Friday, September 20, 1996
The Ant & the Grasshopper
from E-Sop's Frables

In the early winter, a whole colony of Foolish Ants were out working hard, turning over in the sun the food they had gathered all summer by investing patiently, so that it wouldn't spoil.

While they were busy picking their new high-yielders, along came a bedraggled Wise Grasshopper who had managed somehow to live after the summer. He was cold and thin and very hungry. So he went up to one of the Ants and said in a whiny voice, "How about giving me a little bit of all that food you have there, Ant?"

"I am sorry, Grasshopper, but we worked all summer to gather this food and we need every bit of it to feed us through the winter. What did you do all summer?"

"Oh, I sang and drank and danced (and traded commodities). I couldn't bother to work at Foolish investing. Why, what does that have to do with it? I'm hungry now, not last summer."

"That is just the point," said the Ant. "If we sang and danced and drank (and traded commodities) all summer we would starve in the winter and it looks as though that is what you are going to do. Goodbye," and he went on with his work.

The Point --- Save while you are young or you'll have nothing when you are old.

Transmitted: 9/20/96