The Big Questions: The Meaning of Life
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place it rises there again.
Blowing toward the south, then turning toward the north, the wind continues swirling along; and on its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.
Scott Adams wrote a book called the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In it there is a civilization that builds a massive computer and they ask it about the meaning of life. The computer takes an enormous amount of time, some 7 ½ million years, and when the answer is ready everyone is waiting anxiously, parties are happening, joy is in the air, and then the pause before the ultimate question is answered. 42. That is the answer. 42. People look at themselves and wonder what on earth that means. The computer says that it has checked the answer quite thoroughly, and that is indeed the answer. The problem is that the people never really knew what the question was. The computer said it would have to design a new computer that was organic and it would take 10,000,000 years for this one to compute the ultimate question. And then the book continues to digress from there. But we all ask that question, what is the meaning of life, what is it all about? Read more…
