Go Meet di Ant

Bend down. Come closer. You see dat line of ants wey dey cross di road? Each one dey carry seed wey big pass im head. Nobody dey shout command. Nobody dey check dem. And yet, dem no dey ever stop.

Di book of Proverbs na collection of wise sayings from Israel of old. Plenty of dem come from King Solomon, wey live almost three thousand years ago, and dem gather others from wise teachers. Again and again, Proverbs sound like parent wey dey talk to im child: my son, listen. For farming land, where di food wey family go eat for cold season depend on wetin dem plant for dry season, laziness no be just something wey dey annoy person. E fit mean say hunger go catch dem. So Proverbs teach about work with things wey anybody fit see when e dey waka: busy ant, and farm wey nobody take care of. Make we imagine one papa and im son wey dey waka together.

Na harvest time. Dem dey cut di wheat, and di air dey smell of dust and straw. Di papa stop and point to di ground. Go meet di ant, you lazy person; look her ways, and get wisdom. Lazy person na somebody wey dey always push things for later. Look her, di papa talk. She no get captain, no supervisor, no ruler. Nobody dey force her to work. But for dry season she dey gather her food, and for harvest she dey store am. When cold season come, she go ready. Di son dey watch as di ants dey hurry go and come. Such small creature, and such big lesson. You no need make somebody stand for your head before you do di correct thing.

Then di papa ask one question, di kind question wey parent dey ask for seven o'clock for morning. How long you go sleep, you lazy person? When you go wake up from your sleep? And e copy di answer of di lazy person, as e dey yawn: just small more sleep, small more slumber, small folding of di hands to rest. Five more minutes. E sound like say e no get problem. But Proverbs warn say poverty dey come quietly like robber for road, and need dey come like man wey carry weapon. One lazy morning no go spoil person life. But di habit to dey always talk later, later, small small fit spoil am.

Dem waka continue, and reach one farm near di road. Something no correct. Another part of Proverbs describe exactly dis view, through di eyes of one wise teacher: I pass near di farm of di lazy man, and near di vineyard of di man wey no get understanding. Thorns don cover everywhere. Weeds wey dey scratch body cover di ground. Di stone wall wey suppose protect di vines don fall down. Di papa and im son stand and look for long time. Nobody burn dis farm. No army match am. Na just say nobody take care of am. And di teacher for Proverbs talk: Then I see am, and I think about am well: I look am, and I learn lesson. Farm like dat na sermon wey no get words. Then e repeat di warning: small sleep, small slumber, and poverty go creep enter.

For di land of Israel, harvester ants dey, wey really dey gather seeds and store dem inside rooms for under di ground. Farmers notice am. Di Mishnah, one collection of Jewish teaching wey dem write down around di year two hundred, even discuss who get di grain wey dem find inside ant holes for farmer farm. Di ants gather am well reach so tey people think say e worth am to dig am out.

You go find dese lessons for Proverbs chapter six, verse six reach eleven, and Proverbs twenty-four, verse thirty reach thirty-four. Small ant, farm wey bush don cover, and wise word about how person no suppose dey push things for later. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin be one work wey you dey always talk later for, wey you fit start today?