Wisdom Of The Teacher For College Students, Ch. 3Sample

  

Today, let’s look at the teaching in the beautiful poem recorded by the Teacher. 

The season and the time mentioned in the verses is not be tied to a specific point in time, but to a period of time. 

The two opposites in each line provide a beautiful contrast of common experiences for all of humankind. Some are easy to understand, i.e. living and dying, killing and healing, weeping and laughing among them. A few are a bit more enigmatic. Casting and gathering stones refer to the practice of demolishing and building structures in ancient days. Embracing and refraining from embracing isn’t so much about romantic endeavors as much as it relates to greeting friends and relationships. 

Seeking and losing are business terms that are obvious when understood in that context. It ends with some of the more famous couplets, silence and speaking, loving and hating, and war and peace. 

The implication of them all is that there is a time for many things that happen to all of us as humans. It is the common fate of all of us regardless of our individual circumstance. 

In many ways we are more alike than we are different and that is the point of the Teacher’s poem!