Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-15; 2:18-23
August 1, 2010
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
Whenever we travel now, we must have a government issued proof of identification for the TSA to which to compare our airline tickets. The agent shines this little yellow flashlight on a driver’s license or passport to see if we are on a “no-fly” list. I don’t know what this yellow light does but it’s impressive. The agent looks at our picture and then at you—and you’re thinking to your self—“Do I still look like that picture?”
For some people who travel and in need of a government issued proof of identification, they are more concerned about what their pictures look like than if they can fly or not. When I was getting my passport picture taken in 2007, I wanted it to look good since it’s going to be seen for 10 years! I was told that I couldn’t smile so I now look like one of those most-wanted pictures in the post office. My 3-year old passport picture shows more black hair than grey. My California driver’s license photo was taken in 2005 but it’s funny that this picture gets better as I get older.
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The author of Ecclesiastes is convinced that the whole human existence can be described by this single word. Vanity.
In Hebrew, the writer of this book is known as the Teacher. He takes a cold-eyed look at the world—and on this Communion Sunday, helps us to understand what are the real important things in life.
“All is vanity,” he insists. All is worthless, meaningless, absurd. As solid as vapor, fog and steam, the things that we do are ultimately worthless. The teacher surveys society and points out the extreme pride in human appearance and accomplishment. He looks around and sees narcissism—excessive self-love and admiration.
Vanity Problem
Our world has a vanity problem and it’s only getting worse. We all know in Snow White when the evil queen looks into the mirror and asks, “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” It’s only when the Mirror said, “Snow White is the fairest in the land” that the wicked witch started to act badly.
There’s the groom who won’t let his bride’s overweight friend be a bridesmaid because he doesn’t want her to mess up the wedding pictures.
There’s the woman who has such confidence in her impeccable taste that she routinely redecorates her daughter’s room without asking for permission.
There are parents who believe their children are so gifted and talented that it would be a supreme injustice for them to be denied the chance to attend the elite university of their choice.
Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Narcissism comes from the Greek mythology of Narcissus, the handsome young man who withdrew from the world, content to gaze forever at his own reflection in a pool of water. Narcissus’ vanity is basically harmless since he was content to just be by himself.
But today’s narcissists desperately need other people to validate their worth. They are the celebrity wannabes. How about reality-show contestants who want to be famous for being famous and will do anything to get on television? How about the parents of the “balloon boy,” involving their child in a potentially dangerous stunt to draw attention to themselves? How about the White House party-crashers who slip through a crack in security and then post their exploits on Facebook?
And finally how about people who are on Facebook or Twitter or blogging and like the idea that there are so many people who are following their lives every minute of the day and night? I know I am treading on some personal things now.
Narcissism is not so much in being liked as it is to be admired. This craving for admiration is a red flag, one of the clearest warning signs of narcissism. It pops up in weddings, in cosmetic surgery, in college admissions, in how many people are following you during the day on Twitter. So how can we spot this tendency in ourselves and in the people around us? What can we do about this?
From the Teacher in Ecclesiastes, we can learn three things.
Not from Accomplishments
The Teacher begins by applying his mind “to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven” (1:13). He examines all the human deeds that are done under the sun, and what does he conclude?
“All is vanity and a chasing after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted” (vv.14-15).
At first glance, this seems to be a completely depressing picture of human life. It’s hard to accept the Teacher believes that absolutely everything is meaningless and that nothing crooked can be made straight. What about all those trophies that we have won or those awards hanging on our office walls? How about those pictures showing us shaking hands with famous people? Aren’t they worth something?
The first characteristic of true narcissists is that they need to be admired—chasing after the wind. The Teacher is saying we can’t get our self-worth from our accomplishments. We shouldn’t be admired for our human deeds. Instead, our worth comes completely from being children of God. And that means we are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Every single one of us. And for narcissists, they hate that.
Not the Center of the Universe
Secondly, the Teacher goes on to say, “I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This is vanity” (2:18-19).
A great frustration for narcissists is that they want to be at the center of the universe even when they know that they can’t live forever. The fruits of our labors will be passed to the next generation. The truth of human life is that our days are numbered, and our time on earth passes quickly. Unless we are willing to pass our insights and accomplishments to our children and grandchildren, we’ll find ourselves frustrated and unfulfilled.
The country music singer, John Strait sings:
You don’t bring nothing with you here
And you can’t take nothing back.
I ain’t never seen a hearse, with a luggage rack.”
In Luke 12:13-21, we see Jesus telling the Parable of the Rich Fool. Here is a man who accomplished a lot in life. His land produced so abundantly that he ran out of space to store his crops. So he decided to tear down his barns to build larger ones and to live a merry life of relaxing, eating and drinking. But God called him a fool. The man was foolish because that very night when he thought his accomplishments have made him a successful person, his life was ending. What good is it to store up all these treasures for this rich man when he is not rich toward God?
As someone who has lived probably more years than there are still years to live, I am more committed to giving away what we have accumulated to others than to acquire more physical things. As we declutter, simplify, and downsize, we come closer to understanding that we are rich only when God is at the center of our lives.
Only God can claim to be the center of the universe—not us.
Not from Work
And finally, the Teacher of Ecclesiastes concludes by asking, “What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This is vanity” (2:22-23).
There’s no doubt that we assign great value to hardworking people. We look for people who put out and often go the second mile. We like those kind of people on our team. Work is hard and often thankless. After toiling all day, your mind is still not at rest when you go to sleep at night. I can identify with that!
But the Teacher says, you’re a fool if you expect your efforts to give you the satisfaction that only a relationship with God and your neighbors can give.
A true narcissist would think of himself only and believe that all the toil and strain under the sun was worth recognition and praise. When we think that all work will give us satisfactory, we are vain!
There was a certain wealthy and powerful business executive who surrounded himself with “yes people.” After years went by when he heard nothing but praise, the man came to believe he could accomplish anything he set his mind to.
One weekend, on a whim, the businessman rented a large sailboat. He’d never sailed before, but he’d read a book about sailing once and figured he could master the basics without any lessons. Confidently, he sailed the boat out of the harbor and was soon far from land.
Abruptly, a dark cloud appeared on the horizon. Before the man knew it, a punishing squall was upon him. The boat began to pitch and roll.
Realizing he was in trouble, the executive switched on the radio and began going from channel to channel, pleading for help. Finally, he got hold of the Coast Guard. Its first question, upon hearing his predicament was “What is your position?”
The executive businessman replied, “Vice-president of international sales and recruitment.”
It wasn’t exactly the Coast Guard had in mind.
Journey Out of Vanity
We cannot find true meaning, our self-worth in accomplishments, cannot remain the center of things forever and cannot enjoy success and satisfaction in every endeavor. Only when we as narcissists ask, “Why does life seem so empty?” can we begin to make changes that will give our lives some meaning—changes that allow us to enter into truly life-giving relationships with God and the people around us.
Jesus teaches us that God—not ourselves—should be at the center of our lives, and that the greatest of commandments is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” He goes on to say that a second commandment is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
To focus on God and neighbor is the opposite of narcissism and the antidote to vanity, but notice that Jesus isn’t asking us to despise ourselves. No, he says we are to love our neighbor as oneself, stressing that we should love ourselves as valuable people made in the image and likeness of God.
The solution to narcissism and vanity isn’t self-hatred. Instead, it’s a set of healthy relationships with God, with self and with the people of God around us.
The next time, I pull out my driver’s license or passport, I’ll try not to look at my picture.
Let us pray.
Mighty and merciful God, forgive us. We are so easily swayed by advertisements, magazine articles and TV shows that tell us that we are important. We eagerly look for ways to improve what the media say, and we believe, are our external flaws—failing to remember that we’re a part of your creation and that all you created is good. Help us turn our attention away from ourselves and toward others. Guide us in using our talents and resources wisely and in ways that honor you. May we live our lives in a way that demonstrates that you are our heart’s desire. Amen.