The Ant and the Grasshopper Fable That So Few People Seem To Grasp
The Ant and the Grasshopper – Aesop’s version and a my modified version.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
(Aesop’s version)
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”
“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew…
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
(Modified version)
During a warm late summer evening, a Grasshopper and his buddies were laughing and partying to their heart’s content on the front porch.
As they cracked open another beer, several Ants passed by, toiling under the strain of carrying supplies and food on their way home.
“Why not drop what you’re doing and come party with us?” asked the Grasshopper. “You’re wasting your time dragging all those supplies to your home. Lets have some fun!” “WooHoooo!”
“No thanks, we’re preparing for the possibility of food and supply shortages that might happen, given todays uncertain world” said one Ant. “I think you should do the same before it’s too late.”
“Why bother about all that?” replied the Grasshopper, snickering under its breath. The other grasshoppers laughed in a ridiculing manner. “I have plenty of food until the next time I go grocery shopping.” But the Ant kept going and continued its preparations, along with the other Ants.
One day, a series of events lead to a great shortage and scarcity of many supplies and food. Grocery store shelves were largely empty. The Grasshopper and its buddies found themselves dying of hunger, while it saw the Ants banding together with plenty of food from the preparations they had taken.
Then the Grasshopper knew…
It is best to prepare for uncertain times and shortages, because you never know if and when it might happen. But it was too late.
Today’s modern world has enabled swarms of Partying Grasshoppers.
Question: The Grasshopper is watching the Ant(s), and knows the Ants are prepared. Because the Grasshopper has not prepared, will some of the Grasshoppers try to take from the Ants when they get hungry? Maybe the Ant should be more careful not to let the Grasshopper see!
Aesop’s Fables Hardcover: The Classic Edition
(view on amzn)
oh gawd, that modified version will have me laughing all night. hilarious.
Then there’s the version where the ant bugs out to a well supplied location, the gov’t gives the ant’s house to the grasshoppers and they destroy the neighborhood when they find out there’s no food in the house.
this story keeps getting better and better.
For those who haven’t seen the liberal version (it shows it’s age, but it still applies, copied from jokebuddhadotcom): The New Liberal Version:
The fable starts out the same, but when winter comes, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC and ABC show up and provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to film of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can it be that, in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Then a representative of the NAAGB (The National Association for the Advancement of Green Bugs) shows up on NightLine and charges the ant with “Green Bias” and makes the case that the grasshopper is the victim of 30 million years of greenism. Kermit the frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when he sings “It’s Not Easy Being Green.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton make a special guest appearance on the CBS Evening News and tell a concerned Dan Rather that they will do everything they can for the grasshopper who has been denied the prosperity he deserves by those who benefited unfairly during the Reagan summers, or as Bill refers to it, the “Temperatures of the 80’s”.
Richard Gephardt exclaims in an interview with Peter Jennings that the Ant has gotten rich off the “back of the grasshopper”, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the Ant to make him pay his “fair share”. (cont. in next post)
(cont.) Finally the EEOC drafts the “Economic Equity and Anti-Greenism Act”, RETROACTIVE to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare moms who can only hear cases on Thursday afternoon between 1:30 and 3:00 PM when there are no talk shows scheduled.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he’s in – which just happens to be the ant’s old house – crumbles around him since he doesn’t know how to maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow. And on the TV, which the grasshopper bought by selling most of the ant’s food, they are showing Bill Clinton standing before a wildly applauding group of Democrats announcing that a new era of “Fairness” has dawned in America and will continue under the leadership of Al Gore.
The more time goes by the more i hate liberals
Wendy,
That is perfect for today and thanks for posting it
I bought the book for my grandson just for this fable.
This fable is my favorite. Anyone with any common sense can see the moral of the story is not only a blue print for prepping but for life in general. Those that work hard, plan and prepare are much more likely to survive the “winters” of life than those that are lazy, procrastinate and are dependent on others for their needs…..which happens to be the vast majority of the population.
Government response, DDT for the grasshopper and ant powder for the ants.
In that he wrote about them, there were “grashoppers” way back in Aesop’s time…
Today’s Grasshoppers band together in gangs, so to more easily take what they want from the Ants supplies.
The ants loaded up on guns and ammo to prevent the gangster grasshoppers from stealing their stuff. Then the ants lived happily ever after.
Sadly, many of today’s grasshoppers have money. Much of it is tax money, redistributed to them. Still, even with “other people’s money” they don’t prepare. Why should they? Old uncle guv is always there for them. I read where there are free lunch and dinners available. You know, homeless folks. Drug addicts, alcoholics, lay-abouts. Plenty of folks will take a free lunch. Have ya ever noticed the fine automobiles in line for free food?
Pride. It’s gone missing in our country. Not everyone thankfully, but far too many. To me it can all be summed up with one word PRIDE. Yes, the grasshoppers take note of what the ant does. The ant quietly goes about his business. Grasshoppers can spit, you know the tobacco looking goo. The ant can bite. Many ants can bite a lot.
Plainsmedic,
Pride would and has made me find a way on my own, one way or another but definitely never through handouts
How much further will the redistribution go until the workers and producers “shrug”?
I can say one thing for sure, i will be shocked if there isnt a huge backlash against the professional political establishment this season,,, its time,
Need to field as many non politicians in as many races at all levels as possible
Ken,great post.
A perfect visual for this fable is the trash left on the LA. train tracks after the “grasshoppers ” pillaged the packages bought and paid for by the “ants”…
Grasshoppers generally dont have the guns, tools, means or willingness to “take” from the aunts unless the government takes and distributes. A few grasshoppers would be able to take but all in all they wont last long.
Great article and very timely. Stock as much as you can for food and water. Also need to prepare to protect it. Anyone that isn’t prepared by now probably deserves what’s coming. I know a lot of people may not be able to, but those are the very young and the very old, along with the truly disabled.
Make sure you have plenty of essential metals for protection. It’s available on the market.
Wow! First time here. Awesome, I am a prepper……need to say no more. But Confuses say “Who is trapped….”the fly or the spider”