As We Live Life It Is Good To Remember Its Brevity (Ecclesiastes 7:1-4).
There now follow a number of wise sayings which are a reminder of the solemnity of life.
‘A reputation (‘name' - shem) is better than precious ointment, (shemen),
And the day of death than the day of one's birth.'
For ‘name' as meaning reputation see Proverbs 22:1; Zephaniah 3:19. He is probably being very sombre here. The context is of dying, and what he probably means is that it is better for a man to die covered with a good reputation (shem) rather than covered with ointment (shemen). Note the play on words. (In each of the following verses two verses both parallels follow the same theme. Thus a general comment on reputation is out of place here).
In view of the uselessness and meaninglessness of life death is to be preferred. The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.
‘It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
For by sadness of face the heart is made good.'
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.'
The stress on death continues. Attending funerals is good for a man, for it reminds him of his frailty. There is, of course, feasting at a funeral, but the contrast is with partying at other celebrations (both would in fact last seven days - Genesis 50:10; Genesis 29:27; Judges 14:12). Partying may have its place but it is at a wake that important lessons are remembered. For all need to be reminded that they will die, and thus they will hopefully live life wisely in the light of it.
In the same way sorrow (because of someone's death) is better than laughter, for it results in man's heart becoming better. It has a salutary effect on people. It makes him consider his life more carefully. So the wise remember that a man must die, that is where their heart is, while the foolish give themselves to non-stop enjoyment. And that is where their heart is.
He is not suggesting that we should spend all our time attending funerals, or that we should never enjoy ourselves. He is pointing out what in fact will be most beneficial to us in the long run, a recognition of the seriousness of life..