{
  "id": 8496369,
  "title": "The three stages nobody warned you about",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/the-three-stages-nobody-warned-you-about",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/20/2557421/three-stages-nobody-warned-you-about"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three stages were shared by a friend, yet the message didn't cover the full picture. The stages detail a drift in workplace influence, shrinking social circles, and reduced family presence. But Ecclesiastes chapter three reveals a deeper truth. Solomon's poem discusses birth, death, planting, uprooting, embracing, and refraining. It subtly diagnoses the stages mentioned in the forwarded message. The fading relevance, thinner circle of friends, and quieter home are all part of a natural cycle, similar to Solomon's observation of changing seasons. We cling to our past relevance out of sentimentality, not recognizing the deeper, eternal truth. Solomon also states, \"He has made everything beautiful in its time, and also set eternity in the human heart.\" This line changes our perspective on the stages described. Our heart contains an eternal aspect that resists treating any earthly stage as the final word. This explains why the stages sting so deeply - it's evidence of this eternal nature. The stages aren't proof of life emptying out, but rather proof that we were never meant to find our significance only in our workplace, social circle, or family. These things are good, but they're not eternal. The stages are designed to loosen their grip because they weren't created to be the source of our deepest significance. The message concludes with the wisdom to enjoy life's moments, but Solomon adds an important detail in the following verses: \"Eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all your toil for this is the gift of God.\" This is not a consolation prize, but a genuine gift meant to be enjoyed, even if temporary and ordinary. Life, with its changing seasons, was never intended to be where our soul rests eternally. Eternity is already in our hearts, and it wasn't satisfied by any stage of life. The world will loosen its grip on us as the stages unfold, but we have an eternal anchor. Someone with an eternal grip has already prepared a place for us. We should join Francis Kong for the Winning Edge seminar on October 21 to learn more about personal growth, leadership readiness, and maintaining equilibrium amidst life's uncertainties.",
  "summary": "The moment I received one of those long, italicized “share as received” forwarded messages from Kat, my friend of many years, it actually stopped me in my tracks instead of getting scrolled past.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}