Peter Kreeft on the Three Philosophies of Life
There are ultimately only three philosophies of life, and each one is represented by one of the following books of the Bible:
1. Life as vanity: Ecclesiastes
2. Life as suffering: Job
3. Life as love: Song of Songs
–
The reason these are the only three possible philosophies of life is because they represent the only three places or conditions in which we can be. Ecclcsiastcs’ “vanity” represents Hell. Job’s suffering represents Purgatory. [1] And Song of Songs’ love represents Heaven. All three conditions begin here and now on earth. As C. S. Lewis put it, “All that seems earth is Hell or Heaven.” It is a shattering line, and Lewis added this one to it: “Lord, open not too often my weak eyes to this.
The essence of Hell is not suffering but vanity, not pain but purposelessness, not physical suffering but spiritual suffering. Dante was right to have the sign over Hell’s gate read: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
Suffering is not the essence of Hell, because suffering can be hopeful. It was for job. Job never lost his faith and his hope (which is faith directed at the future), and his suffering proved to be purifying, purgative, educational: it gave him eyes to see God. That is why we are all on earth.
Finally, Heaven is love, for Heaven is essentially the presence of God, and God is essentially love. (“God is love.’)
–
Despair is Job’s mood. His suffering is not only bodily but also spiritual. What has he to look forward to except death? He has lost everything, even God–especially God, it seems.
Joy is the mood of love, young love, new love, “falling in love”. That is the wonder in Song of Songs: that the beloved should be; that life should be; that anything, now all lit by the new light of love, should be–as mysterious a glory as it was to job a mysterious burden.
Boredom is the mood of Ecciesiastes. It is a modern mood. Indeed, there is no word for it in any ancient language! In this mood, there is neither a reason to die, as in Job, nor a reason to live, as in Song of Songs. This is the deepest pit of all.
