The Astrologer - The Fables of Aesop

The Story of "The Astrologer"

"The Astrologer" is an Aesop’s fable that teaches us to focus on the present instead of being obsessed with the future.

Once upon a time, there was a man who firmly believed that he had the power to predict the future by reading the stars. This man called himself an Astrologer and spent his time at night gazing up at the sky, studying the stars and planets above.

One evening, as he was walking along the open road outside the village, he had his eyes fixed on the stars. He thought he saw something in the sky that signaled the end of the world was near. Suddenly, he fell into a hole filled with mud and water, submerging up to his ears. In his desperate attempt to climb out, he frantically clawed at the slippery sides of the hole.

His cries for help soon drew the attention of the villagers, who came running to rescue him. As they pulled him out of the mud, one of them couldn't help but remark, "You pretend to read the future in the stars, yet you fail to see what's right in front of you. This should serve as a lesson for you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself."

"You claim to be able to read the future in the stars, and yet you failed to see the danger at your feet. This experience should teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you and let the future take care of itself."

Another villager chimed in, "What use is it to read the stars when you can't even see what's right here on Earth?"

"What good is it to read the stars if you can't even see what's right in front of you on the Earth?"

The Astrologer realized the truth of their words and learned a valuable lesson: to take care of the small things in front of him, the bigger things would fall into place on their own.

The Story of "The Astrologer"
- Aesop’s Fable -

The Moral Lesson of "The Astrologer"

The moral lesson of "The Astrologer" is to remind us that we should focus on the present and the practical aspects of our lives rather than getting lost in grandiose visions of the future. The astrologer, who was so caught up in his belief in reading the future in the stars, failed to pay attention to what was right in front of him - the muddy hole in which he fell. This lack of attention to the present moment caused him to suffer an embarrassing and humbling experience.

The villagers who came to rescue the astrologer from the hole represent a practical, down-to-earth approach to life. They criticize the astrologer for his obsession with the future and remind him that it's more important to pay attention to the little things in life that can trip us up if we're not careful.

The moral of the story is summed up in the final sentence: "To take care of the small things in front of him, the bigger things would fall into place on their own." This means that if we focus on taking care of the details in our daily lives, we will be better equipped to handle the challenges and opportunities that come our way in the future.

In a broader sense, the story can also be seen as a critique of superstition and the tendency to place too much faith in things like astrology or other forms of divination. By showing how the astrologer's preoccupation with the stars led him to overlook the dangers on the ground, the story suggests that relying too heavily on mystical or supernatural beliefs can be harmful and ultimately counterproductive.