Meaningless

I read Ecclesiastics this morning. "meaningless, meaningless... everything under the sun is meaningless..."

Bottom Line: Eat, drink, and enjoy your work. Finding satisfaction in your work is a blessing from God. Do good to others. Fear God and keep His commandments - this is our whole duty.

Wisdom: meaningless (but better than foolishness)
Foolishness: meaningless
Poverty: meaningless
Wealth: meaningless
Toil: meaningless
Advancement: meaningless

Hedonistic pleasure: meaningless (The American Dream (my dream) is meaningless? I am sure this is correct, but I feel the need to do my own research here. I'm thinking a 7 day cruise to who cares where...leave the kids at home...bring the wife of course...would be VERY meaningful at this point in my life. Perhaps I missed something in the Hebrew context. Maybe there is verb tense that ALL the English translators have missed. A misplace jot?)

So everything under the sun (even the beach) is meaningless.

One Jewish source that I have read summarized the book as follows (paraphrase):

Everything under the sun is meaningless, therefore we should put all our efforts towards that which is above the sun.

I kind of like that. An eternal perspective - because all of these things that we worry about will burn.

Our temporal life is but a vapor. What are we doing with this vapor that that will be of eternal benefit?