Ant vs. Grasshopper

There are many different versions of this fable, but all have the same outcome. In the world today, it is saddening but true that there are many more grasshoppers than ants.

The general principle of the story is that while the grasshopper played and lazed around, the ant spent all of his working hours gathering food and materials to last through the winter. When the winter came, the grasshopper had nothing and the ant had everything needed to stay warm, fed and safe during the winter. The grasshopper tried to get food from the ant, but the ant refused, stating that the grasshopper shouldn't have messed around instead of gathering for the winter. Because of this, the grasshopper suffered severely and in many versions of the storied, died.

Many people in the world are "moochers". They hop from place to place, overstaying their welcome and never taking on responsibilities. When one situation doesn't work out to their liking, they move on to the next. Innocent people sometimes get intertwined in their stories and make bad choices themselves because of it. Sometimes these grasshoppers don't hold a job for very long, if at all, borrow money that is rarely paid back and hurt those who try to get close to them. They often have a sense of entitlement for things that they truly haven't earned, but think they deserve. They try to find get-rich quick schemes or other forms of income that require much less effort for higher payouts. They often lie, steal and cheat their way through life, generally from those who work hard.

The ant, on the other hand, is few and far between. They believe in working hard for what they earn and hope their efforts will eventually be rewarded. They don't expect much, but hope for a better life. They feel directly responsible and in charge of their future. They believe in the saying "hard work pays off" and do not sit around with their hands open for hand-outs. They have the resume padding to support their interview sells-pitches. They are dependable, reliable and generally honest. They are ok with starting at the bottom in order to eventually work their way to the top.

Are you a grasshopper or an ant? If you or someone you know is a grasshopper, would you want to change? If you have children, do you plan on teaching them to be an ant or a grasshopper? How?