Debating with Ark Times Bloggers on “The Meaning of Life” Part 2 “Can a person find a satisfying purpose to his/her life by pursuing money?”

Ecclesiastes 8-10 | Still Searching After All These Years

Published on Oct 9, 2012

Ecclesiastes 11-12 | Solomon Finds His Way

Published on Oct 30, 2012

I have enjoyed going back and forth with the Arkansas Times Bloggers on many subjects over the years. Now I have discussed the subject of “The Meaning of Life” with them recently and I wanted to share some of this with you.

I have written on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of the meaning of our lives on several occasions on this blog. In this series on Ecclesiastes I hope to show how secular humanist man can not hope to find a lasting meaning to his life in a closed system without bringing God back into the picture. This is the same exact case with Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Three thousand years ago, Solomon took a look at life “under the sun” in his book of Ecclesiastes. Christian scholar Ravi Zacharias has noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter.”

On May 28, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I posted the following:

Chris Martin of Coldplay revealed in his interview with Howard Stern that he was raised an evangelical Christian but he has left the church. I believe that many words that he puts in his songs today are generated from the deep seated Christian beliefs from his childhood that find their way out in his songs. The fact Coldplay’s songs deal so much with death and the search for meaning and purpose of life (similar to Solomon’s search in Ecclesiastes), and that our actions are being watched, and Chris describes different ways God tries to reveal himself to us, and many songs deal with trying to find a way to an afterlife and heaven, and he stills uses Christian terms like being “blessed” and “grateful.”

People are looking for a purpose for their lives even if they have millions in the bank and have the world at their finger tips. 

https://thedailyhatch.org/2013/05/28/the-mo…

My usual opponent who I do respect goes by the username “NeverVoteRepublican” and he or her responded on May 28, 2013:

Saline–I don’t know what the heck Chris Martin’s religious beliefs have to do with anything but you sure know how to copy and paste. Do you even know who Chris Martin is or his anything about his music? Just because a person has money and “the world at their fingertips”, it doesn’t mean that they are any less confused or have any less to deal with than the rest of us.

 

On May 29, 2013 on the Arkansas Times Blog I responded with the following:

NeverVoteRepublican noted, “Just because a person has money and “the world at their fingertips”, it doesn’t mean that they are any less confused or have any less to deal with than the rest of us.”

Citizen1 has some helpful observations on this and this is what he posted:

Saline, yes, people with what you consider “having it made” can be and are probably still searching for purpose and fulfillment. As a matter of fact, the lack of fulfillment is causing them to keep searching.

Way back in the 80’s when I was a securities broker and I figured if I just had a little more I would be a little happier, and if I had a lot more I would be a lot happier, I saw something.

The ones with a lot more were miserable. I saw more heavy hitters puke in a wastebasket than anyone. Even the lowly paid errand runner we had for picking up dry cleaning, lunch, pepto bismol, tums etc seemed ecstatic compared to the heavy hitters.

I had fellow brokers stricken with ulcers and heart attacks. I had more fellow brokers in divorces and fatal car crashes than any group then or since. There was a suicide and some of the car crashes were suspected of suicide.

My 83 year old dad comments often on his buddies that went off to be very “successful” with big houses and vacation homes and toys of all kinds that are now just simply joyous in a tiny patio condo.
_________________

I respect Citizen1 and think the comments are very helpful, but now I am turning my attention to someone who was very wealthy and had the “world at his finger tips” more than anybody I have ever heard of.

Three thousand years ago, King Solomon took a look at life “under the sun” in his book of Ecclesiastes. Christian scholar Ravi Zacharias has noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter.”

Let me show you some inescapable conclusions if you choose to live without God in the picture. Solomon came to these same conclusions when he looked at life “under the sun.”

Death is the great equalizer (Eccl 3:20, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”)

Chance and time have determined the past, and they will determine the future. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-13)

Power reigns in this life, and the scales are not balanced(Eccl 4:1)

Nothing in life gives true satisfaction without God including knowledge (1:16-18), ladies and liquor (2:1-3, 8, 10, 11), and great building projects (2:4-6, 18-20).

These are Solomon’s words from chapter 2:

8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

_____________________
The ironic thing is that Citizen1 also has claimed that I am unhappy because I don’t have enough money even though I am the one pointing out that those who have millions in the bank are still longing for a lasting meaning for their lives. Why would I look in the area of riches to find a lasting meaning for my life if the Bible tells me that is a dead end?

Here is what Citizen1 asserted:

I always had a read that Saline was unhappy with his station and uncomfprtable in his skin and his bitter posts were indications of that. Now with that simple little phrase “even if they have millions in the bank…” Saline has verified that he does have empty yearning and Saline is buying the RightWing grasping belief that “I would just be happy if only I had…”

Saline, I hope you find it.
_________________

I responded:

I have found it by putting my faith alone in Jesus Christ who died and was buried and raised 3 days later. I am looking above the Sun to find a lasting meaning to my life. I still say like Kerry Livgren of Kansas that without God that ““all we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see, Dust in the Wind, All we are is dust in the wind, Don’t hang on, Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky, It slips away, And all your money won’t another minute buy.”

https://thedailyhatch.org/2013/05/20/the-hu…

 

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