Ecclesiastes 3:18 says, I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.  Solomon saw mankind as being nothing more than beasts outside the will of God.  Some might see this as Solomon saying that there is no God so mankind is no better than the beast, who live in this world alone.  Taking in context, though, I believe he was referring to the way people live their lives outside the will of God.  We act no better than the beasts, seeking only self gratification without concern for others.  Until God is manifest in our lives, we are never what God intended us to be. Of course, denying that relationship does not change the fact that we are different than the other animals because we have an everlasting soul.  Verse nineteen says, For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.  Once again, man and beast both suffer the same fate in this world.  They both die, so if we are looking for superiority in this life alone, then all truly is vanity.  It is only in our relationship to God that we are different than the beasts.  Our soul lives on.  Verse twenty says, All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.  We were made from the dust and this body will return to dust if the Lord tarries.  We may take pride in our looks and the way our bodies are built, but they are but temporary vessels.  Verse twenty one says, Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?  We do not see the spirit of man go upward at death, nor the spirit of the beast die in the earth.  We must accept it by faith in God Who created and made man more than the animals.  Verse twenty two concludes, Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?  We cannot control what happens in this world after we are gone, so we should be content and enjoy what God has blessed us with.  Only those things done for God will have everlasting value.