Meaningless

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher;
"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Delightful. Encouraging. Meaningful. Light hearted. These are not exactly the words you'd use to describe the mood of the writer of these verses. They're a little bit depressing, actually. Vanity, meaningless, empty, everything is meaningless, like smoke, a vapor that is here, fleeting, then gone as quickly as if it never existed. What profit, what benefit does a man really receive for all his work?

Implied answer: none.

An attitude like this doesn't seem in keeping with a king who reigned over a forty year golden age of Israel, who built one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, who had all the success a king could ask for, who had his choice of a thousand women, who was the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon had reached the pinnacle of success, and found it empty. I think if we're honest with ourselves, we all feel that somewhere up the ladder of success lies our fulfillment, our happiness, the meaning that we long for so deeply. But as we accomplish our goals, achieve success, or even as we fail, we find that Solomon was right.

It's all meaningless.

Straddling the top of the world, one foot in China and the other in Nepal, I cleared the ice from my oxygen mask, hunched a shoulder against the wind and stared absently down at the vastness of Tibet...I'd been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, actually standing on the summit of Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care...I snapped four quick photos...then turned and headed down. My watch read 1:17 p.m. All told, I'd spent less than five minutes on the top of the world.

Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air

I've been reading Searching for Heaven on Earth by David Jeremiah. I'd suggest picking it up if you can. 31 days of a search for meaning based on the book of Ecclesiastes.

Plot spoiler: The conclusion Solomon comes to in the very last verse in the book, when it's all said and done, the meaning of life is--fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. God is the one who infuses this life with meaning, and we will only truly find this meaning as we pursue Him with all our hearts.

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29