Ecclesiastes 2:18-23
“I hated all my toil in which I toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my toil in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned about to make my heart despair concerning all the toil in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave his portion to him who has not worked for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he toils under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”
This passage is from the book of Ecclesiastes, likely written by a philosopher-king in ancient Jerusalem (traditionally Solomon). He is exploring life's meaning, purpose, and frustrations, especially focusing on human effort 'under the sun' – meaning without explicit reference to divine intervention or an afterlife.
What does this passage reveal about the source of meaning in your own work?