'Meaning of life' a theme that provides thoughtful deliberation for graduates
While making copies at one of the local Columbus Metropolitan Library branches last month, I overheard an intriguing conversation that would have made an excellent commencement theme for this year's high school and college graduates.
The conversation was between a teenage student and a reference librarian regarding budgeting for monthly living expenses. The student was researching the average monthly rent for one-bedroom apartments in Columbus and calculating the costs of utilities, groceries, and other bills. After looking at her figures for a moment, this young girl then made a perceptive statement: "We do all this hard work to earn as much money as we can so we will be successful, and then we die."
This was a "What's the meaning of life" question for which the reference librarian didn't quite have an answer.
A high school student pondering what's the true purpose of the daily grind or hustle, as many young people refer to working today, is encouraging because it shows that she is considering more than just material success. I'm sure many 2023 high school and college graduates are contemplating the same question, which is why a "meaning of life" theme always provides thoughtful deliberation for commencement programs.
Most commencement speeches that I have heard focused on following one's passion, paying it forward, not being afraid of failure and establishing strong professional networks. All of this is sound advice, but what happens when a person assiduously follows this counsel, achieves great things and somehow becomes unfulfilled much later in life? I believe this is the fundamental question that the high school student I observed was meticulously thinking about in the library.
As I drove home reflecting more on what this student said, I immediately thought about Ecclesiastes 1:3, where King Solomon examined the same question. "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" he poignantly asked. In the grand scheme of things, our time here on Earth is very short, even if we live a few more years beyond our projected life expectancy. The Bible says in James 4:14 that our lives are like "a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." This is why Scripture implores us not to waste time and to take advantage of every opportunity we receive by applying godly prudence and diligence.
Gen Z is the generation of the student I saw along with her older graduating high school and college peers. The oldest Gen Z cohort ranges in age from 18 to 26, comprising the youngest members of our workforce. I recall a 2019 PBS NewsHour segment that asked then-Gen Z college students what they wanted most out of their jobs. Some viewers may have been surprised that "meaningful work" was the top priority for all but one of the students. In more recent surveys that I have seen on blogs and in business magazines like Forbes, Gen Zers emphasize that they seek a purpose-driven identity to coincide with their place of employment. So, Gen Zers desire meaningful work while pursuing a purpose-driven identity, and then after achieving these goals, as the student in the library frankly put it, "we die."
Going back to Ecclesiastes, Solomon had the answer for finding genuine life satisfaction that this student and so many Gen Zers yearn for. In the conclusion of the book, he advised young people to remember God while still in the prime of life and to place Him in the center of their plans. Basically, dream BIG with God, and He promises to give you wisdom, knowledge and joy, an anchor of faith for your soul to lean on, especially when trials and difficulties come. An anchor of faith that takes away the anxiety of death, and most importantly, empowers you to live!
Jessica A. Johnson writes for Creators Syndicate and is a member of Vision of Breath with Life Ministries in Columbus.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Meaning of life' worth contemplating at graduation and beyond| Opinion
