Sober Sensibility

About this poem

This poem was written in April 2010 when I was in the retirement phase of my public service as an educator and approaching 75 years of age. I had attained the highest academic degree as an educator, and was considered as well-schooled and learned, way beyond the knowledge of sophomoric wisdom. Yet I found myself wanting in so many fields of discipline. It is claimed that the biblical King Solomon, acclaimed for his earthly wisdom, and in the golden years of his life, attributively composed the Wisdom Book of Ecclesiastes, which serves as a meditation on the journey of life, (often wrought with futility), and its purpose for each individual, arguing in the opening lines of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1:2), the following observation: הבל הבלים הכל הבל (“hebel hebalim hakol hebel”). Translated from Biblical Hebrew into modern English the line reads: “vanity of vanities all [is] vanity.” The last verse of the Book of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 12:13) ends with this sobering message: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” This poem invites us to individually reflect on the purpose of life for each of us, particularly as we approach the close of our earthly lives. How centered are we on those things that really ought to matter? What are our priorities? Who and what do we put foremost in our lives? Is life for us chimerical, pure vanity, vanity of vanities? Each of us, gifted with free will, and with moral and ethical responsibilities, must find that answer for himself or herself. more »