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| One who knows |
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
Like the Book of Job, the wisdom book of Qoheleth, also known as Ecclesiastes, is widely read as ancient literature, even by people with little interest in Jewish or Christian scripture. It's style, mood and teachings encourage skepticism about nostrums, criticism of popular opinions and beliefs, and distrust of recognized authorities. Its place in the Bible suggests that Jewish thinkers sometimes doubted the given wisdom of Proverbs. The just are not always rewarded; the wicked are not always punished. The cowboys in white hats are not always the good guys. The optimism of good times is not necessarily more reliable than the pessimism of bad times. All sides deserve a hearing.
Qoheleth is the sour old man who challenges the optimism of youth, saying "I too was young and hopeful once, but now I am old and disappointed. You may suffer the same fate."
If nothing else, Ecclesiastes encourages an open mind toward life. Don't be too quick to judge. Things are not always as they seem.
The author was not schooled in our belief that God's kingdom will come with Jesus' second coming. Written long before Christ's birth, he saw human life and history as purposeless meandering. Don't be in any hurry because we're not going anywhere anyway. It's better to stop and smell the roses; and, if you must travel to get somewhere, don't forget to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Thirty years ago, suffering severe depression and an unexpected exhaustion at the ripe old age of 31, I felt very defensive about my sadness. When well-intentioned people tried to cheer me up, I swore I would not forget this experience of helpless grief. I believed there was something valuable in my experience. I took the pills they offered, endured the ECT -- electro-convulsive treatment popularly known as "shock treatment" -- and wept several times a day.
I knew nothing about depression and no one could explain it to me. Even the best explanations could not touch the depth of my experience. And I really hated it when people assured me I would recover some day and be grateful for the experience. I don't like it when people tell me how the movie or novel ends; and, since this is my life, I'll thank you for not interpreting my story!
When I meet depressed individuals today, I remember my sadness. I often tell the psych patients in the VA hospital, "Though I am not a veteran of the military, I am a veteran of the psych ward." Some of the men are encouraged by that; others are even more deeply distressed because they think that superior individuals (like priests, doctors, heads of state and themselves) should not have to undergo such trials.
I also insist that, while they should take their medicines and work with the professionals, they must undertake the spiritual work they have neglected so far.
Like me when I was young, they don't usually see they have neglected certain spiritual chores. They think they have followed the clear and straight path to meaning, satisfaction and happiness. It can take years to discover what they were not seeing.
In the hospital I see that many physical injuries can heal rapidly, but it takes a whole lot longer to heal the mind. And the soul? It takes nothing less than one's entire life. Plus wisdom, courage, surrender to truth and ineffable grace.
Welcome, fellow traveler, to the road.
Your genuine compassion when "remembering your sadness" can be the cause for courage for the one who is suffering from depression. Too often folks are repelled - pull away from the person who is suffering from depression, adding to the sense of isolation and shame that comes with depression. Rare is the person who will roll up their sleeves and sit amid the messiness of another's depression and offer compassion.
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