Hang the sense of it

Wrapping up the last of my Sr. High class on Wisdom this weekend and next, I've had a heightened awareness of ancient wisdom showing up in modern culture. The latest example of this was last night, sitting on the couch, eating pizza (meat lovers... mmmm), and watching "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Not exactly where you'd expect to see wisdom show up. It's a fun movie, so very droll and British. Plus, yet another example of a rapper turned movie actor, this time "Mos Def". They all seem, to a person, very approachable on screen, and quite unlike their persona on the rap stage. That would make a good feature article in People or even Time...

Now where was I?

Oh. Right. There's this scene where Arthur Dent, the male lead, the clueless and cowardly rural Brit, is being given a tour of the universe's "factory floor" by some guy who helps build planets to spec for whoever it is that orders these things. Oh, yeah - it's mice. That's right. Mice run the universe. Well, anyway, our hero is trying to make sense of all this, and the planet builder guy says to him:

"The chances of finding out what's really going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is say 'Hang the sense of it!' and keep yourself busy. Besides, I'd rather be happy than right, wouldn't you?"

Gosh, that sounds like Ecclesiastes to me, especially chapter 3:11-12 and 5:18-20, which are kind of the "don't worry, be happy" passages of the Old Testament, just as Matthew 6:25-34 are the New Testament's version of the same. I love to see ancient wisdom sprinkled, even haphazardly, into pop culture. It's a testimony to the staying power of a really good concept. And it should endure, right? It's God's concept, after all.

Ha - and you thought it was original with Bobby McFerrin.