Little Boxes, little boxes: Life imitates art

I saw an article recently about student accommodation made from recycled shipping containers my first my response was to be blown away by the ingenuity (I run a college and we are constructing a new postgrad building). I've written about the idea from a construction perspective on my blog devoted to the our new development. But as I looked at the concept I was reminded of the song "Little Boxes" and started to sing it (good thing you weren't there!).


Little Boxes

Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes" (1962) was a big hit when I was growing up (you can listen to it here). Apparently, Malvina and her husband were on their way from Berkeley (where they lived) to San Francisco when Malvina handed the wheel to her husband when inspired by the scenes out the window to write the song. As I looked at the shipping container building I thought to myself, is life imitating art? Here are the words.

Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers, And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business And marry and raise a family,
In boxes made of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.

Of course Malvina was making a point that went much further than my superficial connection. She was struck by the superficiality and seeming sameness of suburban life that seems to mirror the sameness of streets and houses. This provided her with the metaphor for her song about life's conformity and shallowness in the USA. People following the same paths, driven by the same values, priorities and life goals. A tread mill of conformity that affects where people live, what they study, the jobs they seek, the way they shape their children's lives and so on. Lives of 'ticky tacky'; words now with a dictionary meaning inspired by the song - "unimaginative and, often, tasteless or shoddy uniformity".

Vanity of vanities

This reminded me of The Teacher (or the Preacher) in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible who offers a commentary on the foolishness of a life driven by shallow and limited motives. The writer's constant cry is "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Eccl 1:2). Ecclesiastes was written for people just like Malvina Reynolds who look at the world and question its lack of real and significant purpose. Where can meaning be found in the monotony of life? The Preacher begins by looking at life's seeming futility (Eccl 1:3-11).

What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"?
It has been already in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance of later things
yet to be among those who come after.

Where can one find meaning in this seeming world of 'ticky tacky'? On the treadmill of life (Eccl 1:3-11), how can satisfaction be gained? The Preacher talks of seeking wisdom and meaning but finding more vanity. He looks to pleasure, the satisfaction of toil and hard work - more vanity (Eccl 1:12-2:11)! But as if that isn't enough, there is time that slips away (Eccl 3:1-15) and then, the realisation that there is evil as tyrannical as the death that awaits us all (Eccl 3:16-4:16). But "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl 1:9b).

It's as if the Preacher dismantles any hope that we might find meaning and purpose in life before he finally begins to reveal his ultimate truth. As he reaches chapters 11 and 12 he fully reveals his hand, and the point of his message is made clear. We are to remember God in the days of our youth (Eccl 12:1), to be bold (Eccl 11:1-6), to rejoice in God's goodness (Eccl 11:7-10), to be godly (Eccl 12:1-8), and finally, the end of the matter - to fear God!

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Eccl 12: 13, 14).

If life's ultimate satisfaction is sought in houses, possessions, toil, pleasure, education or knowledge - in fact anything other than dependence on God - then all will be just ticky tacky. God's ultimate purpose for his people is to know him, to fear him and to follow him. Why chase after the wind when you can have a relationship with the living God through his Son (Galatians 3:26).

Wisdom under the lino: Making sense of life

I had the joy of demolishing an old bathroom recently in a 110 year-old house (seriously). As I removed the fixtures, peeled layers of masonite and wood from the walls, dismantled built-in cupboards and lifted several generations of linoleum (vinyl) from the wooden floor, the room revealed its secrets. The remains of two earlier internal doorways dating from the 1890s, buckled paint from an over-stoked wood chip water heater (a chip-heater) from the early 1900s, the original paintwork long covered by a second layer of wood panelling. But best of all were some fragments of newspaper; remnants of the ‘underlay’ for perhaps the 2nd or 3rd floor covering dating from the 1950s. A half dozen pages still hidden under the 1950s linen press.

I leafed through the fragments of the old Sydney Morning Herald dated 15th November 1950. I read with fascination of an estimated 200,000 people flocking to Sydney’s beaches to escape the warm weather. The finance section reported record profits for G.J. Coles and encouraging figures for the new Luna Park. Sydney Ferries was in a spot of bother with reduced profits, a capital reduction strategy and plans to hold onto ferries for 8-10 years longer, and (of course) disappointed investors. General MacArthur in his second report on the war in Korea had been appealing to the UN Security Council members to send more ground forces. Column Eight started with a piece about some “New Australians” who had taken an Aussie phrase from their new language too literally and so on.

By the time I had picked up the top third of page 4 (all that remained of it), I started to wonder if this really was a 1950s edition of the SMH. The three stories on this fragment of a page featured:

• The rising road toll and the calls from the Superintendent of traffic for “a greater number of police if we are going to bring to heel those road users who are behaving like lunatics”; and expert comment from Professor Elkin of the technical research committee.
• A Victorian rail strike planned for that day.
• The urgent need to “end the housing nightmare” by rapidly increasing the number of public houses available.

As I bashed away with hammer and chisel I mused over the minimal change in the issues concerning people and the daily life being experienced in Sydney. I was reminded of Ecclesiastes (1:2-11) when the Preacher (or Teacher) opens his book with the words:

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"?
It has been already in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes is a much misunderstood book, some see the words of the writer as negative, cynical and depressing, but nothing could be further from the central truth of this short work. While it is disjointed, a bit obscure in language and confusing at first reading, there is wisdom in it that would take many Blog posts to discuss. This is a major apologetic work, as relevant today as it was over 2,000 years ago. The opening verses address my reflections on the newspaper clippings.

The Preacher opens his book by inviting the reader to reflect on the ‘Ground Hog Day’ repetitiveness of life; the sense that all of us can have at times, that our life has the same patterns of work-sleep, happiness-sorrow, birth-death and so on. “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity”. The writer is conscious of the vanity and corruption to which creation is subject (Rom 8:20ff) and begins his book by emphasising the curse on creation that is a consequence of sin and the Fall in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:17-19).

While some readers find Ecclesiastes too negative, this is the writer’s device to bring one’s attention back from seeing this world and our life in it as ends in themselves. The alternative, the key, he hides from the reader for much of the book, but he provides hints alomg the way, almost teasing the reader as he works towards what he sees as the key. The Preacher doesn’t deny that the world can have its own happiness (see for example Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:12; 3:22; 5:18; 9:7; 11:9); but the ‘real’ significance he suggests, is that in this at times confusing world God’s goodness, wisdom and righteousness is revealed. It is in this life that God’s plan of salvation in Christ is made known.

So while a bunch of old newspaper clippings might have lead me to reflect on the unchanging patterns of life and the world, there is a way to make sense of the seeming vanity and meaninglessness of life. While there is “nothing new under the sun” (1:9b), the world must be understood as being from the hand of God (2:24; 5:18-20). This is a message about faith when confronted by the confusion and sometimes pain, of life. He suggests that our life is to be led by faith not in our own strength, cunning, skill and hard work - a lesson I continue to learn!

By human wisdom we cannot hope to fathom the work of God (Eccl. 3:11), despite all our efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its full meaning (Eccl. 8:17). Instead we are to look to God. To revere him (3:14b), to stand in awe of him, for “it will be well with those who fear God” (Eccl 8:12).

The Preacher reminds us that life is brief and is to be lived in humility and trust in God.

“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them” (Eccl. 12:1).

The Preacher ends with:

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).

There will be judgment one day, but all will be well with those who trust God, and who seek the forgiveness, for as Peter outlined in his first letter to the exiles scattered across the world:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).