DE Weekly: Wisdom, Vanity, & The Book of Ecclesiastes
Below is an archived email originally sent on February 23, 2026.
Wisdom, Vanity, & The Book of Ecclesiastes
“What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” (Ecclesiastes 1:3-4)
This is an existential question as old as humanity itself. It seems impossible for us as human beings to truly answer such questions as: why do things happen the way they do? Why should we strive in life––to be anything––when we are all going to die? Why strive to be good, to be rich, to be intelligent…why? Why are we here?
Notice that I started this newsletter with a quote from The Holy Bible, specifically from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is part of the three Old Testament books that make up what is called the “Wisdom” literature of the Bible, along with Job and Proverbs. (I wrote a newsletter about the Book of Job last year on the meaning of suffering. Go read that if you’re interested.)
The Wisdom literature in the Bible contains ancient wisdom about life and the world, offering us some peace through understanding that the problems we face today and the life questions we have are not original; in fact, they have plagued us since as long as we can remember.
For the part of Ecclesiastes, the main throughpoint explored is the point of life itself. More so than answering any single question (such as why we suffer, as Job does), it guides us in how to make sense of this world.
While it is not certain who actually authored the Book of Ecclesiastes, some believe it to be Solomon, the ancient King of Israel, known as the wisest king in history.
I believe that it helps to imagine him as the author, if only to remind ourselves that if the wisest man on record could not find satisfactory answers to life’s mysteries, then perhaps it’s alright that we can’t either.
Although Christian scripture and modern Existentialism have a chasm between them philosophically, it is fair to say that Ecclesiastes explores existential questions––because it does.
As I wrote before, chief among those questions is, “How do we find purpose and meaning in a seemingly meaningless world?”
The hard observation of the book is this: the world is indifferent, life is monotonous, and one’s fate is inevitable.
That being the case, what do we do? The author argues that we should seek to become wise. And for him, wisdom means accepting the fact that human beings do not have full control over their lives.
To think otherwise is simply vain, as we are reminded over and over again when he writes, “All is vanity.”
If life is meaningless, you might conclude, well, then, I should just act however I want and indulge in every pleasure that comes my way. Wrong, teaches Ecclesiastes.
That is self-indulgence, and self-indulgence is just as futile as anything:
“I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.’ But again, this was also vanity. I said of laughter, ‘It is mad’, and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’ (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2)
This sort of “life under the sun,” wherein we seek only humanistic and materialistic pleasures makes our lives futile ones, with no true perspective.
Neither should we take the polar opposite of this mode of living, however; we cannot give in to a nihilistic view of the world. To do that would also be denying ourselves the wisdom that Ecclesiastes teaches we should have.
As there usually is if you look hard enough, there is a middle road, a happy medium we can choose.
The author––the wise King Solomon or whoever it might be––implores us to enjoy life’s gifts. Mainly, the little things.
Eating. Drinking. Finding satisfaction in your work. All of these are gifts from God, and since we all do them, we should find joy in them.
The takeaway from Ecclesiastes (in a roundabout way, a similar takeaway from the Book of Job) is, simply, to accept your lot in life.
It is good to eat and to drink, to toil your days away during the few days on this earth that God gives us.
“On the day of prosperity be joyful, and on the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14)
Key to being able to truly embrace your lot and truly love and enjoy it is something the existentialists wrote about ad nauseum: live in the present. Don’t dwell on the past, don’t daydream about the future; for the past is gone forever, and the future is not yours. Only the present:
“Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” (Ecclesiastes 7:10)
What makes Ecclesiastes a particularly “existential” book is its constant emphasis on death. Yes, whatever you do will eventually be forgotten. Yes, you are going to die. Yes, everyone who knows you will eventually die too.
The author states that only when he applied his mind to know wisdom did he truly see that life, to some extent, is a mystery.
But that’s okay. Because even so, it’s not all for nothing. It’s just the nature of the world––a mystery––a mystery not for our understanding.
So, what would the existentialists take away from Ecclesiastes? I think roughly the same thing the author of Ecclesiastes himself would have said.
Take life as it comes; the same fate befalls us all. The good and the sinners share the same fate, as do the rich and the poor.
Us humans are like birds caught in a snare, like fish swept up in a net. We all end up in the same place.
Enjoy your life. The ups and downs, the struggles and moments of elation. Your food and drink, your family and friends, your toil. Life is a gift.
“Then I saw that wisdom exceeds folly as light excels darkness. The wise have eyes in their head, but fools walk in darkness. Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.” (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14)
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Brandon J. Seltenrich
P.S.––
Lent is a perfect season for reading the Wisdom literature of the Bible, and for exploring these life questions I write about so often. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
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