1 Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.
2 I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive.
3 But better off than either are those who have never been born, who have never seen the injustice that goes on in this world.
4 I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
5 They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death.
6 Maybe so, but it is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.