I said to laughter: ‘Insanity!’ and to rejoicing: ‘What is this doing?’”​—Eccl. 2:1, 2.

Granted, amusements and laughter can aid a person to forget his problems temporarily. But the problems will not go away but must still be faced after the period of amusement is over. Furthermore, when a person simply dismisses very serious matters with thoughtless laughter, he is not using good sense and may well irritate others. That is why his laughter can be called “insanity.” As to the “rejoicing” or merriment that might be associated with a habitual joker, it does not really amount to anything of worth. As Solomon put it, “What is this doing?” Yes, what tangible and meaningful results does such merriment produce?

8. In what way can we be helped if we apply the lesson that can be drawn from Solomon’s investigation?

⁸ If we allow ourselves to be guided by the facts uncovered by Solomon’s investigation, surely we will not permit pleasures to overshadow or crowd out spiritual activities. This calls for being moderate in the number of social gatherings one attends and the amount of time devoted to them. If we were repeatedly to spend a good part of the night at social affairs, how could we possibly be alert the next day for spiritual opportunities, such as congregational meetings or public witnessing? If keeping late hours because of recreation resulted in a person’s being too tired for spiritual activities, is not the pursuit of amusements getting out of control? While we may rightly enjoy wholesome, upbuilding social gatherings and other forms of relaxation, these should not become the big things in our lives. Our greatest satisfaction should continue to be found in a life that centers around faithful service to Jehovah God.