I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.
Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
- Ecclesiastes 1:16-18
Isn’t it such an irony that the wisest king of his time, maybe even the wisest king in history, would say such things?
How can he put wisdom and folly as both chasing after the wind? Is it really meaningless to pursue wisdom? Has his heart changed?
If we read the whole book of Ecclesiastes we will understand that he has not changed his heart. He still values wisdom over folly.
What I conclude is that king Solomon had times that he felt weary of everything. That happens to us all.
I feel that the king is disappointed in the many ironies of life. And this, we must accept. Life is full of ironies.
If you allow me to be a bit lose in my words, I would say that life is full of the unexpected.
Justice is not always served. Those who must be punished by law escape, ironically through the law itself. They that do not deserve reward are the first to be rewarded.
The hard-working farmer is not always the first to enjoy his harvest. Some of it are stolen before he begins harvest. Worst, if ones hard-earned savings are stolen by men who never lifted a finger work.
And fairness, I believe it does not exist. What is fair for one, may be different for another.
The man who worked so hard to provide for his wife and children may end up betrayed by the very wife he loves, or scorned by the children whom he worked hard for.
A friendship forged by steel end up melted by the fires of greed or misunderstanding. Sworn enemies become allies for the sake of self-preservation.
Sigh! We can go on and on.
So what is the point in becoming wise when you cannot predict your end? Why not be just the fool?
Each of us must have our reasons. I have mine. At the end of everyday, at the end of every stage in life, I am still with myself.
If I will play the fool and shun wisdom, I will live in a disgraceful manner that even I may not be able to respect.
No matter what end, even if it seems chasing after the wind, I will pursue wisdom. Because in the end, beyond the perspectives of others, I have a conscience to live with.
I must make every effort to live well with myself and in the final day, I know that God will judge me for my actions.
By Ed Pilapil Jr. ©
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
