Long ago, in a lush green meadow, lived a group of ants and a cicada.
In the summer, the sun was warm, flowers were blooming, and birds were singing. The weather was wonderful.
The cicada loved this time of year most. Every day, it would lie on a tree, basking in the sun while singing loudly: "Cicada—Cicada—" It was so happy.
It thought life was wonderful; it didn't have to do anything but sing.
And yet, below it, on the ground, the ants were incredibly busy.
They formed a small line, moving back and forth like a black thread. Each ant carried a small amount of food—some grass seeds, some bread crumbs, and some insect remains.
They carried these little by little back to their nest underground and stored them.
Seeing how hard the ants worked, the cicada couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, why are you working so hard? The weather's so nice, and there's food everywhere. If you want to eat, just go pick it up!
Winter's still a long way off, so why rush? Come, sing a song with me!"
The ants ignored it and continued to work with their heads down.
An old ant simply said, "You're happy now, but you'll see when winter comes."
Autumn has arrived, and the ants are still busy.
Time passed, and the weather gradually grew cooler.
The leaves began to turn yellow and fall one by one. The wind blew colder.
The ants didn't stop. They knew winter was coming soon.
In winter, there's no food on the ground, and with snow falling, they can't go out.
So, they stored more food now so they could have enough for the winter.
Their nest was already filled with all kinds of food, neatly arranged, like a small warehouse.
They checked it every day to see if it was moldy or eaten by insects.
And what about the cicadas? It continued to sing.
Sometimes it would look up at the ants, but quickly lower its head and continue its "cicada-cicada" song.
It thought to itself, "At least I can still find food now. I'll wait until it gets cold."
It had never imagined that winter would come so soon.
Winter Arrives, Everything Changes
Finally, winter arrived.
Snow began to fall, blanketing the ground in white. There were no leaves on the trees, no grass on the ground, and no flowers.
The wind whistled, so cold that even breathing felt like a knife.
At this time, the cicada's life became particularly difficult.
It had no nest, only a leaf to block the wind, which was no protection from the cold.
It sought food, but there was nothing on the ground.
Its stomach growled with hunger, its body shivered with cold, and it could no longer sing.
It remembered what the ant had said in the summer and finally realized its mistake.
It should not have just been playing around; it should have been preparing early, like the ant.
It thought, "Perhaps the ants can help me? They have so much food, maybe they could give me a little."
So, using its last bit of strength, it flew to the ants' door and knocked gently.
Cicada Seeks Help from Ants
The ants heard the sound and opened the door. It was the cicada that had been singing all summer.
It was so emaciated that its wings could barely lift.
The cicada whispered, "I'm sorry... I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so busy playing all summer. I don't have any food stored, and I have no place to stay warm. I'm cold and hungry now. Could you... give me a little food? I just want to survive this winter."
The ants, hearing this, felt sad too.https://fairytales.cc/aesops-fables-the-cicada-and-the-ant-preparing-for-the-future/
They weren't mean, but they were also living a very stressful life.
An old ant said, "We sympathize with you, but the food we have is only enough for ourselves. If we gave it to you, we might starve ourselves."
It added, "Go to the forest and see if there are other animals that can help you."
The cicada listened, and could only slowly fly away. But it was freezing outside, and the snow kept falling. Its body grew colder and colder, and while flying, it suddenly fell from the sky, covered by the snow.
When spring arrived, the sun melted the snow, and the ants came out to play.
They never saw the cicada again.
And what about the ants? They survived the winter safely, relying on the food they'd stored over the summer and autumn.
With the arrival of spring, they began a new round of busyness, preparing for the next winter.
What is this story about?
Many people heard this story as children, perhaps thinking it was just for children.
But in fact, it speaks to a very realistic issue: **How you treat the present determines your future life.**
1. Don't just focus on being comfortable now.
The cicada's problem wasn't that it loved singing, but that it only cared about "being happy now."
It saw the ants' hard work and thought they were foolish.
But it didn't consider that comfortable times wouldn't last forever.
Just like some of us, when we were young, we didn't work, only thinking about having fun;
When we were students, we didn't study, only thinking about playing games.
When we needed to use our knowledge or money, we realized we had nothing.
Life won't always give you the chance to say "wait."
Sometimes, by the time you want to prepare, it's already too late.
2. Hard work is not in vain
Ants work very hard every day, moving things, drying food, and organizing their warehouses.
They have no time to sing or rest.
But they know: working hard now will help them survive the winter.
Their efforts are not in vain.
Every grain of food is earned through their sweat.
It's just like studying and working.
Learn more now, do more, and you'll be prepared to face difficulties in the future.
3. Comfort makes people lose their vigilance.
The cicada is not without opportunities to change.
It sees what the ants are doing every day.
It could easily learn from them and save some food. But it chose the easiest option: doing nothing.
Many people do the same thing.
They know they should save money, but they always think, "I'll do it next month."
They know they should study, but they always say, "I'll start tomorrow."
As a result, they keep putting it off, and in the end, nothing is prepared.
Comfortable times are the easiest time to forget danger.
4. Helping others also depends on your own ability.
The ants didn't save the cicada not because they were cruel, but because they were struggling.
If they had shared their food with the cicada, they might have starved to death themselves.
This teaches us: Helping others is good, but don't put yourself in difficult situations.
For example, if you only have 100 yuan and a friend asks to borrow 200, you'll have no money for food.
This isn't kindness; it's irresponsible.
True kindness involves doing your best, not sacrificing yourself.
What can we learn?
Although this story is short, it's useful for both adults and children.
For children:
- Learn to complete your homework every day and don't leave it to the last minute;
- Save some of your pocket money and don't spend it all;
- Have fun while you play, but also remember to study and rest.
For adults:
- When your salary arrives, don't spend it all; save some for emergencies;
- Don't wait until you're sick to think about buying insurance;
- Don't wait until you're unemployed to start looking for a job.
For everyone:
- Plan your work and don't just focus on the present;
- Hard work will pay off; time will give you the answers;
- Work hard today so you won't regret it tomorrow.
Final words
"The Cicada and the Ant" is an old story, but the lesson it teaches remains relevant today.
We all experience "summer" and "winter."
"Summer" is when you're healthy, employed, wealthy, and have support;
"Winter" is when you're sick, unemployed, lonely, and in need of help.
If you only enjoy the "summer" and don't prepare for it, when "winter" comes, you'll be like the cicada, with nowhere to go.
So, don't wait until difficulties arise to find solutions.
Start now: save a little, learn a little, and make some preparations.
Like the ant, don't be afraid of hard work and take it one step at a time.
You don't need to do a lot all at once; just a little bit every day, and over time, you'll see a difference.
Remember this:
Every little thing you do now paves the way for your future self.