Ecclesiastes 9 - Responsibility in a world of Randomness

Many people say things like, “Everything happens for a reason.” Yet, Ecclesiastes critiques conventional wisdom by saying, “The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happen to them all.” This gets us to ask ourselves if life is random? But then the author tells the story of a poor man who lived in a small town, and though he had disadvantages he used his wisdom to save his city. This story suggests that although life can be random and we can have disadvantages, it is still wise to take responsibility. The trick is knowing what to take responsibility for. Which leads to the Serenity Prayer, “God give me the courage to change the things I can’t, the serenity to accept the things I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.”