What is the Chief End of Man?

In a recent article from The New Yorker, writer/musician Sasha Frere-Jones ruminates over the "troubled soul" of the now-deceased , Amy Winehouse.

Frere-Jones asks a lot of questions in her article, presumably unanswerable ones, in order to make a point: the elusive soul behind the life of Amy Winehouse was a hopeless mystery.

Every now and again in life, people with extraordinary talent arise. We cannot touch them. Winehouse's most recent album "Back to Black" was topping the charts in the United States with multitudes of fans to boot. Her sultry, throwback sound knew nothing of demographic differences. She sang everyone's story, and made a person think her songs were crafted just for them.

From our perspective, she had everything. So "why..." Frere-Jones asks, "was she not happier?"

She never answered the question. I'm guessing that's because she doesn't have one. Understandably so. If there is no hope beyond this life, then eat and drink - for tomorrow we die. Winehouse's death exemplifies this - and it is painful primarily because she represents so many who have died and will die with no hope. Without Christ, what we have in this life means nothing. Solomon dedicates an entire book to pondering this dilemma! If death comes to both the rich man as well as the lazy man, what profit is there in riches? He calls this vanity and chasing after the wind.

Maybe Winehouse came to this realization, but came to a different conclusion than Solomon. Stop at "life is vanity" and there is no reason to go on living. Speculating, I can imagine this as what was burdening Winehouse while performing her hits on stage in front of crowds of adoring fans with nothing but a heartless sway and a strait face that made people wonder "why was she not more excited?"

If she was still around, there would be no disputing that she had much more to offer. The article concludes thus: "Now? The jukebox is off and we're being ushered back home, with no address." The world was left wondering, "what happened to Amy Winehouse?" and even more puzzling, "why?" Her life took on the bitter taste that characterized the songs she wrote... over the futile odds, laughed at by the gods, and now the final frame, love is a losing game.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q.1 "What is the chief end of man?"

A. "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever."