Today we are going to tell a very interesting little story called The Cicada and the Ant. This story comes from Aesop’s fables in ancient Greece. Although it looks very simple, there are actually a lot of truths hidden in it that are worth thinking about.
1. Winter is coming. Everyone is busy.
Autumn is coming, the weather is getting cold, and the leaves are falling off the trees. Many animals start to prepare for the coming winter. As we all know, winter is very cold and food is not easy to find, so we need to save our food now in order to get through the cold season.
In a meadow, there is a group of hardworking ants, who are busy carrying food. Look at them lining up and carrying grass seeds and small particles of food back to the nest from outside, trip after trip. Although the work is very hard, but they are not lazy, because they know in their hearts: only now more work, winter will not be hungry.
In the tree next to them, on the other hand, there lives a cicada that loves to sing. It sang and sang in the sunshine every day, and its life was very comfortable. When it saw the ants working so hard, it couldn’t help laughing: “You are too stupid, aren’t you? Winter is still far away, why are you so tired? How happy you are to sing every day like me!”
In the face of the cicada’s ridicule, the ants did not respond. They continued to work with their heads down, ignoring no one.
2. Winter has really come, and life has changed.
Time flies, in a flash the cold wind howls and snowflakes fall down. The grass was covered with thick snow, and the whole world became white.
The cicada, at this time, finally realized that things were not right. It hadn’t saved a bit of food, nor did it have a warm house to keep warm. Its stomach rumbled with hunger and its body shivered with cold. It could no longer sing and could only cower in a corner and shiver.
It had no choice but to tough it out and go to the ants for help. It flew to the door of the ant’s house and said in a low voice, “I am sorry, I was wrong. I used to just play and didn’t think about the future. Now I have nothing and I don’t know if I can survive this winter.”
The ants also sympathized with it when they heard it, but they could barely have enough to eat themselves. An older ant said, “It’s hard for us too, but we only have enough food in our reserves for ourselves. Maybe you can look over there in the forest, maybe there are other friends who can help you.”
3. A thought-provoking ending.
When the cicadas heard this, they had to leave the ants’ house and fly in the direction of the forest. But it was too cold outside, the cold wind blew it unsteadily, and the snowflakes beat on it, making it weaker and weaker. Finally, it just couldn’t fly anymore and fell out of the air, buried by the snow and never woke up.
And the ants? They survived the winter peacefully by relying on the food they had stored up from their previous efforts. When spring comes, the snow melts, everything recovers, and the ants start a new life.
4. The truth behind the story.
What does this story tell us?
- Have a plan, don’t just focus on what’s right in front of you.
Many people do things only thinking about what is comfortable now, not what will happen later. Just like that cicada, it had a happy summer, and then it panicked when winter came. If we usually do not prepare in advance, we will be at a loss when we encounter difficulties. - Work hard to get good results.
The ants can live in winter because they are not afraid of hard work and prepare their food early. This shows that if you want to have a good life, you have to work hard with your own hands instead of waiting for pies to fall from the sky. - Getting comfortable will bring trouble.
It’s not that the cicada doesn’t have a chance to change its fate; it clearly sees what the ants are doing, but it chooses to take the easy way out. This kind of “I’m happy where I am now” thinking ultimately harmed itself. The same is true in life. If you always think of avoiding responsibility, you will pay the price sooner or later. - Helping others should be done within the limits of one’s abilities.
Although the ants failed to help the cicadas, they were not callous and explained their difficulties. This shows that when we help others, we should also consider our own ability and not get ourselves into trouble just to help others.
5. What can we learn?
Children and adults alike can learn something from this story:
- Take some time every day to plan what you are going to do tomorrow or next week;
- Learn to save and save appropriately for a rainy day;
- Don’t always think of being lazy or taking shortcuts, it’s the down-to-earth approach that’s the most reliable;
- Doing things should have a long-term vision, not just look at the immediate interests.
6. Summarize
The Cicada and the Ants is an old story, but the truth it tells is still applicable now. It reminds us that life is not always calm, and we will always encounter various challenges. If we don’t prepare ourselves in general and think of ways to deal with difficulties when they come, it may be too late.
So, whether you’re in school, working, or making decisions in your life right now, it’s important to remember the saying:
“Prepare ahead of time to deal with change.”
I hope that everyone who reads this story will be inspired to be a person who has a plan, is willing to work hard, and knows how to save for a rainy day!
