The Meaning of Life Part 5a
Surely Having a little money adds meaning to life....
Right???
Money may not be able to buy happiness but it can buy everything else right? Perhaps money can add more meaning to life. Solomon is ready to experiment.
He is now trying to ascertain if acquiring wealth will give life meaning. –
[Eccl 2:8-9] “8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well-the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.”
Who would not want to amass silver and gold for themselves? I remember when the lottery was an outrageous US 400 million. Staunch believers, who fervently were against gambling, were cold sweating. Some sheepishly and ruefully posted on facebook that they had to "try ah ting". Yep the lure for wealth does that.
Money may not be able to buy happiness but it can buy everything else right? Perhaps money can add more meaning to life. Solomon is ready to experiment.
He is now trying to ascertain if acquiring wealth will give life meaning. –
[Eccl 2:8-9] “8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well-the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.”
How many times have we heard of many who came into wealth quickly, only to have lost it and become worse than before. Being financial independent is a great goal (and should be aspired to), but it does not necessary give life more meaning.
It actually highlights even more the meaninglessness of life. Being wealthy can do a lot of things for you, but as Solomon found out quickly, it does not to relieve the pointlessness of life. Here is what he observed as a result of his experimentation with wealth as the meaning of life:
[Eccl. 5:8-9] “8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.“
The wealthy has no problem gorging the less wealthy (as long as he is not caught). They tend to oppress the poor. They tend to use the working class for their advantage. (Haven’t you guys heard about Apple and Foxcon in China??) When you see the poor, the employed, the working class oppressed and justice denied, don’t be surprised that policies were put in place just for this to occur, to act as a barrier of entry for anyone else. Don’t be surprised because one lower official/ manager is eyed by a higher one and over them are other higher officials/ managers so that the flow of wealth is always upward, and the highest guy, the CEO, tales all the profit for himself under the guise that he brings the most value, all under the guise of increasing shareholder value, all under the mighty market system. This is meaningless. It is just a legal ponzi scheme Solomon concluded.
Now we are saying that you need to be poor. In fact someone remarked just today "I have found the most simple and poorest people are usually the most happy.", to which an appropriate response would be "The "happiness" of the poor is usually really a form of resignation. Poverty is a curse. Period. Nothing happy about not being able to feed your kids."
The wealthy has no problem gorging the less wealthy (as long as he is not caught). They tend to oppress the poor. They tend to use the working class for their advantage. (Haven’t you guys heard about Apple and Foxcon in China??) When you see the poor, the employed, the working class oppressed and justice denied, don’t be surprised that policies were put in place just for this to occur, to act as a barrier of entry for anyone else. Don’t be surprised because one lower official/ manager is eyed by a higher one and over them are other higher officials/ managers so that the flow of wealth is always upward, and the highest guy, the CEO, tales all the profit for himself under the guise that he brings the most value, all under the guise of increasing shareholder value, all under the mighty market system. This is meaningless. It is just a legal ponzi scheme Solomon concluded.
Now we are saying that you need to be poor. In fact someone remarked just today "I have found the most simple and poorest people are usually the most happy.", to which an appropriate response would be "The "happiness" of the poor is usually really a form of resignation. Poverty is a curse. Period. Nothing happy about not being able to feed your kids."
- Aspiring to be wealthy or being financially independent, while a great goal, does not add more meaning to life because it runs into the vanity of “No amount is every enough”.
[Eccl 5:10] “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” - As you acquire more, you find that those who consume from you, all the mouths to feed, the people asking for money increases. It is like a bottomless pit. As you make more money, inexplicably your expenses increase. More consumers to pay – the posse, lawyers, financial consultants, accountants, handlers, baby sitters, hair dressers, runners, you get the drift. And when you acquire the 12 million 30 room mansion, what are really going to do with it? What benefit is it except to feast your eyes and watch your money sink into it?
[Eccl. 5:11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?]. In a way it is better to be content with what your eyes see than the relentless roving of the appetite.[Eccl. 6:7-9] “All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied. 8 What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others? 9 Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. “ - Wealth brings anxiety. You always have to watch over your shoulders. You can never trust anyone, because there will always be someone who wants to “Madoff” with your money.[Eccl. 5:12] “12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.”
- There is more. The vanities of life don’t give those who are wealthy a break. You save money, and it has the potential to bring you more harm, or if you are not careful, out you in harm’s way. You give it to a trusted advisor and they can lose it. At the end of the day, we cannot leave with any of it anyway.
[Eccl. 5:13-16] ”13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. 15 Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain,” - Finally, sometimes even when you have achieved your goals and God allows you to be filthy rich, and you have done so honorably, you may not even get to enjoy it, or actually God does not enable you to enjoy it. If you cannot enjoy it, what sense does it make? As Solo says, it is not only a meaningless, but it is a grievous evil. A stillborn child is better off than he. It comes into the world without meaning, it departs in darkness and in darkness its name is shrouded. But it has more rest than that man.” At the end of the day we all go to the same place." [Eccl 6:1-10]
It seems that, that man does not need to reflect on the days of his life since God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Is it possible that we have a key to the meaning of life here? What is the difference here?
How can both people, one whom God does not allow to have wealth, and the other, the one God allows to enjoy his wealth, experience meaning in life is money is it?
Could it be that the secret is, if a man knows whether he gains wealth or whether he loses it, it does not define his days under the sun? Hmm? I think we are getting warmer. Let’s hear the full words from Solomon:
[Eccl 5:18-20] “18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.“
- We will next observe Solomon’s experiment on whether having power will add meaning to life…
To be continued..
All Blogs in this Series:
- Meaning of Life Part 1 - The Contenders
- Meaning of Life Part 2 - The Meaninglessness
- Meaning of Life Part 3 - Wisdom is the Meaning of Life
- Meaning of Life Part 4 - Happiness is the Meaning of Life
- Meaning of Life Part 5 - Money can add Meaning to Life
- Meaning of Life Part 5b - Status and Power gives Life Meaning
- Meaning of Life Part 6 - To Serve Others is the Meaning of Life
- Meaning of Life Part 7 - Just Be Good is the Meaning of Life
- Meaning of Life Part 8 - The Answer
Comments
Post a Comment