We read parts of Ecclesiastes yesterday which is said to have been written by Solomon the son of David the King.  I got the impression that Koheleth had lived a long life with many twists and turns and came to the conclusion that all is meaningless for the result is the same for all men and women; it ends in death.  My impression of this writer is that he or she was very weary after a long life and loaded down with the sad conclusion that all was for naught – i.e., either the life of responsibility or one of debauchery - the end is the same.

I remember the song based on this Biblical writing, Turn, Turn, Turn,  that was written by Pete Seeger and made famous by and for the folkies over 50 years ago.  Ecclesiastes or Koheleth made it famous a couple of thousand years previously because, although pessimistic in spirit was dead on about the condition of life for all of us. We need to be reminded that there is “nothing new under the sun” for the seasons change and there is a season for all things. The world turns and our species still lives on despite all the self-interested things we do in the struggle to get to the head of the line.  The more things change the more they remain the same – but I have said that before. The ultimate challenge to life is that we never have enough. 

There are so many sayings, aphorisms and bits of wisdom that it is difficult to choose from among them for a favorite. The work is so familiar to most in the western world because of its popularity not only among Jews but among Christians and people of education. Although the end is the same for all there are parts of this work that have special meaning.

I like the penultimate paragraph in section 11 where Koheleth says “How sweet is the light, what a delight for the eyes to behold the sun! Even if a man lives many years, let him enjoy himself in all of them, remembering how many the days of darkness are going to be.  The only future is nothingness.”

We cannot remember how many the days of darkness are going to be.  We can look ahead and see the life and death of those around us. We know not how many days there will be in a future of nothingness.  But the first part of this is something we all should take comfort in.  To see the light of the sun and know that it will be there in all the tomorrows of all of us alive and dead is especially comforting.  If only we could curb the inclination to do evil in those whose powers are such that what they do can be calamitous for the rest of us.  I would hope that all is not just wind and futility and that we can all fully enjoy the fleeting promise of life. I believe in comes around just once. But, unlike Koheleth I would like one more day to see how it would turn out.