You may not know what Minecraft is, but chances are if you
have children or grandchildren they can tell you all about it. It happens to be
one of the most successful and innovative video games of recent history. Since 2009 it has sold some 54 million
copies, making it the third most popular video game of all time behind Tetris and Super Mario Bros.
Minecraft is
a game where you dig for different kinds of 3D blocks which can then be used to
build all kinds of structures. Since there is no defined storyline, or main
objectives the game allows players to be their own “gods” because whatever they
can imagine, they can build in this virtual world. With such a gigantic,
digital sandbox to play in, no wonder kids of all ages are obsessed.
However, Business Insider recently reported that the
creator of Minecraft, a self-taught
Swedish programmer Markus Persson, has not found the happiness that his game
has given to so many people around the world. In 2014 Persson sold Minecraft to tech-giant Microsoft for
$2.5 billion! Here is what the article reported:
“Persson certainly looked
like he was having a blast, living the big life. He bought a $70 million
mansion, complete with a massive wall of candy, and has been hosting wild
parties ever since.
But he's really bored and
deeply lonely, he revealed in a series of tweets. “The problem with getting
everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction
becomes impossible due to imbalance,” he tweeted. In another social media post
he said, “Hanging out with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people,
able to do whatever I want, and I've never felt more isolated.”[1]
When I read those words of
disappointment my mind went back to Solomon’s journal of Ecclesiastes. As one
of the wealthiest and wisest kings in Israel’s history, Solomon was a man who
had it all and tried it all. He was a man of wisdom, wealth, wine, work and
women. Imagine a man with the brains of Bill Gates, the bucks of Warren Buffet
and the promiscuity of Hugh Hefner and you’ve got a good mental image of the
kind of playboy excess that dominated Solomon’s mid-life crisis. After enjoying
unbridled success here is what Solomon said:
“I’ve been king over
Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all
that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there’s not much to write home
about . . . I’ve seen it all and it’s nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting
into the wind” (Ecc. 1:12-14, MSG).
Solomon’s words are still just
as relevant today. The reason why success, fame, money and pleasure never ultimately
fulfill is because they operate on the law of diminishing returns. A plie of
money, a giant mansion, your name in lights, a snort of drugs or a supermodel
on each arm may bring temporary happiness, but then when the high is gone the
one searching for meaning is left with a profound sense of emptiness.
This existential void can
only be filled by one being—God. No amount of finite things can ever fill up an
infinite hole. Only God is big enough, wondrous enough, and perpetually novel
enough to bring ultimate meaning and purpose to life. As Jesus said, “I came
that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). -DM
[1]
Julie Bort, “’I've never felt more isolated’: The man who sold Minecraft to
Microsoft for $2.5 billion reveals the empty side of success,” Business Insider , 29 August 2015 <http://www.businessinsider.com/minecraft-founder-feels-isolated-unhappy-2015-8>
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