Everything Meaningless?

[Nessa]

In the book of Eclessiaties, It states everything is meaningless, that we are chasing the wind and that there is nothing new under the sun.

To me, I read it and I feel I connect with it on an emotional and truth level.

The feeling of opening the fridge, nothing interesting, blah, close it.

Go out to eat, look at the menu, nothing appeals at all, wish you had gone elsewhere.

Look at life, see so much shallowness, not much depth. Futility. Then depression may come.

So was King Solomon depressed? Was he just stating truth?

I saw a youtube vid of an ex christian saying its actually the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is - at least to them.

You have eternity and well, you have all the time in the world...you are more likely not to appreciate it like you would if there is limited time. Thats what he thinks anyway

[PaulSacramento]

Ecclesiastes is viewed by scholars as a "low point" in the life of King Solomon.
He wrote it when he was down and didn't see the "light at the end of the tunnel".
It was used by the sadducees, for example, to justify their view that this life is all there is and there is no life after death or a resurrection.
I think it is typical of what happens to all believers, that dark time we all go through and that it is one of the most important books in the OT.
It shows us that everyone loses faith at one point or another.
That said, it also reminds us that it is in GOD that we must trust, in GOD that we must put our faith because the rest is finite, prone to error, prone to doing wrong, prone to selfishness, prone to spite, prone to evil and, perhaps more importantly, only in GOD is their real love.
God loves us not because He has to or because He wants something from us, needs something from us.
Only in God do we find love for simply the sake of love.

[B. W.]

In the book of Eclessiaties, It states everything is meaningless, that we are chasing the wind and that there is nothing new under the sun.

To me, I read it and I feel I connect with it on an emotional and truth level.

The feeling of opening the fridge, nothing interesting, blah, close it.

Go out to eat, look at the menu, nothing appeals at all, wish you had gone elsewhere.

Look at life, see so much shallowness, not much depth. Futility. Then depression may come.

So was King Solomon depressed? Was he just stating truth?

I saw a youtube vid of an ex christian saying its actually the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is - at least to them.

You have eternity and well, you have all the time in the world...you are more likely not to appreciate it like would if there is limited time. Thats what he thinks anyway

Actually Ecclesiastes is a great book written from the perspective of those without reality the Messiah Jesus and the un-redeemed. Within it, it holds great truths and alludes to Jesus in Eccl 3:22 Eccl 6:12, Eccl 8:7, Eccl 10:14, as one who will tell what will happen after one dies. Jesus is that one and he did reveal this in the gospel accounts.

Yes, you can say the writer is depressed over not having the Messiah deal with humanities plight of sin, therefore, Eccl 12:13-14 comes into play. Think of commands as instructions and you will get what the writer is saying as per 1 Sam 15:22, Hosea 6:6.

Now as for the alleged ex-christian commenting on...the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is...

Is the honeymoon phase. Wait till it wears off and such folks are facing death. Then the reality hits, if this is all there is, then everything one holds tight too is holding unto a delusion as you cannot take it with you and life itself is a valueless mistake of star stuff that just happened to exist and randomly created a the entire universe. Ecclesiastes is hinting that life without God and the Messiah has no value as all will face judgment an accounting. This chap sounds more depressed than Solomon.

What this person is saying is really prideful as it is tell us who are really Christians that we do not take life seriously because it is eternal. That we do not value it and certainly don't take choices more seriously because you may not be here tomorrow. Also is telling us that his philosophy is superior when according to his POV such superiority is meaningless anyways.

Well, the majority of Christians do not take things for granted because this life leads to the life that comes after and never ends. Life has more value now and forever as it is a gift of God not worthy to be mocked as this chap recorded. May he be released of this dysfunctional sin of mocking God's gift of life everlasting and find the real Messiah, in Jesus name - amen.

Blessings
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[Nessa]

In the book of Eclessiaties, It states everything is meaningless, that we are chasing the wind and that there is nothing new under the sun.

To me, I read it and I feel I connect with it on an emotional and truth level.

The feeling of opening the fridge, nothing interesting, blah, close it.

Go out to eat, look at the menu, nothing appeals at all, wish you had gone elsewhere.

Look at life, see so much shallowness, not much depth. Futility. Then depression may come.

So was King Solomon depressed? Was he just stating truth?

I saw a youtube vid of an ex christian saying its actually the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is - at least to them.

You have eternity and well, you have all the time in the world...you are more likely not to appreciate it like would if there is limited time. Thats what he thinks anyway

Actually Ecclesiastes is a great book written from the perspective of those without reality the Messiah Jesus and the un-redeemed. Within it, it holds great truths and alludes to Jesus in Eccl 3:22 Eccl 6:12, Eccl 8:7, Eccl 10:14, as one who will tell what will happen after one dies. Jesus is that one and he did reveal this in the gospel accounts.

Yes, you can say the writer is depressed over not having the Messiah deal with humanities plight of sin, therefore, Eccl 12:13-14 comes into play. Think of commands as instructions and you will get what the writer is saying as per 1 Sam 15:22, Hosea 6:6.

Now as for the alleged ex-christian commenting on...the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is...

Is the honeymoon phase. Wait till it wears off and such folks are facing death. Then the reality hits, if this is all there is, then everything one holds tight too is holding unto a delusion as you cannot take it with you and life itself is a valueless mistake of star stuff that just happened to exist and randomly created a the entire universe. Ecclesiastes is hinting that life without God and the Messiah has no value as all will face judgment an accounting. This chap sounds more depressed than Solomon.

What this person is saying is really prideful as it is tell us who are really Christians that we do not take life seriously because it is eternal. That we do not value it and certainly don't take choices more seriously because you may not be here tomorrow. Also is telling us that his philosophy is superior when according to his POV such superiority is meaningless anyways.

Well, the majority of Christians do not take things for granted because this life leads to the life that comes after and never ends. Life has more value now and forever as it is a gift of God not worthy to be mocked as this chap recorded. May he be released of this dysfunctional sin of mocking God's gift of life everlasting and find the real Messiah, in Jesus name - amen.

Blessings
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Im going to have to somewhat disagree with you.

There is a certain element of truth in what this guy on youtube was saying.

The fact is alot of people - even christians - do take life for granted. We just assume that we will wake up tomorrow. We might not but we probably will.

But if you were told you were going to die in a few weeks time, would you live your life differently?

If your loved one was told that, would you act any differently?

Its human experience to take things for granted at least to some extent.

So, instead of just praying and dismissing, I might just think about the truth that is there. May even thank the guy for making me re evaluate the here and now.

[Mallz]

fact that life is finite that gives life meaning.

How would life have any meaning if it is finite? How does the human race have any meaning/hope if we are all finite? (We sure do not learn from ourselves, our history, our mistakes) All that outlook does is give you every reason and excuse to do whatever you want. Very hedonistic philosophy. Ends bring and end. Eternal brings life to live unending.

You have eternity and well, you have all the time in the world...you are more likely not to appreciate it like you would if there is limited time. Thats what he thinks anyway

That is such an arrogant and presumptuous statement showing he has no understanding of an eternal perspective.
If life is finite, realistically, people would be so careful to avoid harm/death in their lives, they would stop living. Or they would stop caring and blindly live. People who say these things, the majority are hypocrites. Their words do not match up with their actions. The ones I've met and witnessed are grasping to justify a careless/hedonistic lifestyle. And that is what that perspective produces: risk taking/carelessness. Who cares! We could die tomorrow, or today! Lets give my life the meaning I want based off my relative perspective in this world. Which produces a delusional world view.

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind

He is expressing the failings of a mortal perspective and what it leads to. Destruction and then death.

The fact is alot of people - even christians - do take life for granted.

Those people are relative humanists at heart. Doesn't sound like a lifestyle of living belief to me.

Nessa, don't get too caught up in how apparent this world is in its evil. Most people don't care about anything but themselves, their families, their friends and their future (not so much the last one with our younger generations). They truly follow a relative belief system focusing on human mortal dwellings, despite what they claim. And that describes most the people in the world, IMO.

Fact is life is meaningless if it ends. People blindly put faith in humanity thinking we'll fix all our problems which is so highly delusional I truly don't understand why people would believe in that; especially when the repeat of the human experiment continuously fails. That's the definition of insanity...

But if you were told you were going to die in a few weeks time, would you live your life differently?

No, my soul is prepared.
If I found out eternity doesn't exist and the atheist belief is right? I'd do whatever I pleased and would engage in and dwell in a hedonistic lifestyle. Adopting whatever culture/belief system fits my desires. You can justify almost anything and be accepted by a group of people in this world.

[Nessa]

Maybe

[abelcainsbrother]

In the book of Eclessiaties, It states everything is meaningless, that we are chasing the wind and that there is nothing new under the sun.

To me, I read it and I feel I connect with it on an emotional and truth level.

The feeling of opening the fridge, nothing interesting, blah, close it.

Go out to eat, look at the menu, nothing appeals at all, wish you had gone elsewhere.

Look at life, see so much shallowness, not much depth. Futility. Then depression may come.

So was King Solomon depressed? Was he just stating truth?

I saw a youtube vid of an ex christian saying its actually the fact that life is finite that gives life meaning. You hold on to it more tightly, take choices more seriously cos you may not be here tomorrow. You dont take things for granted cos this life is all there is - at least to them.

You have eternity and well, you have all the time in the world...you are more likely not to appreciate it like you would if there is limited time. Thats what he thinks anyway

There is alot of wisdom in Ecclesiastes, however when I read it? It always made me wonder if Solomon was high on something when he wrote it so that he still had his wisdom but seemed to be high or something. Solomon was a very wise man though and you'll find alot of wisdom in the books he wrote -Proverbs,Song of Solomon.Too bad he got hooked up with the wrong woman and it cost him everything that once was important to him.

[Mallz]

Nessa:

Maybe

I'm open to being corrected. Could you elaborate on 'maybe'?

[Nessa]

Nessa:

Maybe

I'm open to being corrected. Could you elaborate on 'maybe'?

Maybe........you're right?

Well, I was thinking that yes, without God there is no real meaning. Any meaning would be ultimately meaningless. Hollow and without substance. Even if you did appreciate something more because it was going to end soon, if theres no God where does any kind of meaning come from. What would make us think meaning existed any more than good or bad. Things would just exist.

[winningedge101]

Do you guys think Solomon is in hell? Also I think life is absolutely meaningless in my point of view. Everything I do/accomplish in this life ultimately doesn't mean anything if my consciousness...me myself, is totally and utterly obliterated at my moment of death. Is that selfish? Yeah it is but I really don't care and I'm not saying that atheists who don't believe in souls are immoral, but what I am saying is that to be an atheists and to make up some half #$@ subjective reason for living doesn't mean anything to me because ounce you're gone it fundamentally won't make a difference. Any thoughts or disagreements?

[Nessa]

Do you guys think Solomon is in hell? Also I think life is absolutely meaningless in my point of view. Everything I do/accomplish in this life ultimately doesn't mean anything if my consciousness...me myself, is totally and utterly obliterated at my moment of death. Is that selfish? Yeah it is but I really don't care and I'm not saying that atheists who don't believe in souls are immoral, but what I am saying is that to be an atheists and to make up some half #$@ subjective reason for living doesn't mean anything to me because ounce you're gone it fundamentally won't make a difference. Any thoughts or disagreements?

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[B. W.]

Do you guys think Solomon is in hell? Also I think life is absolutely meaningless in my point of view. Everything I do/accomplish in this life ultimately doesn't mean anything if my consciousness...me myself, is totally and utterly obliterated at my moment of death. Is that selfish? Yeah it is but I really don't care and I'm not saying that atheists who don't believe in souls are immoral, but what I am saying is that to be an atheists and to make up some half #$@ subjective reason for living doesn't mean anything to me because ounce you're gone it fundamentally won't make a difference. Any thoughts or disagreements?

There is meaning in life and a purpose however people justify in squandering such an inheritance.

From a militant atheist perspective that is anti christian primarily, valuing life statements such make, according to their own perspective is in reality creates a logical contradiction.

From Eccl, the premise is to do things as unto the Lord. As well as that it is okay to enjoy yourself as long as it not causing harm or evil to self or others as God gave this ability as a gift. Next, do not squander life away, how - by trusting in the Lord and listen and do his directives. Also, the writer of Eccl is pondering life and all the things he sees. It is not a bad book, in fact, it reveals what is in ones heart to either use the words written wisely or not. He writs as one in need of the Messiah of whom Micah 5:2 mentions and Isaiah 53:1-12 speaks of...who will save us form mediocrity and restore our true purpose - enjoying the Lord and things he entrusted us with without sin/dysfunction getting in the way...
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