In the tenth century Abd al-Rahman was the ruler of Cordoba in Spain After fifty years of successful reign ldquo beloved by my subjects dreaded by my enemies and respected by my allies rdquo al-Rahman took a deeper look at his life ldquo Riches and honors power and pleasure have waited on my call rdquo he said of his privileges But when he counted how many days of genuine happiness he rsquo d had during that time they amounted to just fourteen How sobering The writer of Ecclesiastes was also a man of riches and honor Ecclesiastes ndash power and
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