The Ants and the Grasshopper
Added 2023-03-01 10:15:27 +0000 UTCI always hated this story, even as a kid, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. Though society rests upon their shoulders, not everyone is a planner or a builder, and I have certainly personally never been one. I didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until far into adulthood, and through my life I’ve always had to rely on other people helping me out when I mess up with something or forget something important, and I’ve had to learn to be good company in order to have companions. And now, as an artist for a career, I’m aware that my contribution to society isn’t as concrete and vital as that of builders and engineers, but the idea that everyone - or anyone - must rely solely on themselves and the work of their own hands to survive still doesn’t sit well with me.
A person might not need music to survive, but people need it to live, and you won’t have music if you let the musicians starve.
Comments
EXACTLY. I’m an artist who works in a ‘practical’ field, and a large part of my spare income goes to supporting other artists, because they’re what I want society to be. I also like Winston Rowntree’s retelling of this story: “And when winter came, the ants invited the grasshopper inside to share their food and play music for them all winter long, as was their mutually agreed arrangement. Moral: It is a fine thing to be a patron of the arts.”
Chrysalis
2023-03-01 14:46:46 +0000 UTChttp://www.naphill.org/tftd/thought_for_the_day_sunday_august_13_2017/ I did find this 🤔
Mindful_Geek
2023-03-01 14:23:24 +0000 UTCAgree completely! My favorite book to read to my own children was "Stone Soup". No one, not a single person, has ever made it 100% on their complete own, with absolutely no help at all. Someone, somewhere took a chance on them, gave them an opportunity, introduced them to someone, allowed them room to show what they were capable of, something. 💜 (I think that's a quote but I don't remember by whom 😅)
Mindful_Geek
2023-03-01 14:17:40 +0000 UTC
