Plowing. Seeding. Harvesting. Plowing. Seeding. Harvesting. My farming has almost reached somewhat of an art form. Each day I log on to my account to see how my crops are doing. I know what each crop is worth and I have, at times, been guilty of planting crops in accordance to my schedule for the day and when I might be able to access a computer. I am a level 29 farmer and I have almost 750,000 coins in savings because I am working toward my one-million coin Villa mansion.
Those who play Farmville will understand the nature of my seeming obsession with the game. Those who don't may scoff and laugh. There may be an element of Farmville, however, that is truer in many people's lives than they realize.
In Farmville, each player works toward a seemingly self-set goal. In my case, I have wanted that mansion and to cover the area surrounding it in white lilies for some time now. I have spent hours harvesting and watched my points grow toward an ever-approaching goal. However, I recently began thinking about what I will do once I have reached the mansion of my dreams. "Will I continue playing? Why show I keep playing? It's all pointless then anyway. I'll probably stop."
While some may find this utterly ridiculous, it is very similar to what some people do all their lives. People go throughout their days working toward an end that they believe will make them happy and satisfied, but they aren't. You can work for everything in the world and find that in the end it is all pointless and meaningless.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon (regarded as the richest and wisest man in the world) states, "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?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 and 3) Similarly in the New Testament, Jesus states, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
So, as you harvest your crops and sow another round, consider the purpose of your own life and the goal that you choose to work for. Will I stop playing? Probably not. I hope this will serve as a reminder of what really matters.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,there your heart will be also."-Matthew6:19- 21
Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010
10:09 pm
10:09 pm
The Banner
An Online Campus Publication of California Baptist University
Cultivating Misery
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