The King's Dilemma

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Appendix II: Kohelet’s existential drama: overcoming nihilism with traditionalism 

Kohelet, the Megillah read on Sukkot, is a perplexing text. Kohelet oscillates between pessimism and optimism. It is a biography narrating in third person. Jewish tradition accords the author to be King Solomon written later in his life. The early paragraphs describing his aesthetic and materialistic monopoly and accomplishments were noteworthy but ultimately led to a gaping nihilism. Nothing matters, not even the riches of the world are worthy of purpose. 

The opening paragraph is filled with nihilistic woes. His materialistic aspirations are large and his accomplishments memorable. Yet, just as he is detailing his accomplishments he calls them vanity. Immediately twisting on dime, a full one-eighty-degrees to acknowledging all his results as futile. 

After the first two chapters of noting his deeds and their eventual folly, the third chapter brings a naturalistic swing to the world. There is a time for everything. Since everything will happen why should I do anything. Its deterministic and lacking any passion. The divine creativity is beautiful until the determinism abandons personal liberty. The epicurean motif persists here that man shall pursue his wants independently of any deity.      

It better to have never been bored. The suffering of this world is not worthwhile. The tragic nature of society is overwhelming and better to escape it than struggle through it. Reality is tough and avoiding pain is necessary.

The shift to a more optimistic tone is his assertion of devotion to God. It is God who compiles meaning and empowers the soul. God is the necessary factor in the meaning of life. The world may be meaningless but the divine above infused the meaningless world with meaning. The materialistic atmosphere is vanity, it is nothing.

The divine incentive is transcendent. Consider the meta-historical appearance of divine allegiance over the finite nature of hedonistic obscurity. Mortality is insufficient and the beyond is the call to the infinite. Kohelet’s model is seeking beyond the natural. 

Kohelet’s style is existentialist at heart. Attempting to overcome the nihilistic depressive reality. His model is akin to Dostoevsky. In The Brothers Karamazov, God is the solution to the absurdity of society. Barret’s Irrational Man compliments Jewish culture for its inspiration. In his own conclusion, existentialism is more Jewish than Greek despite its western philosophical genus.

Jewish existentialism finds messaging in the book of Job discussing the fate of man and the reality of evil and suffering. Its modern bend encapsulated with Buber, Rosenzweig to Heschel Soloveitchik Levinas and Fackenheim. Jewish teachings drew on Kierkegaard Nietzsche and later on Heidegger to produce the existentialist themes. Ironically, Sartre most known for his existentialism is loosely quoted in Jewish philosophical texts. Yet, the latter’s book Anti-semite and The Jew is its own commentary of the bifurcation between secular and Jewish existentialism. 

The crisis of modernity including the holocaust caused a necessity for existentialist themes to revive. Advanced technology had removed the spirit from its dwelling. The capitalist market found individualistic materialism to be the solution to mankind. Existentialism sought to rescue meaning. The religious experience and ritualistic network approved a transcendent empowerment. 

Kohelet is the pecursor to Neitzschean nihilism. No religious work contends with the absurdity of life as much as Kohelet does. Each of the philosophers posits a method of overcoming the hurdle without living the struggle. The one exception is the Soloveitchik’s Lonely Man of Faith. The first pages are poetically autobiographical. The greatest Jewish leader is the same individual with the heartache. Kohelet was the most brilliant mind and richest king yet struggled to internalise meaning. Soloveitchik’s struggle is congruent. His answer to existential loneliness is to find a like-minded community. To be lonely with others rather than to be lonely alone. 

Yet, Kohelet’s nihilism is not solely existentially transcendent but also natural. It is not the connection to God that he suffers but with the telos of the world altogether. Nietzsche’s solution to nihilism was the superman. To overcome humanity through active expression. Subjectivity is not necessarily wholesome but is still meaningful and worthwhile. The relative nature of the Nietzsche’s thinking is incongruent with Kohelet. 

Kohelet’s existentialism is enclosing the divine as the valuational core of his existence. He spotted value in the infinite nature of the divine commandments. There is no mention of an eschatological future that he embraces the law for. His focus is on this worldly. Divine judgement is necessary to empower the individual. Consequences produce meaning. There is a way of doing things because they are valuable. The sanctification of actions elevates their importance. They are not some willy-nilly randomiser but a well-crafted production. Humanity is uplifted not by creed but by engagement. lIfe is not about fleeting moments but memorable events. The sacred highlighting emboldens those experiences. It makes them purposeful. 

Nihilism is expunged with a loftier notion. If this world is worthless, something external must make it better. The mystic choice is to leave this world. Instead, the goal should be to bring that stimulant to us. The spiritualisation of the mundane is the enlightening of the soul to the profane routine of life. Life is a robotic cycle that is escalated with ecstatic moments in the cycle. Breaking routine with expressive creativity marks the individual’s elevation. The divine framework systematically produces a blueprint to break up the robotic cycle. The festivities are hallmarks of religious fervour and joyous occasions. It is less about the spiritual development and more about the pragmatic serenity. 

Kohelet’s lesson is to imbibe our lives with values. There is no escaping the rabbit-hole of life. There is a time for everything. Much of this determined by our DNA. We will be born grow up, succeed fail and suffer. Triumph and regret. Accumulate and lose. Things come and go. What does not is our values. Our convictions to what we believe. What is most important to us, our top priorities retain their prowess. Even if the surface changes the core remains. A friend grew up wanting to raise his own kids now after much thought he prefers to raise adopted kids instead. The method may have altered but the value remained the same. Self-esteem, humility and drive push us forward. Even when life is tough we remember why we’re doing it.

What helped me through the years of terrible pain and depression were my goals and values. I wanted to get married, raise kids and read all the books on my list. Having far out goals empowered me. It also supplied a mission to reach. Even as it has worsened and those goals aren’t as profoundly convincing, the core of my wish to recover those values and infuse them with incredible meaning. Those things are important. Even if new visions emerge, the values at the core bolster life. My perpetuated struggle hinges on my continuous resolve to stay true to myself. It is easy to let go, it us harder to push through. When all seems vanity, uncover meaning. Look inside yourself and push. Even at rock bottom find that constructive distraction develop a hobby that becomes so close to heart that it powers your heart.