Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 4:7-8:
7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
In these verses Solomon talks about someone who has no one. The person has worked hard and likely achieved a lot, but at the cost of having no people around him/her. And the result is meaninglessness!
In chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon talks a lot about the benefits of community. Having people around us helps us in so many different ways. Yet sadly, many of us strive for independence more than community. And when we do that, we end up living in a way that Solomon talks about: meaninglessly.
Sadly, this is normal in our culture. We want to do things on our own. We want our independence!
A 2017 US Census Bureau survey showed this is the case. Young adults were asked about the importance of various life transitions.
Here’s what they listed as “extremely important”:
- Completed formal schooling—62%
- Employed full-time—52%
- Capable of supporting a family financially—50%
- Financially independent from parents—43%
- No longer living in parents’ house—26%
- Getting married—12%
Now none of these are bad things, but do you see a pattern here? The highest rated ones were all about gaining independence! Their biggest desire is to be FREE of people.
I am not saying it is bad to be independent. But as Solomon talks about in chapter 4, community is so important for us. So we need to see that a desire for too much independence can prevent us from pursuing community, which can hurt us in the long run.
So do you want to live meaninglessly? Solomon would say that living completely on your own is meaningless. Let’s not live in a way that pushes community out of our life. Let’s not strive for independence. Instead, let’s embrace community and enjoy the benefits it offers.