It is well known that a person lives more in the future than in the present. Therefore, it is not surprising that folk wisdom holds many sayings in its stocks that warn a person from undue charm with illusions. We are considering one of them today: the expression “they consider chickens in the fall” in the spotlight.
Origin
In urban conditions, it is difficult to breed and maintain livestock, which is traditionally associated with rural life: chickens, ducks, geese, etc. Therefore, the talk about chickens appeared, naturally, in the countryside. Not all chicks that were born in the summer survived until the fall. Therefore, knowledgeable people called not to rejoice the young peasant "rich harvest" of chickens, because it is not known how many will remain in the fall. Hence it went: chickens are considered in the fall, that is, you should not rush to conclusions, you have to wait for the time when everything is finally determined. An example will help you figure it out.
Phrase Example
People like to fantasize about their successes, especially students. You can always hear from them how they famously and easily surrender the session, but when the time is right, grades go to hard work, coupled with sleepless nights. And even if someone told the student long before the session: “Calm down, it’s not so simple, they count the chickens in the fall,” he would just wave it off.
The same thing applies to the unemployed or those who move to a new duty station. And he tells all his friends and relatives what his salary is and what he will buy with this money. Finally tired of his castles in the air, people around will say: "Calm down, work there for at least a month, and count the chickens in the fall."
What does the proverb teach? Buddhism, the riddle of the sphinx and Russian folk wisdom
In the Buddhist heritage, one can find the idea that one day is a whole life, a small copy of a whole path.
There is even a famous sphinx riddle: “Who walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the morning, and on three in the evening?” The answer is man. In infancy, he crawls, in adulthood, he walks without support, and in old age with a cane. Greek and Buddhist traditions come together in understanding human life as one day.
Someone will ask: “And what does the meaning of the proverb“ consider chickens in the fall ”?” Russian speech here, despite the fact that it teaches the same thing. A person should not look too far into the future. The latter has the peculiarity of never stepping on or being completely different from what they imagine. When a person in the present thinks about the future, he only imagines. And in fantasy, everything is fine and everything is fine, unless, of course, we are talking about nightmares.
A proverb, on the contrary, urges a person not to get too far off the ground and not to forget about the pressing problems that need to be addressed. Not only a Russian person, but everyone loves to dream, but dreams should not obscure the harsh reality. This is what the proverb teaches us.
To comprehend the wisdom of life, it is not necessary to read thousands of pages written by wise people. You can ask yourself what the saying “chickens count in the fall” means, and reflect on the answer options. True, such exercises require a lively and tenacious mind. Most, in order to draw any conclusions about life, need the support of books.