vanity

I first thought "vanity" meant something to do with a person's appearance.  The only place I had heard the word was in "a vanity" or "a vanity table", a piece of furniture designed to facilitate the application of make-up to the face and environs.  So, having read parts of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, I decided to read it all and pay attention.  That chapter of the Bible opens with a statement that the contents come from "the Preacher, the Son of David, King of Jerusalem" but scholars know by other means that King Solomon is not the author.  (In those days, I have read, it was customary to attribute a statement to someone famous and important in the hopes people would pay attention.)  The very next words are "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." I was puzzled by these words.  Over time, I have realized they mean something like 'what's the use?' or 'nothing really matters, anyway'.

A very good friend of mine expressed a similar feeling when she said that there are many things that matter in this world but that she is tiring of them all.  The Preacher made similar points when he noted that a generation is born and a generation passes away and there is nothing new under the sun (and he hadn't even seen YouTube!).  Another friend who recently retired from a busy and pivotal position in a lively and energetic organization was totally shocked to wake up the next day with no phone calls, no requirements, no agenda.  What had happened, really?  Was life completely over?

Meaning, importance, value and commitment to people, projects and ideas vary.  Our age, mood, health can all cause a spike in the perception of value, or a drop in it.  When I am very sleepy, nothing [else] matters but getting to sleep.  It is a difficult philosophical question to find what, if anything, REALLY matters.  Most things come and go in value and our commitment to them.

One thing that holds value deeply is parenting.  The person you are responsible for is the focus of value.  Our whole lives, we care about some people, certainly among them, our children.  It is well known that children require a lot of care and watching and serving.  Often, the question of whether they matter does not even arise.  They are beyond considerations of value.  They simply matter, period.  This fact is put nicely in this past Sunday's Baby Blues cartoon.  The archives won't show that strip until two weeks after August 29, 2010 but it is well-done.  The little boy asks where his dad learned stuff like how to change a diaper and the dad answers in Dad School.  He says he enrolled in that school some weeks before the boy's big sister was born.  It is a tough place, where one is working 24/7.  When will you graduate?  Never.  "Want to help me with my homework?", Dad asks, picking up a football.  "Sure," Hammy says.  "Go long!" the father says.

Just this morning, my wife showed me the following video which is totally wonderful, exciting and meaningful about being the MOM, a tiring but valuable job:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54157901