“There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night—then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.”
“At times, the joy that life attacks me with is unbearable and leads to gasping hysterical laughter. I find myself completely out of control and wonder how life could surprise me again and again and again, so completely. How could a man be a cynic? It is a sin.”
Possessing a discerning, critical mind undoubtedly sharpens one’s aim here on earth. Prudence, in its proper proportion, is no sin at all. Wisdom, by definition, does not miss the mark. If one is to survive and thrive on this side of paradise, best to make an arsenal of the mind.
Yet, strangely, when missiles of the mind fly fast and hit their mark true, the staggering satisfaction and purpose one finds in such moments always seems to exceed the wisdom that first loosed the arrows. Man’s prudence alone is not enough to explain man’s delight. There is an ineffable surprise at the bottom of such experiences – a joy that attacks us that seems much more than the sum of our aims.
What is the source of this surprise? That is the eternal question. Though the wisest can’t fully account for the fruits of their wisdom – let alone claim their wisdom as the taproot of such wonder and awe – that hasn’t stopped many clever men from foolishly trying to unearth the source of their purpose within themselves. In the end, such men usually succumb to cynicism, eventually discovering that joy isn’t the only ineffable surprise that hides in the shadow of their aims.
Indeed, the more the cynic plumbs the depths of his discernment the less he finds wisdom in being wise. The arrows of his mind seem to hit their mark well, almost too well, as what was once met with joy gives way to boredom, then sadness, then emptiness deeper than any pit.
Yet, the cynic trudges on; his insatiable, critical mind searching, searching, always searching.
He searches for joy in pleasure; he searches for meaning in wealth; he searches for hope and solace in work, advancement, accolades, honor, glory. But again and again and again he finds that same cycle of boredom, sadness, and emptiness — now followed by resentment and disdain for a world that always seems to disappoint. He gropes for internal purpose by sneering at the wicked, loathing those who miss the mark while relishing in their punishment.
“I have tried everything” he moans to himself, “yet the world remains a tragic, wicked, meaningless place! Where is the joy that once surprised me?”
Cynicism becomes a sin when the cynic expects too much of himself and the world. His sin is pride, pretending to be something more than he is. Attempting to elevate his own discernment to that of the Creator’s, he caves in on himself, slowly burning away his absurd existence into a twisted wisp of smoke. Man’s judgment, no matter how sound, cannot be its own first and final judge.
Better for a man to make his aim true, better to be wise than a fool, better to cherish the unexpected gifts of joy and laughter than wallow in cynical caves of virtue — but best to fear the ineffable surprises that await us all no matter what we may do.
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances as well as any feedback, please email joeyclarklive@gmail.com. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
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