Nothing New and No Remembrance (Ecc 1:9-11)

NOTHING NEW AND NO REMEMBRANCE (Ecc 1:9-11):

Human beings are more susceptible to change throughout the history of mankind due to their creativity, which is one of the characteristics inherited from God, as God created man in his own image. Prior to the passage, the author expresses some cycles that repeat again and strongly feels that all things are weariness as man is never satisfied with anything on his own.  And the author says that there is nothing new under the sun which could be, as the cycle of things that happens are in nature on earth. He says that what was happening until his timeline will be the same that will be happening after his life, it’s going to be the same throughout. Also, the author expresses that what will be done, will be also done even after him. He merely expresses his dissatisfaction. We need to take the author’s advice that every man strives hard to satisfy themselves with many things as it was done by someone before.

In other sense, if we look at the changing world, man created something out of something whereas God alone could create something out of nothing.  Everything that is created ought to be related to something in nature, or it will be just an illusion or fiction and not a reality. Again, the author doesn’t justify merely what he want to say with words but expresses his opinion based on living in his own world and experiences. He says that there is nothing new under the sun through a cynical question, asking, is there a thing of which it is said “See this is new?” Though the people had created many things, it was just discovered at the moment that was coincidence and existent already in nature. So, the author says that what was said to be new has been already present in the ages before.

There are certain things that are constantly occurring again and again whereas on the other side there are continuous disappearance and the appearance of the generations on the face of the earth. Human beings are the only species on the whole earth who had formed many structures, standards, and systems in the short span of their life. Every human wishes to explore something and wants to be considered worthy in the midst of others. But if we carefully analyze the records of the things since the beginning of time, there is no remembrance of all the things that had happened. Even if we consider one human being, the remembrance of the past things of the person is very limited and even if it is being recorded, there is no much remembrance of former things throughout the entire life by others as well as self. Most of the time, human beings wish to take the next step and move forward without the remembrance of the former things. Also, there would not be any remembrance of all things or expectations, only some of it would come after or follow. It might be something special or anything difficult.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    Why there is nothing new under the sun?

2.    Is it true that there is nothing new under the sun according to the author's view? Justify?

3.    How what has been done is what will be done?

4.    What question does the author enforce?

5.    Why we could not say “See this is new” according to the author?

6.    How everything that is said to be new, has been already in the ages before?

7.    What does the author say about former things and later things?

8.    Why there will be no remembrance of former or later things?

9.    How the striving of the human being changes continuously, be solved?

10. How the life of the unsatisfied human being be renewed?