Solomon anticipates our objection: people work hard for their families; they do it for others. Do they really? he says.
What is it that drives this ceaseless activity? It is a desire perhaps for earthly security and a conviction that the more he has, the more he can face the uncertainties of life. Money in his estimation is the solution to all problems that a man encounters in life: it provides food and clothing, a home to live in, status and friends and power over others. It is as if he believes that money could preserve his life in this world for ever.
Maybe he equates money with happiness. To hold money in the hand is to enjoy what money can buy. But this is foolishness. A man may possess much and yet not have the ability to enjoy what he possesses. This is true in this case and in a tragic way, for he tells himself that when he has enough, he will stop and enjoy what he has gained so far, but he never reaches that point. He thinks to himself, ‘All this hard work is worth it because although it tires me out and although I give myself no peace, what I am gaining will be an endless supply of pleasure.’ In reality the rich must leave behind all that they have accumulated. Before they can properly savour it, their life will be over and it will all be passed to another.