Stuff

Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
– Ecclesiastes 2:9-11

All of us could, upon reflection, name things about our world now that were different when we were children. One of those things for me, to the best of my recollection, has to do with the prominent rise of facilities that we call self-storage units. It is difficult now to drive very far before passing one of these businesses. These facilities may have existed when I was young, but in no comparison with the prevalence of them now. If we were to create a list of icons that represent modern Western culture, the self-storage unit could easily be included.

It is almost humorous to me when I think about why these businesses have become almost a necessity for us. I acknowledge that situations arise when extra storage space is needed for a certain amount of time. My family and I took advantage of this when we moved to Texas and couldn’t get everything moved at one time. Even so, I wonder how we might be challenged regarding our propensity to gather more and more stuff. Our houses can’t hold the stuff we have, so we move the car out of the garage to make storage space. When the garage is full we might get a shed of some kind for the back yard. On it goes, as we continue to make room for more stuff.

The point made by the wisdom writer is accurately, even if comically, conveyed in an episode of Veggie Tales. In the video, three savvy representatives from the Stuff Mart call on a neighborhood family (all vegetables, mind you) to convince them of the need to shop for more stuff (see the video here). A line from the sales reps tells it all: “You really should take our advice: happiness waits at the Stuff Mart. All you need is lots more stuff.” While on the surface we know this is a lie, we also recognize the subtle but never-ending signals we get from our culture that try to tempt us.

Does the writer of Ecclesiastes offer us an opinion about this from personal experience? The answer, without question, is yes. In Ecclesiastes 2:4-8 he details the things he did not withhold from himself: houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, ponds, trees, household servants, hired servants, livestock, silver, gold, entertainers, and women—lots of women. Imagine yourself in Palestine a few thousand years ago, and you will realize there is nothing of significance that could be added to this list. He has covered all the bases of getting and enlarging his stuff. If stuff made a person happy, this man would have been in a perpetual state of delight. Yet what was his assessment? All of his stuff produced no lasting satisfaction; it was like chasing after the wind.

As he is consistent to do, the writer will at later points clarify that having possessions is not in itself an evil thing. The mistake comes when we expect our possessions to accomplish in us what they were never, in God’s economy, designed to do. There is a particular problem the writer points out in 5:13, observing the tendency to hoard possessions to our detriment. (He makes the same case about money in 5:10.) Why do we hoard possessions? Because we place more value on our possessions than we should. Why do we do this? Because we believe our possessions have more power than they actually do. Can possessions be enjoyed? Absolutely. Can they provide deep, transcendent joy? Only if one has a very shallow view of what that joy could be.

If we are imagining as mountains all of the things that promise meaning, contentment and fulfillment in life, the “stuff mountain” is tall and prominent in our culture. At the summit sits the proverbial “Stuff Mart,” where we might hope to find the one possession we are lacking to make us happy. But once again we find the wisdom writer sitting at the top, advising us not to waste any more effort climbing this mountain. He has shopped every aisle and every shelf in the store, and assures us that lasting fulfillment is not to be found.

When will we take his advice?

See you along the Winding Path.