For an event <FI>is to<Fi> the sons of man, and an event <FI>is to<Fi> the beasts, even one event <FI>is<Fi> to them; as the death of this, so <FI>is<Fi> the death of that; and one spirit <FI>is<Fi> to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole <FI>is<Fi> vanity.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said in my heart, `The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time <FI>is<Fi> to every matter and for every work there.'
Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves <FI>are<Fi> beasts.
Ecclesiastes 3:19 For an event <FI>is to<Fi> the sons of man, and an event <FI>is to<Fi> the beasts, even one event <FI>is<Fi> to them; as the death of this, so <FI>is<Fi> the death of that; and one spirit <FI>is<Fi> to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole <FI>is<Fi> vanity.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?
The verse centers on "Spirit", "event", "sons", "beasts", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "event", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 18's "I said in my heart concerning the..." into verse 20's "The whole are going unto one place...", so "Spirit" and "event" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "event" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.