Dr. Jessica A. Johnson

While making copies at one of the local Columbus, Ohio, library branches last week, I overheard an intriguing conversation that would be an excellent commencement theme for this year's high school and college graduates.

The conversation was between a teenage student and a reference librarian regarding budgeting for monthly living expenses. I could not determine if the student was researching this information for a class project or if she was taking this initiative on her own. She was looking at the average monthly rent for one-bedroom apartments in Columbus and calculating the costs of utilities, groceries and other bills. I laughed to myself when she exclaimed, "Wow! This is expensive!" Many kids are often shocked once they realize the thorough financial planning it takes to run a household. Perhaps it makes them treasure their childhood a little more and appreciate the time they have left under their parents' care before they set out on their own. After looking at her figures for a moment, this young girl then made a perceptive statement: "We do all this hard work to earn as much money as we can so we will be successful and then we die." This was a "what's the meaning of life" question that the reference librarian didn't quite have an answer for.

A high school student pondering what's the true purpose of the daily grind or hustle, as many young people refer to working today, is encouraging because it shows that she is considering more than just material success. I'm sure many 2023 high school and college graduates are contemplating the same question, which is why a "meaning of life" theme always provides thoughtful deliberation for commencement programs. Most commencement speeches that I have heard focused on following one's passion, paying it forward, not being afraid of failure and establishing strong professional networks. All of this is sound advice, but what happens when a person assiduously follows this counsel, achieves great things and somehow becomes unfulfilled much later in life? I believe this is the fundamental question that the high school student I observed was meticulously thinking about in the library.

As I drove home reflecting more on what this student said, I immediately thought about Ecclesiastes 1:3, where King Solomon examined the same question. "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" he poignantly asked. The Amplified version puts it in simpler terms: "What advantage does man have from all his work (which) he does under the sun (while earthbound)?"

In the grand scheme of things, our time here on Earth is very short, even if we live a few more years beyond our projected life expectancy. The Bible says in James 4:14 that our lives are like "a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." This is why Scripture implores us not to waste time and to take advantage of every opportunity we receive by applying godly prudence and diligence.

Gen Z is the generation of the student I saw along with her older graduating high school and college peers. They are just beginning to plan their career paths and chart their course in life. The oldest Gen Z cohort ranges in age from 18 to 26, comprising the youngest members of our workforce. I recall a 2019 PBS NewsHour segment that asked then-Gen Z college students what they wanted most out of their first jobs. Some viewers may have been surprised that "meaningful work" was the top priority for all but one of the students. In more recent surveys that I have seen on blogs and in business magazines like Forbes, Gen Zers emphasize that they seek a purpose-driven identity to coincide with their place of employment. So, Gen Zers desire meaningful work while pursuing a purpose-driven identity, and then after achieving these goals, as the student in the library frankly put it, "we die."

Going back to Ecclesiastes, Solomon had the answer for finding genuine life satisfaction that this student and so many Gen Zers yearn for. In the conclusion of the book, he advised young people to remember God while still in the prime of life and to place Him in the center of their plans. Basically, dream BIG with God, and He promises to give you wisdom, knowledge and joy, an anchor of faith for your soul to lean on, especially when trials and difficulties come. An anchor of faith that takes away the anxiety of death, and most importantly, empowers you to live!

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc.

Photo by Leon Wu on Unsplash