comments on ecclesiastes and what is wisdom?(2001)
by Robert I. Winer, M.D.
Futility of worldly achievement as the ultimate goal
Eccl 1:2-3 "In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile. For what does a man get for all his hard work? Generations come and go, but it makes no difference. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again."
This is not a statement of pure pessism, but rather a writer who has a fuller comprehension of two realms of human reality: the spiritual and the earthly. When earthly pursuits are made the sole or ultimate aim, sooner or later introspection brings to mind a sense of futility. A similar process in one whose aim seems to him or herself as solely spiritual may reveal a sense of lack of groundedness and perhaps even a flight from personal responsibility. Either extreme seems to lack balance and if carried too far, life ultimately becomes rarified and out of touch with the natural. Here, "Solomon" understands that no earthly achievement or goal can satisfy the soul that thirsts for spirit. It is the nature of earthly pursuits that seem to trap or lock one into one into living exclusively in the transient "place" of sense experience and sense-appreciation. And all who reflect even to a minor degree hold within the knowledge, whether it be conscious or unconscious, that such pursuits and achievements must eventually pass away into dust.
When you live in the "sarx," there's no lasting satisfaction
Eccl 1:8 No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself.
"Sarx" is a Greek word used to denote the combination of soul (the seat of the intellect, emotions, and will) with the body. It's used extensively by Paul in the New Covenant epistles and is helpful to make the distinction beween things earthly and spiritual. This passage speaks of the fact that two sense experiences, sight and sound, are unable to confer contentment for reasons noted in the previous commentary. The main point here is that sense experience and spiritual experience are as different as swimming and flying. Both transport you but through very different media. Never forget that the spiritual inherently has both pre-eminency and ultimate control over the natural or sense realm.
You can't change the past
Eccl 1:12 What is wrong cannot be righted; it is water over the dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been.
Here's an important lesson that all of us must eventually learn or we're bound for a life of unhappiness and regret. Past negative happenings that cannot be changed are a definite reality that must be squarely be faced. These are the might-have-beens and could-have-beens of our lives. We all tend to embrace fantasizing about possibilities that never happened. This type of mythical thinking is an ego defense to loss or perceived loss. We project our defeats onto unfavorable circumstances, acts of nature, or people who we perceived blocked our way on the road to success. Some take this to an extreme resulting in paranoia.
I find it interesting that the author asks us to consider wrongs that "cannot be righted." Perhaps this is more difficult for most of us. It's one thing to face a sickness, death, or another tragedy that is clearly beyond our human control, but quite another to confront betrayal, injustice, or desertion. There's no way to justify these happenings as anything but the outcome of a fallen creation and creature. Sooner or later most of us learn to live within a world where human deceit is common, but triumphing over it seems less common or possible. It is here that we must turn to the supernatural, to trust that the God of creation is the knower of all wrongs done to us, past, present, and future. He knows all, yet at the same time He is always looking out for our good, turning evil into good for those willing to see life from heaven's vantage point.
On Giving
Eccl 11:1-2 Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help.
Develop the habit of giving. To those who believe in the biblical concept of tithing--many choose to give one-tenth of their income to charitable works. Others may give less or even more, adding to their tithe, gifts and offerings.
My own journey of giving was a great battle of the will. First, it seemed that everything--all of my own personal needs--came first. Then I considered giving, but only because I felt it was right; my heart wasn't in to it. The more I studied the matter, the more I knew that giving generously and with a good attitude was very important for me. So I determined to give regularly using an automatic monthly service--deciding how much I would give monthly for the next 12 months. I then would adjust the amount once per year. This worked well for me and is a method I still continue using. Gradually after years of doing it, my attitude changed. I truly believe in a giving-lifesyle and have become convinced of its spiritual and material benefits for myself and my family.
Become a giver and give to many.
Recognize reality, but don't wait for perfect conditions
Eccl 11:3-4 When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies. If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
Looking at the big puddle in your driveway you wish it weren't raining. Yet, no matter how much you wish it were gone it isn't. A wish is no more than a thought. It has no power to bring about a change in reality unless it is acted upon. And even then there are circumstances in which no wish, desire, dream, or faith can change the situation. However, this doesn't mean you should necessarily stop wishing or hoping. Here a balance is needed: ing, remains a thought unless it is brought into reality.
what is wisdom?
Let's start with a dictionary definition: "Wisdom is knowledge and good judgment based on experience; being wise. 2. wise conduct; wise words. 3. scholarly knowledge."
It seems to me that the dictionary's authors have relied upon an extraverted measure of wisdom based upon what can be known about another's thoughts and actions. However, a person's wisdom need not always to be seen for it to be present in significant measure. How, then, can one approach such an extremely complicated and ephemeral state such as wisdom?
One approach bases itself upon the fact that any concept which has a significant unknown aspect can be approached through antinomies -- the presentation of two sides which appear to be opposition with each other. When one defines the phenomenon of wisdom solely by measurable, earthly standards only one pole is used -- the material pole and the other dimension -- the spirtual pole, or what we might call the "its unknown dimension" that is present in any wise action whether it be in word or deed -- is ignored. While a one-sided definition may work in some situation, in others it distorts the reality of the situation. It is this "unknown dimension" of wisdom, what we might also call its introverted side, that I wish to emphasize now.
I might say without much risk of over-stating my case that the missing dimension in Western life is the acceptance that balanced wisdom, the term I am using to express wisdom that includes the above two poles, requires a transaction with wisdom's opposites, that is, its antinomian nature. I have presented five opposites of wisdom for you to consider:
1 Earthly (material / instinctual / lumen naturae) and Spiritual (its unknown aspects / archetypal / lumen dei); 2 Individual and Collective; 3 Knowledge and Relationship; 4 Wisdom and Foolishness; 5 Good and Evil
Traditional Judeo-Christian religion speaks much about wisdom, the chief text being embodied in the book of Proverbs, which I conside to be the "primer" on helping one understand wisdom's unknown pole. One cannot go very far in their understanding or growth in wisdom if they completely disregard a statements in Proverbs like: "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:6). Whether one is religious or not, an understanding of and a non-denigrating attitude -- toward wisdom's unknown pole demands an serious exploration of a relationship with the imago dei, for how else can one fully grasp that in the Scriptures, wisdom is personified or embodied. Through personification we can relationally embrace wisdom rather than it being solely an abstract knowledge or be left as only a "definable goal." It is my opinion that wisdom can be embraced and loved only when it is personified. One might call this "the engaging wisdom's heat" to distinguish it from the cooler aspects of embracing wisdom only as concept.
The quest for balanced wisdom is an elusive thing, much like going toward a destination to which one never arrives. Instead of this making one impatient, I encourage you to consider that all noble things are difficult, costly, and time-consuming. Furthermore, unlike the usual trips we take in life, wisdom's path often diverts us from our conscious intention; we find ourselves in unknown and disorienting places. These two aspects of the pursuit of wisdom are perceived intuitively as the tension between knowing that the path leads to greater connectedness and increase yet at the same time deconstruction and lack of definiteness. Without this uncomfortableness, inherent in its pursuit, wisdom cannot be manifested, remaining dead, or perhaps inert.
The pursuit of wisdom is, in part, a battle of the heart in which the pursuit of pleasure and lessening of discomfort, pain, or obligation continually pull us away from engaging its unknown pole. The Scripture, "out of the heart flows the issues of life," just touches the depths of such a confrontation. Concretely, the "issue of life" is blood without which there can be no further life or only a life that is stagnant. I encourage you to make the pursuit of wisdom as precious to you as your own blood and the blood of others.
Copyright 2001, Winer Foundation and Robert I. Winer, M.D.
by Robert I. Winer, M.D.
Futility of worldly achievement as the ultimate goal
Eccl 1:2-3 "In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile. For what does a man get for all his hard work? Generations come and go, but it makes no difference. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again."
This is not a statement of pure pessism, but rather a writer who has a fuller comprehension of two realms of human reality: the spiritual and the earthly. When earthly pursuits are made the sole or ultimate aim, sooner or later introspection brings to mind a sense of futility. A similar process in one whose aim seems to him or herself as solely spiritual may reveal a sense of lack of groundedness and perhaps even a flight from personal responsibility. Either extreme seems to lack balance and if carried too far, life ultimately becomes rarified and out of touch with the natural. Here, "Solomon" understands that no earthly achievement or goal can satisfy the soul that thirsts for spirit. It is the nature of earthly pursuits that seem to trap or lock one into one into living exclusively in the transient "place" of sense experience and sense-appreciation. And all who reflect even to a minor degree hold within the knowledge, whether it be conscious or unconscious, that such pursuits and achievements must eventually pass away into dust.
When you live in the "sarx," there's no lasting satisfaction
Eccl 1:8 No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself.
"Sarx" is a Greek word used to denote the combination of soul (the seat of the intellect, emotions, and will) with the body. It's used extensively by Paul in the New Covenant epistles and is helpful to make the distinction beween things earthly and spiritual. This passage speaks of the fact that two sense experiences, sight and sound, are unable to confer contentment for reasons noted in the previous commentary. The main point here is that sense experience and spiritual experience are as different as swimming and flying. Both transport you but through very different media. Never forget that the spiritual inherently has both pre-eminency and ultimate control over the natural or sense realm.
You can't change the past
Eccl 1:12 What is wrong cannot be righted; it is water over the dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been.
Here's an important lesson that all of us must eventually learn or we're bound for a life of unhappiness and regret. Past negative happenings that cannot be changed are a definite reality that must be squarely be faced. These are the might-have-beens and could-have-beens of our lives. We all tend to embrace fantasizing about possibilities that never happened. This type of mythical thinking is an ego defense to loss or perceived loss. We project our defeats onto unfavorable circumstances, acts of nature, or people who we perceived blocked our way on the road to success. Some take this to an extreme resulting in paranoia.
I find it interesting that the author asks us to consider wrongs that "cannot be righted." Perhaps this is more difficult for most of us. It's one thing to face a sickness, death, or another tragedy that is clearly beyond our human control, but quite another to confront betrayal, injustice, or desertion. There's no way to justify these happenings as anything but the outcome of a fallen creation and creature. Sooner or later most of us learn to live within a world where human deceit is common, but triumphing over it seems less common or possible. It is here that we must turn to the supernatural, to trust that the God of creation is the knower of all wrongs done to us, past, present, and future. He knows all, yet at the same time He is always looking out for our good, turning evil into good for those willing to see life from heaven's vantage point.
On Giving
Eccl 11:1-2 Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help.
Develop the habit of giving. To those who believe in the biblical concept of tithing--many choose to give one-tenth of their income to charitable works. Others may give less or even more, adding to their tithe, gifts and offerings.
My own journey of giving was a great battle of the will. First, it seemed that everything--all of my own personal needs--came first. Then I considered giving, but only because I felt it was right; my heart wasn't in to it. The more I studied the matter, the more I knew that giving generously and with a good attitude was very important for me. So I determined to give regularly using an automatic monthly service--deciding how much I would give monthly for the next 12 months. I then would adjust the amount once per year. This worked well for me and is a method I still continue using. Gradually after years of doing it, my attitude changed. I truly believe in a giving-lifesyle and have become convinced of its spiritual and material benefits for myself and my family.
Become a giver and give to many.
Recognize reality, but don't wait for perfect conditions
Eccl 11:3-4 When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down; when a tree falls, whether south or north, the die is cast, for there it lies. If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
Looking at the big puddle in your driveway you wish it weren't raining. Yet, no matter how much you wish it were gone it isn't. A wish is no more than a thought. It has no power to bring about a change in reality unless it is acted upon. And even then there are circumstances in which no wish, desire, dream, or faith can change the situation. However, this doesn't mean you should necessarily stop wishing or hoping. Here a balance is needed: ing, remains a thought unless it is brought into reality.
what is wisdom?
Let's start with a dictionary definition: "Wisdom is knowledge and good judgment based on experience; being wise. 2. wise conduct; wise words. 3. scholarly knowledge."
It seems to me that the dictionary's authors have relied upon an extraverted measure of wisdom based upon what can be known about another's thoughts and actions. However, a person's wisdom need not always to be seen for it to be present in significant measure. How, then, can one approach such an extremely complicated and ephemeral state such as wisdom?
One approach bases itself upon the fact that any concept which has a significant unknown aspect can be approached through antinomies -- the presentation of two sides which appear to be opposition with each other. When one defines the phenomenon of wisdom solely by measurable, earthly standards only one pole is used -- the material pole and the other dimension -- the spirtual pole, or what we might call the "its unknown dimension" that is present in any wise action whether it be in word or deed -- is ignored. While a one-sided definition may work in some situation, in others it distorts the reality of the situation. It is this "unknown dimension" of wisdom, what we might also call its introverted side, that I wish to emphasize now.
I might say without much risk of over-stating my case that the missing dimension in Western life is the acceptance that balanced wisdom, the term I am using to express wisdom that includes the above two poles, requires a transaction with wisdom's opposites, that is, its antinomian nature. I have presented five opposites of wisdom for you to consider:
1 Earthly (material / instinctual / lumen naturae) and Spiritual (its unknown aspects / archetypal / lumen dei); 2 Individual and Collective; 3 Knowledge and Relationship; 4 Wisdom and Foolishness; 5 Good and Evil
Traditional Judeo-Christian religion speaks much about wisdom, the chief text being embodied in the book of Proverbs, which I conside to be the "primer" on helping one understand wisdom's unknown pole. One cannot go very far in their understanding or growth in wisdom if they completely disregard a statements in Proverbs like: "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:6). Whether one is religious or not, an understanding of and a non-denigrating attitude -- toward wisdom's unknown pole demands an serious exploration of a relationship with the imago dei, for how else can one fully grasp that in the Scriptures, wisdom is personified or embodied. Through personification we can relationally embrace wisdom rather than it being solely an abstract knowledge or be left as only a "definable goal." It is my opinion that wisdom can be embraced and loved only when it is personified. One might call this "the engaging wisdom's heat" to distinguish it from the cooler aspects of embracing wisdom only as concept.
The quest for balanced wisdom is an elusive thing, much like going toward a destination to which one never arrives. Instead of this making one impatient, I encourage you to consider that all noble things are difficult, costly, and time-consuming. Furthermore, unlike the usual trips we take in life, wisdom's path often diverts us from our conscious intention; we find ourselves in unknown and disorienting places. These two aspects of the pursuit of wisdom are perceived intuitively as the tension between knowing that the path leads to greater connectedness and increase yet at the same time deconstruction and lack of definiteness. Without this uncomfortableness, inherent in its pursuit, wisdom cannot be manifested, remaining dead, or perhaps inert.
The pursuit of wisdom is, in part, a battle of the heart in which the pursuit of pleasure and lessening of discomfort, pain, or obligation continually pull us away from engaging its unknown pole. The Scripture, "out of the heart flows the issues of life," just touches the depths of such a confrontation. Concretely, the "issue of life" is blood without which there can be no further life or only a life that is stagnant. I encourage you to make the pursuit of wisdom as precious to you as your own blood and the blood of others.
Copyright 2001, Winer Foundation and Robert I. Winer, M.D.
