I seem to be a “hole in the wall” in different places and even on the internet I seem to wander into places of the most hopeless discussions.
I see or hear stories of people’s hopelessness, their brokenness. It seems that they are angry at how much work, how much of themselves they pour into their work, to make things right and how meaningless it all seems to be. They never advance in their work, their relationships, their drinking, eating, or other obsessions they struggle with.
Or even prejudice. Whether it is prejudice of wealth, race, power, dress, or countless other reasons that we all seem to find to cause divisions amongst ourselves. Interestingly enough, the same people that some of these people find prejudice are angry at other people’s prejudice toward themselves. It seems to me that most people like to point out other people’s differences without others pointing out their own. Funny thing is I always thought that it was our differences that made the human race interesting.
There are other things but the list is long.
Some people blame themselves, other people go so far as to blame the president, the war, the economy, the environment, or even high gas prices. This list is longer. A lot of people seem to know how or who to blame.
What is it that seems to be tearing our hearts to shreds? What is it that we seem to ache to satisfy so badly that we don’t even really know what it is?
Why is it that I seem to be in these places where no one seems to mind me hearing them pour their heart out to someone else.
It’s not like I’m intending to eavesdrop. I’ve even kept it pretty generic here so as not to infringe on their story. But I can’t help but wonder that there may be a reason.
I will have to ponder this some. If anyone wants to comment on this go ahead. I’ll leave you with something I found in a book called Ecclesiastes:
The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
What is twisted cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
