The Book of Ecclesiastes, which is part of the Hebrew Bible’s “Wisdom Literature” tempts us to despair, by suggesting that life is meaningless if all we do is work hard to get rich, and then lose it all when we inevitably die. What’s wise about that? Ecclesiastes is playing the trickster, wanting us to understand for ourselves that life is not a problem to be solved; it is a process to be experienced. The purpose of life is not to amass as much treasure as possible and then regret when we lose it or can’t take it with us when we die. The purpose of life is the find joy and meaning in the ordinary. There is no other secret; there is no other “higher living” than that. “They will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts”. It’s our task to live out our lives, and joy is available to us if we choose it. But what does choosing it look like?