Unborn Child better than Unsatisfied (Ecc 6:3- 6)

UNBORN CHILD BETTER THAN UNSATISFIED (Ecc 6:3- 6): 

After writing about the grievance in no enjoyment from the toils of the hands, the author writes that if a man fathers a hundred children by living many years of his days, of his years being many but not satisfied in the soul with life’s good things, having not even a good burial, then even a stillborn child is better off than that person. One of the greatest privilege and happiness for human beings is producing offspring and the author says about a man who gave birth to a hundred children. The author says that if a person has hundred offspring, at least some of them needs to take care of that person and there could not be a point for that person to worry about how he would be buried. On the contrary the author talks about such a person enjoying no good things and even having no proper burial which is a great disappointment and thereby the author says that a stillborn child who has not seen anything, neither suffered nor enjoyed anything, is better off than the person who had not satisfied with life’s good things. 

The stillborn child is an imaginary character of the author, as it is not known that a child with so and so personality would be formed for so and so parent. Also, there is no certainty that every baby that is conceived comes out alive. The author talks about a stillborn child which comes directionless and goes into darkness which could be a baby that wouldn’t have come out of the womb. Because the child comes in vanity without fulfilling its purpose of living on earth, seeing the sun, knowing many things and It moves away in the same way it came without looking at the earth and even the baby is not named, thereby in the darkness its name is covered. The child finds rest at least then the man who is unsatisfied with life’s good things though fathered hundred.

The average age of the man would be 70 or 80 years but the author says that even if a person would live a thousand years twice, over which is more than two thousand years, but without enjoying any good there is no meaning in it. Everyone has the same value of life whether it is a normal 70 years or a longer life span of 2000years. Everyone goes to the same destination and the author says that with a rhetorical question.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What kind of man is worse than a stillborn child?

2.    Why the stillborn child is better than the unsatisfied man with a hundred children?

3.    What does the author say about a stillborn child?

4.    How the stillborn child come and depart in darkness without any name?

5.    Why the stillborn child is quoted as taking rest comparing to an unsatisfied man?

6.    Do you think that living a long life gives happiness? Justify?

7.    Why does the author say that everyone goes to one place using a question and comparing with those who live a thousand years twice?

8.    How do you think that we could be satisfied with life’s good things?