Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 7:15-20

Solomon was not Japanese. However, he would have liked, and agreed with the Japanese saying, “the raised nail gets hammered down”. His advised his readers, do not be overrighteous, overwise or overwicked, and do not be a fool at all. He had several reasons for this advice.

Righteousness is not a guarantee of long life. He had seen the righteous parish while still young. It was common for wicked men to put the prophets to death. He had also seen that wickedness did not always result in an early death. If you are overly wicked, it was quite likely that the people around you would rise up and kill you. Fools tend to die young and have only themselves to blame. Risky foolish living results in early death. He had also noticed that no one is able to live a perfect life and all people miss the mark no matter how hard they try to be righteous. He saw no reason for people to destroy themselves in an effort to be righteous when it was clearly impossible. He decided that a person’s best chance of living a long life was to do nothing in extremes. He believed that if a person were too righteous or too wicked, others would hammer them down. The hammer he was most afraid of was the hammer of God. He hoped that by avoiding all extremes he could remain unnoticed by God.

Solomon was wise in earthly matters, but in spiritual matters, he was a fool. Before God formed us in the womb, he knew us. (Jeremiah 1:5) God noticed us while we were sinners and demonstrated his love by sending Christ to die for us.” (Romans 5:8) God noticed that righteousness in our own strength was impossible, and He offered it through faith as an act of mercy and grace. God noticed us, and He did not hammer us down; He offered to lift us up.