1. Happiness ?
Learning from the past
The Lord said to Solomon: “I give you a heart so wise and discerning that there has never been anyone like you until now, nor after you will there be anyone to equal you. In addition, I give you what you have not asked for: I give you such riches and glory that among kings there will be no one like you all your days.” (1 K 3, 12-13)
King Solomon had all that people dream of in terms of happiness:
Wealth: Giant assets. Solomon’s assets were estimated to be equivalent to 2,200 billion USD (According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2022, Elon Musk’s assets are estimated at 238B, Jeff Bezos’s at 186B, Melinda and Bill Gates’s at 129B). Throughout his 39-year reign, the king got a total yearly tribute of 25 tons of gold.
“Gold you gathered like so much iron;
you heaped up silver as though it were lead.” (Si 47:18).
Power: Solomon was enthroned while his father was alive. He inherited a vast kingdom after his father, King David, had a hard time conquering neighboring lands into the kingdom. Solomon was the most powerful king of his time, getting whatever he wished for.
A lady killer: He was on the throne while very young, handsome and smart: he composed music, poetry and art, in which no one could match. He built the holy magnificent temple of Jerusalem. It was told in books that he had 700 wives and 300 young female servants.
Solomon’s reign lasted 39 years.
As an answer to what true happiness is, this is some sequential thinking of its definition in the life of a person known as the one with highest wisdom, King Solomon.
- Solomon at his young age, the writer of Song of Songs
Song of Songs is a book of poetry about romantic love, which many people consider to be an unmatched master piece of world poetry.
Solomon was infatuated in the happiness of love:
Love is all: “Only one human being is missing, and everything is depopulated” (Lamartine poet).
The romance is similar to the poem of “The eyes” by Lưu Trọng Lư:
“Your eyes are a river,
Where my boat sail through.”
Solomon trembled with happiness in Song of Songs:
“How beautiful you are, my love,
How beautiful! your eyes are doves!” (Sgs 1:15)
Solomon forgot everything because this is happiness: His love was satisfied. Loving and being loved.
It is understandable that many people come to death because loss of love.
- Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, at his middle age.
Materials are very real and tangible. Happiness is rare delicious things, satisfied lust and passions in music, art and poetry, or the building of magnificent architectures like the temple of Jerusalem.
God is invisible and often hides Himself in silence.
Being lured by countless beautiful girls and drinking habit, Solomon was so immerged in luxury that he forgot his Lord. He splurged his money on building luxurious temples for those girls to worship foreign false gods imported from their homelands.
The Lord started to become tired of Solomon.
Solomon did feel vaguely that life was not like a dream …, then he exclaimed about the ephemeral happiness like Hàn Mặc Tử poet:
“Here the mist and smoke blur human figures.
How to know if someone’s love is faithful” (Đây Thôn Vỹ Dạ poem)
Then Solomon became enlightened, saying:
“Do not lust in your heart after her beauty,
Do not let her captivate you with her glance!” (Pr 6:25)
That kind of happiness fades away soon and time never stops.
- Solomon at his older age, the writer of Ecclesiastes
At his old age Solomon realized that:
“Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” (Ec 1:2)
And that:
“The covetous are never satisfied with money,
Nor lovers of wealth with their gain;
So this too is vanity.” (Ec 5:9)
Because:
“Both go to the same place;
Both were made from the dust,
And to the dust they both return.” (Ec 3:20)
Solomon lamented:
“I detested life, since for me the work that is done under the sun is bad; for all is vanity and a chase after wind.” (Ec 2:17)
What is happiness? Where is it?
Solomon ran after his shadow, letting loose the bird in his hands to chase the two birds in the bush.
Tiếng Sa Mạc