Vanity

Vanity

June 5, 2017

“Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” This is the lament of the ancient philosopher, Solomon, widely regarded as the wisest of the ancient kings. When we think of vanity today, images of celebrities may come to mind, but for Solomon vanity had a different meaning —useless. 

Late in his life, Solomon had pretty much had it all — wives, riches, and power. But it all seemed pretty empty to him. The root of the modern word “vanity” comes from the Latin word “Vanitas,” meaning empty. Solomon had discovered that his life, his riches, and his wisdom were all empty. He felt useless.

A lot of older people feel that way. We have outlived our usefulness. We have left our jobs. We have limited funds, failing health, and a shrinking influence on others. We may have wisdom but no one wants to listen. Like Solomon, we feel that our lives are empty.

A few years ago, we bought a new refrigerator. Our old one had lasted more than twenty-five years, but the salesman told us that the new one would probably last no more than ten. “Planned obsolescence,” he told us. Appliances are constructed to fail so that new ones are necessary. Sometimes life feels that way, older people wear out so that younger people can take their places. 

That is the cure for vanity — the filler for emptiness —looking past the mirror to the world beyond. The remedy for a feeling of uselessness is becoming useful. Older people, without the obligations of the young, can fill many needs in this world. Much valuable work is done by senior volunteers in schools, hospitals, communities, and beyond. Helping others fills empty time and spaces. 

Vain people are selfish. Their needs come first. Useful people are selfless. They give of themselves and become necessary and fulfilled. Solomon noted that only the good we do lasts. The good we do endures long after we are gone —the child we help, the hand we hold, the skills we share, the love we spread. 

No life shared is lived in vain. Even Solomon, while moaning about vanity, left behind poetry still read today. Giving of yourself replaces emptiness with purpose. A life lived with purpose — if the purpose is to give to others— will become poetry, filled with images of joy, compassion, and love. 

One of the most beautiful poems I know sits in a wheelchair in a nursing home. She greets everyone with a smile and a hug. She laughs and cries with her friends, welcomes strangers, holds a hand, pats a shoulder, radiates love. Her speech is unclear, but her meaning is crystal. There is no vanity about her. Her life is full. 

No one who shares a smile, a hug, a kind word, a laugh, will ever become obsolete. No life lived for others is lived in vain. No life is empty when filled with love.