Maybe, I'm not alone. I see traces of it all over social media. Even if we realize that people probably don't care about half of the things we say, we still blog, tweet, and instagram by impulse. We just want to be heard, to be “liked,” to say, to show and to hear something worthwhile. We want to belong while simultaneously standing out for our originality. We want to make people think twice about their everyday and look past their own eyes for a second. Or maybe, that's just me.
Every now and then, we get a glimpse of something noteworthy. We paint that lovely sunset. We blog that rich thought. We write down those lyrics and put it to music. We try so hard to make something new while simultaneously trying to avoid being deemed weird. << Lord forbid we become weird! I'm sure God never intended any such differentiation. >> (For those of you who don't get sarcasm, I have created a << sarcasm >> indicator for your clarity.)
Still, our most novel things are, at best, an echo of something else. That painting was inspired by something. That fresh new outfit is vintage. That new movie is a rewritten book. Our conversations are the same, just in a different context.
At the end of the day, we're not so original after all. Even this very blog, it's been said. It was written ages ago. It's why I love the book of Ecclesiastes so much. It confronts our seemingly endless cycles while applauding mankind's everyday efforts:
The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, 'See this, it is new'? Already it has existed for ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still. (Ecc 1:8-11)
It sounds a little depressing, but it's where my mind goes sometimes. What is our time worth? Even if I was talented, could I ever really create? At my best, will I only copy?
Probably.
Maybe, the better question is: who am I copying? Am I copying a copy of a sunset or am I looking straight at its glory for myself? If I must copy, I've decided to go the Original, God Himself. I'll take an example from the Preacher of Ecclesiates, pondering, writing out truth, and fearing God.
“In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly...The conclusion, when all has been heard is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” (Ecc 12:10,13)
