I don’t know what to think about this bible passage. I can’t stop thinking about it – it seems very much to mirror modern day america. Tell me what y’all think. For background – this is King Solomon writing.
Ecclesiastes 2
translation – the message
1I said to myself, "Let’s go for it–experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.
2What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it?
3With the help of a bottle of wine and all the wisdom I could muster, I tried my level best
to penetrate the absurdity of life. I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do during the years we spend on this earth.
I Never Said No to Myself
4Oh, I did great things:
built houses, planted vineyards, 5designed gardens and parks and planted a variety of fruit trees in them, 6made pools of water to irrigate the groves of trees.
7I bought slaves, male and female, who had children, giving me even more slaves; then I acquired large herds and flocks, larger than any before me in Jerusalem.
8I piled up silver and gold, loot from kings and kingdoms. I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and–most exquisite of all pleasures– voluptuous maidens for my bed.
9Oh,
how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind,
left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through
it all. 10Everything I
wanted I took–I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse,
held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every
task–my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!
I Hate Life
11Then
I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and
hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and
spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.
12And
then I took a hard look at what’s smart and what’s stupid. What’s left
to do after you’ve been king? That’s a hard act to follow. You just do
what you can, and that’s it. 13But I did see that it’s better to be smart than stupid, just as light is better than darkness. 14Even
so, though the smart ones see where they’re going and the stupid ones
grope in the dark, they’re all the same in the end. One fate for
all–and that’s it.
15When I realized that my fate’s the same as the fool’s, I had to ask myself, "So why bother being wise?"
It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke. 16The
smart and the stupid both disappear out of sight. In a day or two
they’re both forgotten. Yes, both the smart and the stupid die, and
that’s it.
17I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke–and spitting into the wind.
18And
I hated everything I’d accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I
can’t take it with me–no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after
me. 19Whether they’re
worthy or worthless–and who’s to tell?-they’ll take over the earthly
results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke.
20That’s when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth. 21What’s
the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you
worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that’s
what it is. A bad business from start to finish. 22So what do you get from a life of hard labor? 23Pain and grief from dawn to dusk. Never a decent night’s rest. Nothing but smoke.
24The
best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best
you can. The way I see it, that’s it–divine fate. 25Whether we feast or fast, it’s up to God. 26God
may give wisdom and knowledge and joy to his favorites, but sinners are
assigned a life of hard labor, and end up turning their wages over to
God’s favorites. Nothing but smoke–and spitting into the wind.
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 
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