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. For what does a man have of all his toil, 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.”
The book of Ecclesiastes is an ancient reflection on life's meaning, written by a figure known as 'the Teacher' or 'Qoheleth'. He explores wisdom, pleasure, and work, often concluding that much of human effort 'under the sun' is fleeting and ultimately 'vanity' or 'meaningless'. This particular passage laments the futility of hard work when its fruits must be left to others, whose future use of it is uncertain.
How might acknowledging the temporary nature of our efforts change how we approach our daily work and investments?