Vanity of Vanities, All is Vanity

Sam Chen
2 min readOct 23, 2023

In my last article: Truth of the Universe , we were discussing about the truth of the universe, and I quoted the Book of Ecclesiastes: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. The true meaning of vanity is not to say: hey look, because everything is temporal and in vain, therefore nothing matters. In it, shows the true meaning of life, just because our body will perish within the next few decades, and our mind will become more and more dull within the next 50 years, does not mean everything in this world is in vain, and that nothing matters. It is quite the exact opposite, with a deeper understanding of the universe, we can experience life at a more fundamental level and in-joy (enjoy). With more and more joyful experiences in our life, we can have a greater understanding about the universe, about who we are in relates to the universe, and our relationship with it. That in itself is a closed circle, a positive cycle of reinforcement of our experiences, turning them into a deeper understanding of the universe, and with a deeper understanding, we can also experience life more freely and joyfully. You can say it is a which comes first dilemma, the chicken or the egg? But ultimately, it all stems from a deep search and understanding of who we are. Who we are not just in the sense of the body, the mind, but the spirit / soul that desires to be understood and experience itself through life. Your life is not about what you do, yet what you do is a reflection of what your life is about. When I am at a conscious state of being, then I am no longer defined by what I do, what I do becomes an expression of who I am, the love and joy of that I am.

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Sam Chen

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.