I've always liked books. I love reading and I loved reading as a kid. Even now I like to go back to the books I read as a kid. They bring back such fond memories.
The story of "Don't Count Your Chicks" is based on an Aesop fable and, is about a middle-aged woman who is on her way to town to sell 36 eggs. The trip is long and boring, so it's perfect for indulging in her favorite past-time: fantasizing about the future.
Firstly, she tells herself that she'll get more hens with the money she makes off the eggs. From those hens, she'll get more eggs, and from those eggs, she'll be able to buy more hens. Then she'll get richer and richer until she will be able to buy a lamb, a pig and maybe even a cow.
Her fantasy doesn't end there. She pictures herself running a successful farm and then encountering the man of her dreams, who owns an even bigger farm than she does. And guess what? This man proposes to her and she accepts! And so she becomes the mistress of a big farm.
But just at that moment, the 36 eggs fall out of her basket. They shatter on the ground along with her plans for the future.
Poor woman ... but the reality is that just because you have those eggs, it doesn't mean all is going to go so well. So what the proverb "don't count your chickens before they are hatched" ("chicks," "chickens," it doesn't make much difference) is saying is that you can't make plans based on success that is yet to happen.
Having said that, I'm a confirmedchicken-counter and secretly I have always loved the way the woman fantasized about her future, even if it did lead to loss and disappointment. And really, what's wrong with assuming the best? Isn't it good to think positively? Isn't it fun to use our imagination? Doesn't it inspire us to work harder?
So on this proverb, I'm going to beg to differ. I think there should definitely be more chicken-counting in this world.
Q1 What does the story "Don't Count Your Chicks" tell us?
A1) You need to be careful when you are carrying eggs around.
A2) You can't assume that everything will go as planned.
A3) The best way to get rich is to marry a rich man.
正解： A2) You can't assume that everything will go as planned.
Q2 How does Kana feel about this proverb?
A1) She disagrees, because she thinks people are likely to be more inspired and motivated when they believe that things will turn out for the best.
A2) She agrees, because making future plans based on assumption can be dangerous and disapponting.
A3) She disagrees, because a lot of people make decisions based on their imagination of what lies ahead.
正解： A1) She disagrees, because she thinks people are likely to be more inspired and motivated when they believe that things will turn out for the best.
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