“Good evening, dear Facebook neighborhood… You will soon be waking up, but I have just started to write. We’ve left behind the Christmas holiday for Christians. Actually, for them, it seems to be more of a day where family members who have been distant throughout the year come together, exchanging small gifts to make each other happy. I think it’s a tradition mainly kept alive for the little children of the family and the traditionalists. Regardless of one’s beliefs, I appreciate everything done in the name of peace, friendship, brotherhood, and mutual assistance. I wish there was a holiday for each religion every month so that people could spread kindness, help, and remember that they are all human beings.”
“Now, the New Year is ahead of us. I see that the economical crisis doesn’t bother our citizens. Despite economists warning against taking on debt, it seems like the number of credit cards for our people is increasing. I saw an interview on TV where a man had eight credit cards. With a single income, the only earner at home, how and why did the banks give so many credit cards to these people? Almost everyone has at least two credit cards. Even unemployed young people who have never earned a penny have credit cards. I don’t understand the feeling of spending money that you don’t have. Our elders used to say, “Live within your means.” We, too, with our meager incomes, used to find ways to live within our budget and be happy with our way of life.”
“I attended a boarding school. Those who attended such schools know that we received small amounts of money each month. And there was always the fear of not receiving any money next month. It seems that those generations had internalized and learned the concept of living within their means very well. No matter how much they worked and earned, their feet never went beyond the blanket.”
Down below is a short anecdote with a wonderful message, regarding this approach we were taught once.
Sultan Süleyman, who could speak the language of animals, once had a conversation with an ant. He asked the ant, who worked tirelessly throughout the summer:
“Hey ant, you have a tiny life. How much food will you eat during the winter to carry this much food to your nest in the summer?”
The ant spoke up, saying, “Oh, my great sultan, my food for the winter is three grains of wheat. But I say, what if other ants need it, or what if there is a disaster, and we can’t go out next summer? That’s why I prepare.”
Sultan Süleyman didn’t believe the ant much.
“Come on, ant, I will lock you in a box for the winter. Let’s see if the three grains of wheat I give you will be enough.”
He did as he said, putting the ant in a box with three grains of wheat. After a whole winter passed, he opened the box. And what did he see? The ant had eaten one and a half grains, leaving the rest. Sultan Süleyman asked, “Hey ant, you used to eat three grains in one winter. Look, half of it is still here.”
The ant replied, “Oh, my great sultan, yes, that’s true, but I wanted to be cautious. What if you forgot me in here for another winter? Rather than starving to death, I decided to manage what I had, even if it meant losing a little weight.”
Of course, during the ant’s time, there were no New Year celebrations, birthdays, engagements, first meetings, first fights, first reconciliations, or veiling days. Otherwise, from giving gifts, the ant would have had nothing left.
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