After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. (Ecclesiastes 2:3)
Solomon’s wrap-up counsel deserves prime-time exposure. It belongs on the marquee of every X-rated theatre. Like a note, it could be inserted inside every bottle of drugs. It would be a great neon sign in front of every tavern. “I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labour which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (v. 11 NASB 1995).
You won’t find that on the mirrors in Vegas. You won’t find it on the label of the Seagram’s bottle. Those things don’t sell the product, but this is the truth. Solomon says it straight. He’s been there; he ought to know. If you asked me to paraphrase his comments, I’d be able to do so in three truthful sentences. I will state them if you will face them.
Sensual pleasures hold out promises that lack staying power. The little line of white powder that invites you to snort it up into your system holds out a feeling. It holds out a promise that says, “That’ll do it, man! That’ll do it for you. It feels so good—do it!” And it does. It does feel good at first. It keeps its promise temporarily . . . but it doesn’t have staying power, so it takes more of the same. As one user admitted to me, “I could never get a feeling as good as the first time, but I kept trying.”
Sensual pleasures offer to open our eyes, but in reality they blind us. They say, “If you do this, your eyes will be open. You’ll see a world . . . a panoramic, psychedelic world that you’ve never even known existed.” But, in fact, that world blinds you to all the things that are important and real. I think the greatest tragedy connected to illicit sensuality is hypocrisy, which introduces my third sentence.
Sensual pleasures disillusion us, making us cover-up artists. We leave the impression that we’ve got life wired (a cover-up) because we refuse to tell ourselves and others the truth about our emptiness. What a hypocritical illusion! And how easy it is to forget that. “If it feels good, do it” has a flip side, which is neither attractive nor satisfying. How else can you explain the ugly side of so-called beautiful people?
