溫故知新 Old wisdom, today’s insight — ONGO
What Profit Comes from All Our Toil Under the Sun?
If generations come and go, and rivers run to the sea yet the sea is never full — what does human toil finally leave behind?
What profit has a man of all his labor which he toils under the sun?
To the Preacher's question — what does toil leave behind — the answers diverged. The Preacher himself set down the craving to leave a mark and bade one enjoy today's portion. The Stoic Marcus Aurelius answered similarly: all is soon forgotten, so be faithful to the present duty. But the opposite answer existed too. The pharaohs of Egypt sought to carve eternity into pyramids, and later the people of the Renaissance found the worth of labor in undying fame (gloria). Shall the worth of toil be sought in an eternal trace, or in a today that accepts its own passing? The lineage split.
The more an age urges us to leave achievements and traces, the more this question — is today's toil worthy even if nothing remains? — sorts vanity from gift once more.
The Preacher opens his book with its most uncomfortable question: what, in the end, does all toil under the sun leave behind?
📝I, Too, Stand Before It
The Preacher opens his book with its most uncomfortable question: what, in the end, does all toil under the sun leave behind? Rivers run to the sea yet never fill it; generations come and go, but the earth remains. He gazes at vanity (hevel), yet does not close in despair. I know this question is not cynicism but honesty. When I set down the vain craving to grasp what will last forever, today's labor and eating and drinking appear, instead, as gift. I stand between what remains and what does not, before this question.
✍️Your Answer
The lineage of the ancients ends here. Now it is your turn before the question. There is no right answer — only how you, today, would answer.
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