 The
Proclaimer
The Great Equalizer
I recently
watched a biography of the life of Howard Hughes. Younger folks will
probably not know who he was, but from the 1930’s until his death in the
middle 1970’s, Howard Hughes was one of the richest and most famous men in
the world. Hughes was something of an enigma as his life vacillated between
the flamboyant, the secretive and the bizarre. But his prominence and his
wealth were never in doubt.
As I watched this
expose on Hughes’ life, I was struck by the fact that when he died less than
10 people attended his funeral, which lasted only seven minutes before they
lowered his lifeless body into the ground. The fact that he died a recluse
may have contributed to this fact, but regardless, the scene was in stark
contrast to the ticker-tape parade that New York City gave him when he broke
the speed record for flying around the world in 1938. Death truly is the
great equalizer, for what happens to the fool happens to the wise and what
happens to the poor happens to the rich – all shall die.
The wise man
writes of this dilemma in the book of Ecclesiastes. “So I was great, and
increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom
remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them”
(Eccl. 2:9, 10). Solomon had it all: wisdom, riches, carnal pleasures. In
spite of this he writes, “So I hated life, because the work that is wrought
under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after
wind” (Eccl. 2:17). None of these things brought lasting satisfaction to
him. In fact, they brought frustration, heartache and unhappiness.
Howard Hughes
experienced similar dilemmas in his life. He accomplished great things that
brought him great notoriety in the aeronautics industry. He was well known
throughout the world being considered by many as a “genius” aeronautical
engineer. Many today, however, have never heard of this “genius” and soon
his fame will have been forgotten completely. Solomon recognized this
truth, and writes, “Then I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so
will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my
heart, that this also is vanity. For of the wise man, even as the fool,
there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will
have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!”
(Eccl. 2:15, 16).
Interestingly,
Howard Hughes, one of the richest men in the world, did not leave a Last
Will and Testament. This created many difficulties in determining just who
would receive the inheritance. Hughes was evidently unconcerned about these
things. Solomon recognized the futility of leaving a legacy as he writes,
“And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I
must leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether
he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet will he have rule over all my labor
wherein I have labored” (Eccl. 2:18, 19).
Hughes died a
lonely recluse with no family, no friends and only his money to comfort
him. And worse than that, he had nothing to look forward to “but a certain
fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour
the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27). This does not have to happen to you! There
is something beyond this life; something far better than can ever be
experienced or attained in this “life under the sun.”
The fact is, life
here on earth and all that it has to offer, whether it be riches, knowledge,
friends, family or the enjoyment of carnal pleasures, makes no sense at all
until God is included, for then, and only then is life worth living. But
more than that, only then do we truly have a future. The time will come
when, “man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the
streets” (Eccl. 12:5). It happened to Howard Hughes; it will happen to
you. Are you ready?
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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