Proverbial Sluggard

[Ecc. 4:5] The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
Fool - Is careless and idle: perceiving that diligence is attended with envy, he runs into the other extreme.
Reminding us that failure or refusal to work at all can have negative consequences, too.
If a person be stupid, and dull, and blundering in their business, they do ill for themselves. The sluggard's argument for the excuse of himself in his idleness, he abuses and misapplies a good truth for his justification, as if, because a little with quietness is better than abundance with strife, therefore a little with idleness is better than abundance with honest labour: thus wise in his own conceit is he, Prov. 26:16.
Our welfare system has allowed sluggards to sit and collect using many excuses for their laziness (don’t have a babysitter for their un-legitimate children, they didn’t stay in school to get their high school certificate for a better job, the system is hindering them from getting ahead. Sluggards are takers not givers, and then bad mouth the hands that feed them, acting like life owes them a living and it becomes a way of life for them and thier offsring.
Fold hands - Excessive toil may be foolish and counterproductive, but we are also fools if we fold our hands and starve to death.
Eateth his own flesh - Wastes his substance, and brings himself to poverty, whereby his very flesh pines away for want of bread. The fool that goes about his work as if his hands were muffled and folded together, that does every thing awkwardly, the sluggard (for he is a fool) that loves his ease and folds his hands together to keep them warm, because they refuse to labour, he eats his own flesh, is a cannibal to himself, brings himself into such a poor condition that he has nothing to eat but his own flesh, into such a desperate condition that he is ready to eat his own flesh for displeasure.
He has a dog's life--hunger and ease. Because he sees active men that thrive in the world envied, he runs into the other extreme; and, lest he should be envied for his right works, he does every thing wrong, and does not deserve to be pitied. Idleness is a sin that is its own punishment.
[6] Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
Better - These are the words of the sluggard, making this apology for his idleness, that his little with ease, is better than great riches got with much trouble.
Handful - Hebrew; One open hand (palm) full of quietness, than both closed hands full of travail.
Quietness - (mental tranquillity flowing from honest labor), opposed to "eating one's own flesh.
In Qohelet’s opinion neither the proverbial sluggard nor the compulsive worker trying to outshine his or her neighbor is worthy of emulation.
He declares that a handful of quietness is better than two hands full of toil towards an unreachable goal, well many that have both their hands full, have more than heart could wish, have a great deal of travail and vexation with it. Those that cannot live on a little, it is to be feared, would not live as they should if they had ever so much.
Without labour and industry no man can get any comfort in life; and he who gives way to idleness and living off a system is the veriest of fools, and making an excuse or an apology for himself and conduct, from the use and profitableness of his sloth.