I was winding up another visit with one of my growing number of doctors. I have found the old saying, “Growing old ain’t for sissies” to be very true in my case. I now am under the regular care of 6 different doctors, one for primary care and 5 different specialists. But that is not the point. They all know of my former profession and when my medical condition is good (which it has been lately…thankfully) we often drift into conversations about life, theology and current world events. The particular doctor, after pronouncing me healthy in his area of medical expertise, moved into the previously mentioned group of topics by saying; “I just wish something would make sense in these crazy times.”
We discussed such things as the misinformation that seems to
continue to grow concerning medicine and certain illnesses. We talked about how disease and misfortune often
unfairly affect and ruin lives of people who have tried to live healthy and moral
lives. I shared with him that I told my
daughters this phrase to help deal with life that can be and is often not fair; “The
only place you will find fairness in this life is in the dictionary.” Things
are going to happen that are not right and don’t seem fair no matter where you
look. However, that does not mean that
one cannot try to do their best in this ‘sin-scarred’ world. Where else are you going to live?
Once again history sees a mad man assume supreme power and
control of a country only to oppress his own countrymen and dangerously wage
war on other countries simply to enhance his own power mad ego. It is just crazy. We also have a woman who will most likely be
the next Supreme Court justice when asked, “Can you provide a definition for
the word ’woman’? After a short
back-and-forth, she ultimately said: “No, I can’t.” Wow, I wanted to call and say, “I may
not know much but I can solve that puzzle!”
Anyway, these are a few topics that led to the discussion concerning
his frustration with living in a “crazy” where it is increasingly difficult to
make sense of anything.
I told my doctor that there have always been crazy
times when it seems difficult to ‘just find something that would make sense’. I grew up in a time and place where people were
murdered for having a different skin color.
Others were killed simply for trying to help disenfranchised people gain
equal rights as other citizens. And in many
if not most of those situations the murderers were never charged with a crime. It still
does not make sense. Many years ago, a
man who was known for his unusual gift and capacity for wisdom searched for
some sense in his “crazy times”. He
wrote a book about his search beginning with three brief sentences; “Nothing
makes sense! Everything is nonsense. I have seen it all—nothing makes sense!” In addition to his unusual gift for
wisdom he obviously knew how to get to his point quickly.
He not only had a reputation for having greater wisdom than
most anyone in any time in history, he also had wealth and power to seek and
search all sorts of ways to find meaning in ‘crazy times’. He tried to make sense of things first by
increasing his knowledge and wisdom, then satisfying his physical appetites. He built things to satisfy his ego. He gained wealth and status as a world
leader. However, he found that all of
these accomplishments did not bring real happiness, satisfaction or meaning to
his existence.
He came away with the following conclusions as the best way
to find something that makes sense in crazy times. First, he discovered the importance of having
and making friends. To do so one must
treat people with compassion, kindness, respect. It is important to learn and appreciate the
differences we have rather than allow our differences to divide us. No matter how crazy things get, it is always
best to treat all people with common courtesy.
Also, having a growing number of friends helps any situation.
The writer encourages young people to enjoy the days of their youth because they will pass quickly. In fact, one of his recurring themes to people of all ages is to make the most of each moment and seek to enjoy your work, whatever it may be. In the second chapter of his book he says, “The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can. The way I see it, that’s it.” In the third chapter of his book, he tells us; “I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God’s gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do.” A couple of chapters later he elaborates on this growing theme saying; “After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.” As one continues reading his book that describes his quest for meaning one sees the similar idea expressed as follows, “So I think we should get as much out of life as we possibly can. There is nothing better than to enjoy our food and drink and to have a good time. Then we can make it through this troublesome life that God has given us here on earth.” Finally, the same nail is hammered more fully in the next chapter; “Seize life! Live with gusto, and a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s what you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And do it heartily! This is your last and only chance at it.”
OK! OK! I think I get
the point! After trying most everything
that a person can do in a lifelong search for meaning the writer has told us
that with all his wealth, power, knowledge and wisdom he learned that while we
may not be able to change many of the crazy things in this world; we can change
and make sense of our lives by treating people with respect, courtesy and dignity
as we make as many friends as possible and we should do all we can to enjoy
every moment possible. This is the best
way to make sense of our existence in this world. He closes by reminding us that everything
that we do matters. “Everything
you were taught can be put into a few words:
Respect and obey God! This is
what life is all about. God will judge everything
we do, even what is done in secret, whether good or bad.”
Alright. Time is up. If you have not guessed it by now, the writer of the book I have been describing and quoting is a King who lived several thousand years ago, named Solomon. His book seeking and explaining the best way to look at finding ‘something that makes sense in these crazy times’ can be found between the book of Proverbs and the Song of Solomon in any Bible. It is called Ecclesiastes. I confess that I used several more modern translations to hopefully express his wisdom in a fashion that gave you a new look at his advice and helps you find ‘something that makes sense in these crazy times’. Have a great day…and life!
