THE FIRST EXISTENTIALIST

 

THE FIRST EXISTENTIALIST

Kierkegaard, in the 19^th century, was probably the first of the philosophers to emphasize the importance of the question, “What is the point of man’s life?” This fundamental question is one that some of us never confront, at least consciously. We simply take life at its face value and accept death without questioning. But for many others the question thrusts itself into consciousness, usually at some critical point in their life experiences. One may encounter a life-threatening illness, narrowly survive a potentially lethal accident, or suddenly become acutely aware of his own mortality on the death of one of his parents. At that point he may stop and ask, “Why are we going through this apparently meaningless cycle of infancy, learning, growing, working, marrying, having children to perpetuate the cycle, then facing death, and dying? Is there anything that I can do that will give this life meaning?” That point in his life is often referred to as his existentialist crisis, but I am technically wrong when I call it the existentialist's question, because the Existentialist philosophers have, by and large, stepped beyond that question and concluded that life has no meaning. Having accepted that conclusion, they now have the problem of deciding on a course of action appropriate with it. If one considers the many vicissitudes of the life of an average human, a natural solution would be to commit suicide. But not many choose that course. Some reason that, since life has no meaning, there is no reason to inhibit our actions, to abide by any moral standards, to undergo negative feelings of pity or sympathy. One may as well run his life only to do what he wants to do.

On the other hand, someone like the 19^th century philosopher Kierkegaard may believe that life has a meaning, but that meaning is unknowable. However, rather than accept the hypothesis that life has no meaning at all, he believes that it is a preferable choice to have faith that there is a God Who created us for some meaningful purpose.

But the problem is so fundamental that we shouldn't give up on trying to find its answer. We might begin by going back a couple of millennia to an existentialist that seems to have found an answer of sorts. He is the Ecclesiastes of the Old Testament.

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

For years I ignored the Book of Ecclesiastes because that opening statement, which is the theme of the entire book, didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t see how every desire and activity could be ascribed to vanity. But that was because I interpreted the word in the most common sense, as a condition of being vain, or conceited. Of course, what the author intended was the older interpretation: a lack of worth, usefulness, or meaning. In fact, at least one modern version of the Bible renders the term “meaninglessness”. Therefore, in the following quotes from Ecclesiastes, the word “vanity” should be interpreted as “meaning-lessness”

Ecclesiastes, the Preacher, goes to great lengths to assure us that everything, indeed, is meaningless. In the first chapter he says that his wisdom has led him to investigate all things on earth, i.e., “under the sun.”

“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Eccl.1:13 ,14)

In Chapter 2, he lists the subjects of his study in considerable detail.

“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 2:1.11)

Thus, it is not only physical pleasure and possessions that are found to be meaningless, but also the labor in which he delights.

He emphasizes the emptiness of life in chapter 6.

“For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow?” (Eccl. 6:12).

Shakespeare uses the same image in MacBeth, to express the futility of life. (Out! Out! Brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow.) And Plato symbolizes life in this world by shadows on a wall in The Allegory of the Cave in The Republic.

Added to the meaninglessness of life is the fact that it behaves illogically. Cause and effect do not appear to follow any consistent rules.

“There is a vanity which is done upon the earth that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.” ( Eccl. 8:14)

The first half of this verse identifies the problem that Job faced. In our time it has been explored by Rabbi Kushner in his book, “When Bad Things Happen To Good People”, and also in a more recent book on Job. It is one of several fundamental questions that we will eventually explore.

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” ( Eccl. 9:11)

Furthermore, unlike the Greek philosophers, the Preacher recognizes that even the search for wisdom, and its attainment, do not put the philosophers beyond time and chance.

“The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.” (Eccl. 2:14,15)

He reiterates and enlarges on this theme throughout the following chapters, with the use of powerful images.

The realization that every activity and pleasure results in nothing of ultimate value leads the Preacher to a logical conclusion.

“Therefore I hated life. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.” (Eccl. 2:17-19)

This is pure Existentialism. Why should one trouble himself to live a life that has no clear-cut purpose? He may as well commit suicide; and that option was one offered, or implied, by some 20^th century existentialists.

In fact, the book, except for the syntax, could well be a contemporary existentialist writing, if the Preacher had stopped at that point. But he didn't. He inserted the admonition “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth”, at the beginning of Chapter 12. And that brief statement may contain the answer that he has been seeking. It may not answer the question of, “Why do time and chance appear to behave in a meaningless manner?”, but it may well provide a guide to leading a life that does have meaning.

The statement is in two parts: “remember now thy Creator” and “in the days of thy youth”. What does that first part, “remember now thy Creator”, mean? It implies that one is a spirit, because clearly it does not refer to the earthly parents of the body. But if it refers to the creator of that spirit, then it may imply that the spirit did know its creator at some time in the past. That may not be out of the question, in view of that often overlooked verse 21 of Job 38: “Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!”, referring to the time when the foundations of the earth were laid.

However, there is an alternate interpretation of the word “remember”. It may refer to something that is present, but possibly not under consideration. For example, one might say, “When you give your award speech, remember your team mates”, meaning “Don't forget” or “Don't neglect”. This interpretation would be appropriate if we accept Jesus's teaching in the Gospel of John that the Father is within each of us. The second part of the statement, “in the days of thy youth” simply means that if one starts early in his life, the rest of it will have a meaning.

So the Preacher may be telling us what to do in order to make our lives meaningful, but he doesn't tell us how to go about remembering our creator. And he leaves many questions unanswered. For example, why do we even have a body at all, if our true nature is spirit – since our creator is spirit? In fact, why did He even create a physical world at all if He is spirit and His children are spirit? Or, does this imply that the Idealists are right, and the physical world actually doesn't exist – at least in the way that we normally think if it? Perhaps the Eastern mystical religions are right – it exists, but only as a kind of illusion (maya). These are the questions of knowledge and reality. What do we actually know about our nature and our world – or worlds? How much can we know? What is real? Or, are there different levels or kinds of reality? These are questions we will consider in subsequent posts.

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