The Peacher, Solomon, now reminds the reader that he was one of the greatest rulers. He had privileges since birth that far exceed anything we are likely to ever possess. The basis for his argument that follows is that he used all of his riches, wisdom, and power to "explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven." He did not limit his search to a few observations. No. He utilized everything under the sun in an attempt to search this world for an explanation of his existence. After this search, he determined that “all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 is a prologue and summary of the twelve chapter book. Solomon establishes his anything-but-chipper theme that for the entire book, that life is meaningless and nothing is new under the sun.