Drinking the Koolaid

The saying, “Drinking the Koolaid,” is a present-day analogy of following a delusion of the masses toward our own destruction, based, of course, on the mass suicide/massacre in Jonestown in 1978.  However, the idea of accepting the delusion of the masses is not a new problem; indeed, Scripture has an entire book dedicated to outlining the delusions that people follow to their own destruction.  Not surprisingly, the delusional thinking described in the Book of Ecclesiastes is still common deceptions of the masses today.  As the author of Ecclesiastes states, “There is nothing new under the sun.” 

Some might say that any “religion” is a mass delusion.  I love a C. S. Lewis writing that explains one reason why Lewis was willing to accept Christianity as a plausible faith.  Lewis states, “Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that real things have.”   While other religions can plausibly be explained as created by man, such as ones that promote mankind achieving a higher plane through effort and goodness, or following a set of rules for his or her own betterment, or continuing to try new lives until he or she gets it right, or even ones that suggest multiple gods who all reflect certain aspects of man’s nature (even the not-so-positive elements), it would be difficult to imagine a human being coming up with the highly unlikely scenario of God choosing death for Himself on the cross as a pathway to give mankind unearned salvation as a gift.  It is definitely not something we would expect. 

What the author of Ecclesiastes observes is that our best guesses about what gives life meaning and purpose are consistently proven as meaningless.  Our answers on life, what we would have guessed or expected, do not match with reality.  The “Koolaid” is the mainstream culture’s definition on what has meaning – and drinking it leads to our destruction.

Our mass delusions today mirror many of those described by the author of Ecclesiastes.  Let’s go through briefly and identify some of the more common Koolaids in our time:

1)      I can rely on my own knowledge and wisdom (Ecc. 1). Much like a child whose view of the world is limited to their frame of reference, yet they believe they know it all, we rely on our own knowledge and our own understanding of things as the “Truth.”  The only real source of truth, and the only real wisdom and knowledge, is from God.  Following our perception that our own knowledge and wisdom will not take us over the cliff doesn’t keep us from falling when we walk over the edge. 

2)      Pleasure will give my life meaning (Ecc. 2).  The hedonistic pleasures described in Chapter 2 include drunkenness (which today might be called partying), folly (foolishness and recklessness which today might be called risk-taking behavior), and indulging in all that “delights a man’s heart” (what today might be called pornography, gluttony, sexual perversion, and all other temporary fleshly pleasures ) but these types of pleasures ultimately cause my destruction. These pleasures are poor counterfeits of true joy, which only comes through relationship with God.

3)      More money and more “stuff” will make me happy (Ecc 5).  Similar to hedonistic pleasures, packing more things into our lives and working endless hours to get more money so we can buy more “stuff” is an empty substitute for the true fulfillment of the presence of God in our hearts and fully in our lives. Beyond the enjoyment I might take in the work itself, everything I gain in wealth does not last and is never enough to satisfy. 

4)      Control over my life is possible (Ecc. 8).  If I can control my destiny, and determine circumstances and outcomes in my life then I believe I can have security (which is the lie that entices me to try to control).  Of course I cannot control nor can I create security – all I have are my choices, and my choices do not determine the circumstances or the outcomes because there is no such thing as control.  When this attempt to control fails, I seek more power and more control, only to be thwarted again, and I am left feeling even more powerless.

5)      Having power over others will make me have value (Ecc. 8).  If I can “lord” it over others, I will feel powerful and important.  The flesh likes that feeling of being “god” in the sense of dominating over others, elevating myself at their expense.   These false hierarchies create all kinds of abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional – and ultimately anyone elevated above is doomed to fall, becoming the victim instead of the victimizer.  God our Creator determines our value and worth.  His birth, His life, and His death on the cross all say that we are worth everything to Him.  

Each of these examples of present-day “Koolaid” leads to our destruction.  Here is the Ecclesiastes author’s conclusion:

^“10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
   I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
   and this was the reward for all my toil.
¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
   and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
   nothing was gained under the sun.”  (Ecc. 2:10-11)

What is the alternative, then, to drinking the Koolaid?  According to Ecclesiastes, there is no joy, no happiness, and no meaning apart from God:

“This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” (Ecc. 2:24-26).