The ancient preacher whose reflections are recorded in the biblical book of Kohelet, points out that many of our daily worries and concerns are pointless. The only aspect of us that will last is our Wisdom.
"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit have people of all their hard work they do under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth remains for ever.
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastes to its place where it arose.
The wind goes toward the south, and turns about unto the north; it whirls about continually, and the wind returns again according to its circuits.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from where the rivers come, there they return again.
All things are full of labour; human beings cannot fathom it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Whatever has been, is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun.
If there is anything of which you may think, "See, this is new", it existed already in the past.
There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come or those in the distant future.
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom the meaning of all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail which God has given to human beings to be busy with.
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit."
The Bible, Kohelet 1,1-14
Jesus Christ pointed out the same truth in a saying that probably refers to the example of Alexander the Great.
Alexander had been, for a few years, the most powerful man on earth. He had conquered Persia, Egypt and part of India. But he died, after a prolonged drinking bout, young and unhappy.
According to a legend known to Jesus' contemporaries, Alexander had been buried with his hands dangling, empty, outside his coffin.
This what Jesus said:
"What will anyone gain by winning the whole world
at the cost of his true self?
Or what can anyone give
that will buy that self back?"
Gospel of Matthew 16,26
Notice that for Jesus, Alexander was a failure not because he died, but because he betrayed his true self. Death is not the worst thing that can happen. Missing out on our true self is.
