Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

" A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." (Ecclesiastes 7:1-4, ESV)

Do you prefer parties or funerals, ballads or dirges, comedies or tragedies, major key or minor key? Most of us prefer the way of mirth over the path of pain. But the Preacher says that is folly, or in his words, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” The reason for the claim: “For this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” Mirth is escapist. It distracts from the questions that the “end of all mankind” bring forth. You can’t overlook those questions at a grave side like you can at a bachelor’s party. Look straight into the eyes of dying man, and you cannot help but have mortality seared into your consciousness.

Most contemporary Americans find this kind of logic a bit depressing and quite absurd. Death, sorrow, mortality are subjects we avoid and not meditate upon. It was not always this way in America. In 18th century New England children were learning the letter “T” with the phrase, “Time cuts down all, both great and small” written next to a woodcut of the grim reaper. Society thought an understanding of life’s brevity vitally important. The reason was the same as the Preacher’s. You can only grasp what life is truly about when you grasp its end. Most of us cram our lives with so much frivolity and meaningless mirth that we are utterly useless to others and the world. What is worse is that most of us can’t even understand what is wrong with that. Frivolity has become the essence of life. It’s what its all about. So celebrate, sing, laugh, party, and be a total waste of existence. Or realize death draws nearer every day, there is more to life than trivial pleasures, time is fleeting, and you have a lot to do. Such a mentality is hard to maintain, which is why the Preacher advises funerals and dirges.