Empty and Meaningless

Alexander Blok was a natural, considered by many as the greatest Russian poet of the twentieth century. Born in 1880 in Saint Petersburg, he frequently wrote about nature, creating unforgettable images from ordinary events in life. Many works were filled with mystical images. Others were almost musical in sound.

Gradually, his focus turned toward social issues. The Oxford Companion to English Literature describes how, because of his concerns, he placed great hope in Russia’s 1905 revolution. When this failed (and the Russians lost a war with Japan), Blok became disillusioned, and his poems became filled with “gloom and pessimism.”

He initially thought that lasting answers had come during the 1917 revolution that brought the Communist Party to power. He even was appointed to a position in its government. But, as the revolution developed, Blok again became disillusioned, and stopped writing poetry.

In the process, his poetry became even more pessimistic. He once wrote, “The life of all men the world over is a monstrous, dirty puddle.” He complained that his “faith in the wisdom of humanity” had ended.

When he became gravely ill in 1921, doctors requested that he be allowed to leave the country for treatment but the request was denied. Approval eventually was given but too late; Blok had died.

Like the writer of Ecclesiastes, Blok found that the efforts to find answers through politics and social change were like chasing the wind. Like many people throughout history, he found that the answer was not in governments or revolutions, or in the world’s pleasures or riches.

The Bible encourages us to realize that we can find real meaning and purpose only when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, and serve God. When we seek first His Kingdom, He promises to meet every need.

Don’t spend your life chasing the wind. Focus on pleasing God.