There comes a time, or even multiple times, in one's life when one has to ask oneself, "What's the point?". With the ins and outs of life, the daily routine, monotony, or boredom, it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even with a faith in God, and knowing that we have an eternal life after this one here on earth, we can struggle to find true meaning in our lives. Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sarter, Nietzshe-- these are people who struggled with this question: how does the individual create meaning in the face of an apparently meaningless life, and being buffetted by despair, angst, boredom, and the absurdity in life?  These gentleman are credited with starting Existentialism in the 19th and 20th century, but as I read through Ecclesiastes, I find another, much earlier great thinker in the depths of existential despair: Solomon.

From the very beginning of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon's despair at the apparent meaninglessness of it all, where he declares "all is vanity" (Eccl. 1:2).  A man works and labors his whole life, but how does it profit him? He will pass away and another will come, and no one will remember him. Nothing that he will do is new or truly ingenious-- for "there is nothing new under the sun" (1:9). In fact, Solomon, goes on to say that seeking wisdom, pleasure, riches and treaures, skills and works, and popularity: it is all vanity (see Ecclesiast 2:1-4:16). Solomon, a king with power and riches, who could probably have whatever he desired, decried the meaningless of his life.

Solomon's further complaints are similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd. The Absurd is the idea that there is no meaning to be found in the world beyond what meaning we give to it, and it contains the further idea that the world operates in contrast to the karmic way of thinking that bad things don't happen to good people. Rather, "rain falls on the just and the unjust alike". (scripture reference!!!). As Sololom says,  "All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; He who takes and oath as he who fears an oath (9:2).  And further, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all" (9:11). Isn't this one of the main questions we have: why do good things happen to bad people (and vice versa)?  How is our goodness (or lack there of) meaningful, if it seemingly makes no difference here on earth?

By the end of Ecclesiastes, I'm not sure that Solomon has truly worked through his existential crisis.  He does conclude that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." (12:13-14). While our time here on earth is transient and it may may struggle with whether anything we do here has meaning, in the end, there is a God in Heaven who will bring all things into account.

At first glance, the entirety of Ecclesiastes may seem pretty depressing. Solomon tells us to enjoy the pleasures we have, don't work too hard or too little, bad things happen to the good and good things happen to the bad, we all die, and eventually God will bring everything into judgment. But I find comfort in Ecclesiastes being included in the Bible for many reasons. First of all, that Solomon, a man given incredible wisdom from God, struggled with the meaning and purpose of life. Secondly, that God is okay with us struggling with the meaning of life and it's apparent meaningless at times. He is okay with us questioning why bad things happen to good people. And perhaps, it this struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of the purpose of our time here on earth.

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