I’ve read this book in university as a requirement and tried reading it again this time with a new lens. This was about a man named Gregor (!!!) who woke up as a vermin, the “lowest” creature created, and he just embraced his predicament, acted as such and accepted the way his family and employer treated him – with utter annoyance and complete disgust. He used to be the breadwinner of the family and then in just one day, when he turned into a vermin, his family just dismissed and disregarded him. Spoiler alert this story didn’t end happily..
It brought about ideas of existentialism of just living for this life and in this world, to create your own purpose despite the meaninglessness of life / the person’s existence and with anxiety as your best friend. It’s sad because you’re just living in this rat race, going about your business, enduring the hardship of life, living and then dying. I remembered in the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible,
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
What is the purpose of this life? Is it for us to just eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow we will die?
Lately with discussions at home and introspecting. It truly begins with our identity as a person. In the book, Gregor identified himself as a vermin and acted that way, he didn’t even fight anymore to be who he used to be. When his family realized it was him, they thought of him as a burden, shutting him in his room and treating him as a pest when during his life he used to work and live for them. When he left, his family was so relieved and didn’t think much about it. They were even overjoyed so they can finally leave the house that Gregor leased for them. How sad right? How depressing to say the least.
Makes me wonder if we identify ourselves that we are a person, a man or a woman made in the image and likeness of God, how should we be behave? That we are a child of God (the son/ daughter of the King), that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, what does this make us? How am I to behave at home? with my husband, my kids and with other people? No matter where we are, what situation we may be in ( healthy or sick, young or old, with or without, in lack and in plenty) we bring this identity with us. No matter how broken our past may be, when we believe in Jesus we now carry this identity.
Homeschooling my son and teaching him this as impressed upon us, I am also taught to learn and digest these truths about myself as a follower of Christ. I wasn’t always a believer and I was more of contained to a certain religion and just practicing traditions. There was a yearning I could not explain and a struggle to want to talk to God but I knew I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. It was only in 2010 that my journey began so these truths took a long while to sink in and even until now.
We are truly made to worship God and apart from Him, life is so meaningless and empty. Walking with Jesus I know that this is not our home and there is something we can look forward to. That our life here and our choices now have eternal consequences. Life for me isn’t about just existing / surviving. After reading this book, I grimace to how it encapsulates and portrays the ugly side of human behavior, the darkness of human psychology, it is so accurate and descriptive that I understand why they saw him as a very good writer. Even Solomon in Ecclesiastes has contemplated and pondered upon the meaninglessness of this world and sometimes we do too right? It’s so easy to just get lost in our dark thoughts and spiral into negativity. But I really thank God that He has already given us His word on this…
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
and in Ecclesiastes, it was already said:
3 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.