Man's Judgement

Λογιζόμενος δέ τις, ὡς καλὸς μὲν ὁ ἥλιος, ἡδὺς δὲ οὗτος ὁ βίος, ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ πολυχρόνιον γενέσθαι διαπαντὸς εὐφραινόμενον, καὶ ὡς φοβερὸν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ἀΐδιον κακὸν, καὶ εἰς τὸ μηδὲν ἄγων, οἴεται χρῆναι, πάντων μὲν ἀπολαύειν τῶν παρ όντων καὶ δοκούντων ἡδέων. Συμβουλεύει δὲ καὶ τοῖς νέοις, τῇ ἑαυτῶν ὥρᾳ καταχρῆσθαι ἀνέντας τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς εἰς πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν, καὶ χαρίζεσθαι μὲν ἐπιθυμίαις, πράττειν δὲ τὰ αὐτοῖς δοκοῦντα, καὶ βλέπειν τὰ τέρποντα, καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὰ μὴ οὕτως ἔχοντα. Πρὸς ὃν τοσοῦτον λέξω· Ὅτι ἀνοηταίνεις, ὦ οὗτος, μὴ προσδοκῶν τὴν ἐφ' ἅπασι τούτοις ἐκ Θεοῦ κρίσιν ἐσομένην. Πονηρὸν δὲ ἀσωτία καὶ ἀσέλγεια, καὶ ῥυπαρὰ σωμάτων ἡμετέρων ὕβρις ὀλέθριος. Νεότητι μὲν γὰρ ἄνοια παρέπεται· ἄνοια δὲ ἄγει εἰς ὄλεθρον. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ο Θαυματουργός, Μετάφρασις εἰς τον Ἐκκλησιαστήν του Σολομώντος, Κεφ. ΙΑʹ

A man who judges that the sun is fair and that this life is sweet and that it is a good to have much time in which he can delight himself continually, and that death is fearful and an endless evil, and that which makes us nothing, thinks that he must enjoy himself in all the present and apparent pleasures. And he also gives this as counsel to the young, that they should use their youth in the giving of their souls to every pleasure and indulge their desires and do all that seems good to them, and look upon that which delights and turn away from that which does not do so. But to this man I shall say: You are mindless, O man, in that you do not look to the judgment on all these things that will come from God. And prodigality and licentiousness are evil, and the sordid wantonness of our bodies is ruin. For folly accompanies youth, and folly works ruin. 1 Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, from A Metaphrase of Ecclesiastes, Chap 11 1 cf Eccl 11. 7-10