Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 12:9-11 (NIV)
1 The words of the Teacher,[a]son ofDavid, king in Jerusalem:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"says the Teacher."Utterly meaningless!Everything is meaningless."3 What do people gain from all their laborsat which they toil under the sun?4 Generations come and generations go,but the earth remains forever.5 The sun rises and the sun sets,and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the southand turns to the north;round and round it goes,ever returning on its course.7 All streams flow into the sea,yet the sea is never full.To the place the streams come from,there they return again.8 All things are wearisome,more than one can say.The eye never has enough of seeing,nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again,what has been done will be done again;there is nothing new under the sun.10 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.11 No one remembers the formergenerations,and even those yet to comewill not be rememberedby those who follow them.
the Hebrew word for "Meaningless" here is "Hebel", which literally means vapor/breath/mist, something impossible to catch :) symbolizing the fleetingness (don't know if that's a real word😅) of life
Chapter 12
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but healso imparted knowledge to the people. Hepondered and searched out and set in ordermany proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched tofind just the right words, and what hewrote was upright and true.11 The words of the wise are like goads,their collected sayings like firmlyembedded nails—given by one shepherd.
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Life under the sun is Meaningless.
Ephemeral and Enigmatic.
Temporary and Uncertain.
Brief and Incomprehensible.
If Life is so ephemeral and enigmatic,
Then why do constantly we strive to gain?
Whether we realize it or not,
we all seek to gain something.
Some chase after success,
Some pursue quality values,
The funny thing is, it never seems enough.
It seems, that the more you strive,
The more work there is to get done,
The more frustrations there are to come.
Just some more fame, some more wealth, some more money,
I just need a bit more patience, a bit more love, a bit more kindness...
But when will "more" be satisfied?
What will all of what you do under the sun add up to?
After all, memories are fleeting.
Life is brief, chasing after the wind.
Who knows whether today is certain?
Who knows what the future holds?
So, in a Hebel world,
Remember death,
Life is a gift.
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