The Lazy Ant
In an ancient anthill lived an ant that, due to its
discouragement and lack of activity, was called Lazy.
While its companions went out in search of food, they
guarded the entrances and assisted the queen in its
multiple services, thus ensuring the well-being of the
community, Lazy just yawned, slept and slept...
One thing, however, it did not miss: mealtime! It did
not go out to get food, but at the time of eating it was
the first to arrive.
Lazy's behavior made the queen very sad. Several times
it called it and advised it to change and integrate into
the tasks, but it only sighed and continued to sleep.
Little by little, it companions became discontented:
"Why do we only work, and does she rest?"
- That's not fair!
- We bring food away and she is the first to eat!
And the comment went spreading, and discontent grew with
each passing day.
The workers, disgruntled, relaxed in their tasks. The
loaders did not bring more food; the guards went away
from their posts and the servants of the queen refused
to appear in its studies.
Thus, disorganized, the anthill, once so safe and
comfortable, became an easy target for enemy insects,
which invaded it mercilessly and destroyed several
shelters, leaving the food depot empty.
A few days of downtime had been enough to establish
general confusion.
Frightened by the level of hardship it faced, the queen
gathered all the inhabitants of the anthill into the
central courtyard and spoke to them in tears:
- My dear companions see that we have become reduced by
a bad example followed! I know that you were
dissatisfied with Lazy's attitude, a companion who did
not know how to act correctly, but we cannot let the
dismay of one affect the service of the whole! Our
anthill was so happy and harmonious! Why should we let
it stay like this now, without security and food?
The queen paused for a moment, trying to control her
tears.
No voice was heard in the moving assembly, until the
queen resumed:
- Without you all working, I can do nothing!
And it could not go on, because of its thrilled emotion.
At this moment and to its surprise, a tearful voice rise
from the silence and shouted:
- Forgive me, my queen, for the bad example I gave! I
confess before you all my mistake! Now I see the evils
that laziness and discouragement can cause!
It was Lazy, the sleeping ant, which now shocked
everyone with her sobs.
The queen, also moved, said:
- My dear daughter, I rejoice in your regret, and I am
glad to know that you have recognized your error, yet we
need more than tears! Don’t you want to help in
rebuilding what your bad example destroyed?
Then there was a trembling but sincere answer:
- Yes! I will work to see everything in order again!
Excited and satisfied with the transformation of Lazy,
the other comrades soon formed emergency classes and got
back to work.
Lazy, that lazy now was only the name, was the most
active of all. It worked tirelessly in all quarters, and
its activity was so great that in a few days the houses
were repaired, the food storage was full, and the normal
guard had been restored.
For the queen, great was the joy at seeing the ant hill
again in order and all its inhabitants satisfied, but
nothing pleased it more than the change of the sleeping
ant.
Now, it had called herself Happy Worker, because
since it moved to ensure the well-being of others with
its work, it discovered that such happiness on every day
of sleeping and resting had never offered it!
History withdrawn from the FEB booklet,
Module 1, First Cycle, collection 4.
Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com
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