yourself have reviled others.

There are some instances in life where ignorance is truly bliss; and this is
one of them. Some people just have to know everything others are saying
about them. That's not a good idea. People are only human, and humans
love to gossip and say negative things about others. If you are prone to talk
about others, then it is a sure bet others are prone to talk about you,
because they are just as human as you. Solomon advised against being
overly wise and overly foolish. I would add: don't be nosey and don't be
overly sensitive.

The golden rule applies here as well as any other place: Do unto others as
you would like it done unto you. So don't crowd people or monitor their
conversations like Big Brother or something. They need to be free to talk
about you; just as you need freedom to talk about them.

But beware of vicious gossips and rumor mongers. Some of us talk about
others for fun and don't really mean anything by it; but some are out to stir
up trouble and deliberately assassinate reputations. They come up to you
and say: "You should hear what so and so is saying about you". People like
that are a menace to society.
_

 

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• Ecc 7:23-25 . . All this I tested with wisdom. I thought I could fathom it,
but it eludes me. [The secret of] what happens is elusive and deep, deep
down; who can discover it? I put my mind to studying, exploring, and
seeking wisdom and the reason of things, and to studying wickedness,
stupidity, madness, and folly.

Well; Solomon is not the first one to grapple with the mystery of life and fail
to make any sense out of it. Many famous philosophers of the past came up
empty handed too. The happiest people seem to be those who don't think
very deep. They just live out their lives like a nutria or a dragonfly without
the slightest concern about their origin nor the way things are, nor of the
future. Maybe they have the right idea after all.

• Ecc 7:26-27 . . Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps,
her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God
escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her. See, this is what I
found, said Koheleth, item by item in my search for the reason of things.

Most men "under the sun" would agree with Solomon that women are a
necessary evil; and mostly evil. "You can't live with 'em, and you can't live
without 'em." How many times I've heard unhappy men sound that lament.

According to Gen 2:18-24, God created Woman so the male would have a
supportive friend; someone he could lean on. Adam discovered that animals
can't relate to Man, unless of course a particular man happens to be an
animal himself. One of my all-time favorite bumper stickers goes like this:

MEN ARE NOT PIGS!
Pigs Are Gentle, Sensitive, Intelligent Animals.

• Ecc 7:28a . . As for what I sought further but did not find,

Apparently, the thing that Solomon sought further (in addition to the
investigations he has made up to this point) was a human being free from
the foibles of human nature. Is it actually possible that the world cannot
produce even one single human being who is 100% rational and sensible?

• Ecc 7:28b . . I found only one human being in a thousand, and the one I
found among so many was never a woman.

His comment doesn't mean Solomon did actually find a truly 100% percent
sensible person; only that he found one that was sensible in his own
opinion; which is a subjective evaluation. That kind of determination has no
value in reality because it's a judgment based upon one's own personal (and
possibly biased) point of view.

Although it appears in that verse that Solomon is being terribly sexist about
the intelligence of women; he isn't actually suggesting there are no sensible
women at all, but that in his own personal experience, sensible women were
even more rare than sensible men.

In the movie "As Good As It Gets" one of the main characters (a writer
played by Jack Nicholson) was asked by an admirer how he was able to
understand women so well-- knowing what goes on in their hearts and
minds and putting it down on paper. He answered; "I start with a man, and
take away reason and accountability." (chuckle) Nicholson's character, by
the way, was a very self-centered, obsessive-compulsive individual who
harbored some strong anti-social opinions about women and LGBT.

• Ecc 7:29a . . But, see, this I did find: God made men plain,

Plain can mean simple or uncomplicated; which seems to be exactly what
he's saying. God made Man an uncomplicated being; but he didn't stay that
way.

• Ecc 7:29b . . but they have engaged in too much reasoning.

The word for "reasoning" is translated from chishshabown (khish-shaw
bone') which means: a mental or mechanical contrivance, i.e. a warlike
machine or a mental machination, e.g. sophistry and rationale.

Some people do tend to complicate everything by over-thinking; thus they
engage themselves in a sort of mental bull session that never gets to the
bottom of anything. They can't just take things as they are, and let things
happen. No, they have to complicate everything.

Then there are those who can't permit themselves to accept anything they
don't understand. So their minds remain forever vacillating in a limbo
between two opinions. They're indecisive, and oftentimes insecure, because
for minds like that, there are no absolutes and no way of knowing what's for
real and what's not for real. So they're forever stalling with yeah-but,
maybe, possibly, could be, and what-if.
_

 

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• Ecc 8:1-2a . .Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of the
adage: A man's wisdom lights up his face, so that his deep discontent is
dissembled? -- I do!

There's another way to say some of that.

"Crafty people are good at hiding their true feelings."

Every day I'm asked by somebody; "Hey, how's it going?" or "How are you
today?" Of course I always smile and say; "Great" or "Okay" but inside I
might not be having a good day at all. People don't want to hear about your
problems. Sometimes just for fun I'll answer those kinds of greetings with;
"I'm blue, depressed, overweight, in ill health, despondent, and wish I was
never born." Or I'll say; "I feel pretty good; for a guy my age." (chuckle)
Those always gets a reaction.

• Ecc 8:2b . . Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath
before God.

An oath taken "before God" may not seem valid to an atheist, but when the
wording is formal; as in legally binding oaths required for various
government positions, then the oath becomes enough rope to hang yourself
with if you go back on it.

• Ecc 8:3-5a . . Leave his presence; do not tarry in a dangerous situation,
for he can do anything he pleases; inasmuch as a king’s command is
authoritative, and none can say to him: What are you doing? One who obeys
orders will not suffer from the dangerous situation.

In Solomon's day, it wasn't wise to provoke a king, nor to interfere with his
business, nor to block his way when he came down your street. Kings were
despotic monarchs: they answered to no one, and could have people
executed at whim all without the bother of due process. This is still true
today in a number of nations. Dictators throughout the world practice a
degree of tyranny that you definitely do not want to oppose if perchance
you're a citizen in their country.

• Ecc 8:5b . . A wise man, however, will bear in mind that there is a time of
doom.

No matter who you are, or how high your station in life; ultimately no one is
above the law. Those who become just a little too familiar with kings,
dictators, and presidents, sometimes think their association with those high
ranking leaders gives them some sort of immunity. That's when they get
careless, goof up and cross over a line; and the ruler, who in the past was
their friend, then becomes their dread enemy. If for no other reason than
political considerations; they don't want to know you anymore.
_

 

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• Ecc 8:6 . . for there is a time and a judgment for everything.

That's kind of superstitious in a way. It's like saying "So and so had it
coming to him." or "What goes around comes around" or "God is gonna get
you for that."

• Ecc 8:7 . .Yet it is a great affliction for man that he is ignorant of what is
to come; for who will make known to him how it will be?

We have to expect to get caught up sometimes in circumstances beyond our
control. Often those circumstances are unforeseen and blindside us-- they
catch us off guard, and unprepared to cope with them.

Sometimes in the performance of duty, or in compliance with the law,
(serving King, country, employer, and/or the greater good) people have to
do unpleasant things in order to avoid unpleasant consequences; e.g. young
men in the Marines may be called upon to go kill non combatants; or
construction workers may have to destroy wildlife habitat for a suburb; or
friends may be subpoenaed to testify in court against their buddies.

Sure they could refuse to kill non combatants, and they could refuse to drive
a bulldozer through wetlands, prairies, and pastures, and they could refuse
to testify. But there is a price to pay for anarchy and insubordination. The
young Marine could be court-martialed for dereliction of duty, the
construction guy would most likely be fired, and the friend who refuses to
help the law convict their buddy could be hauled into court for the crime of
misprision.

Those kinds of circumstances are cold, hard facts of life; they are a normal
part of the human experience. They come at us like juggernauts; big-foot
trucks that crush us under their tires; permanently altering our personalities
and the way we feel about ourselves.

• Ecc 8:8 . . No man has authority over the life-breath-- to hold back the
life-breath; there is no authority over the day of death. There is no
mustering out from that war; wickedness is powerless to save its owner.

The ultimate life-changing event-- DEATH --is the supreme circumstance,
the undefeated champ, rated as among those beyond our control. No king
can stop it from laying claim to his life; as if it were one of his subjects. No
draft dodger can run away to Canada to avoid Death's induction. Death's
time cannot be delayed by failure to appear in court.

One day; in spite of anyone's strong objections to the contrary, our number
will come up-- at that time no matter who we are, or who we were, we will
die; and it matters little how, or when, or where we depart. The world was
getting along just fine without us before we arrived, and it will do just fine
without us after we're gone. A supervisor once told me; "Don't ever think
you can't be replaced."
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 8:9 . . All these things I observed; I noted all that went on under the
sun, while men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin eliminated threats to his power through Purge
Trials and widespread secret executions and persecution of his own fellow
Soviet citizens. He left behind a legacy of repression and fear as well as
industrial and military power. Stalin rid himself of all potential rivals in the
party, first by having many of them condemned as deviationists, and later
by ordering them executed.

To ensure his position and to push forward "socialism in one country" he put
the Soviet Union on a crash course of collectivization and industrialization.
An estimated 25 million farmers were forced onto state farms.

Collectivization alone killed as many as 14.5 million Soviet people, and
Russia's agricultural output was reduced by 25 percent, according to some
estimates.

Stalin is only one example of the many oppressive rulers in the course of
human history, like Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Robert Mugabe, Hosni
Mubarak, and Kim Jong Il who use and abuse their citizens; instead of
managing countries for the country's good, these kinds of rulers manage
countries for their own personal good. Their citizens are valued as
commodities rather than fellow men.

• Ecc 8:10a . . And then I saw scoundrels coming from the Holy Site and
being brought to burial

It is truly amazing how the wicked of the world have the nerve to attend
church and synagogue. Where's their conscience? And then their families
have the chutzpah to apply for honorable, Church sanctioned funerals when
they die! (e.g. Paul J. Castellano-- John J. Gotti's predecessor as boss of the
Gambino clan)

• Ecc 8:10b . . while such as had acted righteously were forgotten in the
city.

Many good people often live out their lives in total obscurity, never basking
in any limelight nor making a name for themselves. Their funerals? You
won't see them on a nationally televised broadcast and probably not in a
newspaper's obituary column.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 8:10c-13 . . And here is another frustration: the fact that the sentence
imposed for evil deeds is not executed swiftly, which is why men are
emboldened to do evil— the fact that a sinner may do evil a hundred times
and his [punishment] still be delayed. For although I am aware that it will be
well with those who revere God since they revere Him, and it will not be well
with the scoundrel, and he will not live long, because he does not revere
God.

If justice were as swift as electricity, there would be less crime. The thing is:
current flows just as soon as it's given a circuit within which to do so; no
delay. A light switch is a good example: Switch on, Switch off = Lights on,
Lights off: current flows to the fixture and/or stops flowing right then, not
later, not tomorrow.

If justice were ready to pounce on evil doers the moment they crossed over
a line, that would be very helpful in a world one mad with evil. For example
if cruel dictators like North Korea's Kim Jong-Un knew they would be
punished for their human rights abuses the very moment they caused one,
they'd be highly motivated to stop mistreating their country's citizens.

• Ecc 8:14 . . here is a frustration that occurs in the world: sometimes an
upright man is requited according to the conduct of the scoundrel; and
sometimes the scoundrel is requited according to the conduct of the upright.
I say all that is frustration.

Nowhere is that principle more evident than in group discipline. The military
commonly punishes an entire platoon for the bad conduct of just one man.
In that scenario, there is no individual justice; but collective justice; so that
the innocent suffer right along with the guilty. The same effect occurs in
group rewards. The people who performed well get no more honor than the
people who did poorly because the group as a whole gets the credit; not the
individual. Injustice of that nature is indeed frustrating; but nevertheless,
unavoidable under the sun.

NOTE: I recently viewed a movie on cable television about the Chernobyl
catastrophe. A key scientist towards the end of the movie commented that
in a just society honesty is rewarded and dishonesty punished. The reason
he said that is because his society, the Russian society, rewards liars who
assist with propaganda that protects the State's image.

Had the scientist suppressed information related to the reactor accident, he
would've been honored as a hero. But he chose to disclose certain
embarrassing facts related to the reactor's design and its regulatory political
machinery; consequently he and his career were destroyed.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 8:15 . . I therefore praised enjoyment. For the only good a man can
have under the sun is to eat and drink and enjoy himself. That much can
accompany him, in exchange for his wealth, through the days of life that
God has granted him under the sun.

There are some things in life; like injustice, that we just have to accept. To
fret about it is totally a waste of precious life and energy. It is far better to
cope, to adjust, to adapt, and to enjoy life as best as possible with what you
have at hand to work with and within the circumstances wherein you find
yourself unable to avoid.

• Ecc 8:16 . . For I have set my mind to learn wisdom and to observe the
business that goes on in the world-- even to the extent of going without
sleep day and night--

Well; Solomon was one of the filthy rich and could afford to lose some sleep
now and then, but working men dare not deprive themselves of sleep. They
need their rest; and don't need to lay awake nights fretting over things in
the world that are beyond their IQ, and beyond their control.

• Ecc 8:17 . . and I have observed all that God brings to pass. Indeed, man
cannot guess the events that occur under the sun. For man tries
strenuously, but fails to guess them; and even if a sage should think to
discover them he would not be able to guess them.

The View Point Inn, perched along the rim of the Columbia Gorge in Oregon,
was slowly sinking into financial ruin for lack of business. Then, out of the
blue, the production company of the first of the Twilight series of movies
selected the inn for Edward's and Bella's prom scene. Subsequently the inn
became a popular tourist attraction, and co-owner Geoff Thomson said the
inn's business improved 30 to 40 percent. You just never know what a day
will bring forth.

Chess masters can often see twelve moves ahead. But they cannot see into
their opponent's mind. Just when the master thinks he has the game figured
out, his opponent launches an unsuspected strategy and throws the master's
calculations off and he must begin to calculate a different twelve moves
ahead than before.

Solomon may have been just a bit too superstitious in this regard. He
seemed to think that God's hand is in everything. Although that really isn't
true, it is a pretty good way for a philosopher to explain away things that we
can neither control, alter, foresee, understand, nor do anything about. He
can just say: "It is Allah's will." or he can say: "The gods do as they please."
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 9:1 . . For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that
righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does
not know whether [it will be] love or hatred; anything awaits him.

That was certainly true of Joseph. He was a very good boy; favored by God,
yet sold into Egyptian slavery by his own kin. Same with John the baptizer.
He too was a good, and wise, man-- the forerunner of Christ. Yet at the
young age of thirty, still in the prime of his life, he was beheaded at the
whim of a silly young girl whose dancing happened to please a tetrarch. God
did nothing to prevent it. Are any of us any safer?

• Ecc 9:2-3a . . For the same fate is in store for all: for the righteous, and
for the wicked; for the good and pure, and for the impure; for him who
sacrifices, and for him who does not; for him who is pleasing, and for him
who is displeasing; and for him who swears, and for him who shuns oaths.
That is the sad thing about all that goes on under the sun: that the same
fate is in store for all.

Oftentimes when people contract fatal diseases, they whine: "Why me?"
Answer: Why not? Yes, why not because we're all just lobsters in one of
those fish tanks they have in sea food restaurants.. The cook gropes about
and the lobster he catches is just a matter of chance. And eventually he gets
them all, one by one.

It seemed to Solomon that good people shouldn't have to die. But actually,
death is merciful. What if people lived forever? They would continue to age
more and more till they were totally debilitated and looked like emaciated
mummies. They would have to be carried around like baggage, completely
dependent upon the young for subsistence; and forever enduring an
unbearable quality of life.

• Ecc 9:3b . . (Not only that, but men's hearts are full of sadness, and their
minds of madness, while they live; and then-- to the dead!)

The word for "madness" is from howlelah (ho-lay-law') which actually means
folly; not insanity. Webster's defines folly as (1) a lack of good sense or
normal prudence and foresight, (2) criminally or tragically foolish actions or
conduct, (3) a foolish act or idea, and (4) an excessively costly or
unprofitable undertaking.

If we take the far view-- if we weigh the value of Man's thoughts and
endeavors against the depth of eternity --then nothing a man under the sun
does has any real meaning and purpose. After the earthly man lives out his
pointless existence, he dies and rots away like common road kill.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 9:4 . . For he who is reckoned among the living has something to look
forward to-- even a live dog is better than a dead lion--

As long as people are still alive, there's always the thought that one day
their ship might come in. But once you're dead, there are no more ships
other than the one that ferries people across the river Styx.

• Ecc 9:5-6 . . since the living know they will die. But the dead know
nothing; they have no more recompense, for even the memory of them has
died. Their loves, their hates, their jealousies have long since perished; and
they have no more share till the end of time in all that goes on under the
sun.

On the face of things, those who have passed on experienced the final phase
of life; the last item on their bucket list: and now have nothing left to do.
They're all done. They were born (we all are) they lived (we all do) they died
(we all will). And everybody not only experiences the final phase, but most
everyone also experiences the common experiences of life-- love, hate,
envy, and jealousy. Every generation goes through the very same things
while they're here.

NOTE: There is a technical difference between jealousy and envy. The first is
territorial, i.e. possessive. Whereas the second is begrudging of another's
good fortune.

• Ecc 9:7-10 . . Go, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine in joy;
for your action was long ago approved by God. Let your clothes always be
freshly washed, and your head never lack ointment. Enjoy happiness with a
woman you love all the fleeting days of life that have been granted to you
under the sun-- all your fleeting days. For that alone is what you can get out
of life and out of the means you acquire under the sun. Whatever it is in
your power to do, do with all your might. For there is no action, no
reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.

Sheol is often interpreted "grave". That's a good choice of words for the man
under the sun, i.e. a rational man thinking to himself whose perception of
reality is moderated by what he can see going on around him in the physical
universe rather than what he cannot see going on under his feet in the non
physical sphere.

The man under the sun generally understands that he needs to squeeze
every drop of juice out of the orange of life before it's too late. That is both
sad and frustrating for many because circumstances will not permit them to
enjoy life as much as they would like. They will never achieve their highest
potential, never eat right, never dress right, never have a family of their
own, never be pretty, never be handsome, never be thin, never be rich,
never be intelligent, never be famous, never be popular, never have good
health, and never have a home of their own-- the grave ends any and all
dreams of ever achieving any of that.

Since a lifetime is so little time to enjoy life, it's tragic that the good life is
taken away from us so easily because there's simply not enough time in life
to make up for lost time.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 9:11a . . I again saw under the sun that the race is not [always] to the
swift, and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise,
nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to men of ability;

Typically races are won by the swift, but if the swift should trip and fall, they
will lose the race in spite of their superior speed. Battles are usually won by
the valiant, not the timid. But again, not always. If the valiant are dunces,
then the timid with brains can outsmart them. Food and money are usually
plentiful in the homes of people who have a head on their shoulders; but
again, if the wise should suddenly lose everything by an economic
catastrophe; like the Wall Street collapse of 2008, then all the financial
know-how in the world won't buy them a single loaf of bread down at the
local Safeway.

The word "favor" is from chen (khane) which means: graciousness, i.e.
subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty). For some strange reason,
nature allows only a relatively small percentage of beautiful people to have
any brains or develop any really useful, productive skills. Most of the
achievers in life, like chemists, astronomers, architects, mathematicians,
writers, movie makers, physicists, engineers, and designers et al; are
ordinary-looking people. The beautiful people are often dead wood (and
dead heads). Whenever I look behind the scenes of really difficult movies
like Inception, Matrix, Avatar, and Monsters Inc.; I'm amazed at the rather
unexceptional looks of many of the makers of our favorite movies. They just
don't appear to be all that smart and creative.

I noticed the same thing in my job as a Federal civilian employee. The
headquarters in my district has a noticeable shortage of attractive men and
women because the government, as a rule, doesn't hire people in respect to
how well they fill out their clothes or reflect in a mirror, but in respect to
how well their minds work.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

.
• Ecc 9:11b . . for time and chance overtake them all.

There are no guarantees in life. It's a gamble. I know of a clerk in Costco
who spent four years in college majoring in Sociology. There was plenty of
demand for people with that kind of a degree when he entered college; but
by the time he finished school, the demand had dwindled and my graduate
friend had to get a job as a fry cook in a Mongolian grill.

• Ecc 9:12 . . And a man cannot even know his time. As fishes are
enmeshed in a fatal net, and as birds are trapped in a snare, so men are
caught at the time of calamity, when it comes upon them without warning.

A machinist employed by the Corps of Engineers here in Portland Oregon
where I once worked as a welder, volunteered to go and help out with the
rescue and clean-up operation in New York after the World Trade Center was
hit with airliners hijacked by Islamic patriots. On return, he remarked how
he was puzzled by parking structures near ground zero full of very expensive
autos like BMW, Corvette, and Lexus that were covered with dirt day after
day. He wondered why the people who owned those beautiful cars never
washed them.

Then he realized why. It was because those cars once belonged to
commuters who worked in the Trade Center-- commuters who were caught
by total surprise in the sudden destruction of not only their place of
employment, but also of their very lives. Whatever they had planned for that
day, was instantly canceled forever. The owners never dreamed that the
miles they drove to work that day would be their cars' very last.

Sudden-death incidents like that happen all the time. Back in Feb 2017,
actor Bill Paxton was in the hospital for treatment of an aortic aneurysm
when he suddenly died of a stroke on the operating table. It claimed his life
right out of the blue like a stray bullet from a drive-by.
_