The Pleasure Principle

 “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

(‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:10-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

We, in the United States, live in a very prosperous society. We live in a place where even our poor have an abundance compared to most others in the world today. And, with our wealth, we tend to pursue pleasure.

We buy the biggest and fanciest homes. We buy the most luxurious cars. We buy the most expensive clothing. We buy toys, with which to entertain ourselves. We go on lavish vacations. We buy excessive amounts of alcohol. We pay to be entertained and to have our desires satisfied.

This, we believe, is why we work so hard. This, we believe, is why we pursue success. We want to live the good life. And, as we’re able, we seek to appease our every whim and to satiate our every lust.

We are not satisfied with a simple existence. We are not satisfied with our needs being met. We’re not content with the monotonous, and find no happiness in the day-to-day. 

However, as Solomon discovered and recounted in the above passage, this is vanity. It’s meaningless. It’s nothing more than a striving after the wind. 

He recounts how he denied himself nothing that he desired. He tells of how he kept from himself no pleasure. This, he said, was his reward for his toil. But, in the end, there was nothing to be gained. 

This is only one aspect of life that Solomon found meaningless. His point, however, is that we pursue so many things that are just that. And we ignore the source of true meaning.

After pursuing meaning and lasting satisfaction in so many aspects of this life, he brings us back to the Lord. He encourages us, in chapter 12, to remember our Creator in the days of our youth, before life becomes hard. And he reminds us to fear God and to keep his commandments, which is the whole duty of man.

This, you see, is a good lesson for us. We learn from Solomon that the Lord is the only place where satisfaction may be found. We learn that he is the source of all that is meaningful. 

I’m not suggesting that it’s wrong for us to experience pleasure, or that pleasure itself is sinful. But it must not become an idol. We must not pursue it above all else, seeking from it satisfaction and relief from our distress.