Today's proverb comes from the Ancient Greek myth of Icarus... and we wrote a short picture book about the story!

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"Don't fly too close to the sun" is a warning against hubris (excessive pride). The proverb teaches us that pride and ambition should be balanced with caution, humility and good advice.

For example, imagine a young entrepreneur. She launches her first product and has immediate success. Encouraged, she starts making more and more ambitious plans. She decides to take out a large loan from the bank in order to launch more products and buy property. But the sales growth she was expecting does not materialize, and she finds herself falling behind on the loan payments. In the end, the business sinks deeper and deeper into debt and can't recover. If she had steered a "middle path," building on her success with small, moderate steps, and listening to her mentors, things might have ended differently.

We can apply this proverb in our daily lives by knowing our limits, practicing moderation, seeking out wise advice, and listening the warnings from others.

Have you ever flown too close the the sun? Share your story. And please tell us what you think of the book, Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun!

Methali ya leo inatoka katika hadithi ya Ugiriki ya Kale ya Ikarus ... na tuliwaandikia kitabu kifupi cha picha kuhusu hadithi ya Ikarus...

Soma sasa: 

"Usiruke karibu sana na jua" ni onyo dhidi ya kiburi. Methali hii inatufundisha kwamba kiburi na tamaa vinaweza kuleta madhara mabaya ukipuuza  tahadhari, unyenyekevu na ushauri mzuri.

Kwa mfano, fikiria mjasiriamali mdogo. Anazindua bidhaa yake ya kwanza na anapata mafanikio ya haraka. Akiwa ametiwa moyo, anaanza kuweka mipango kabambe zaidi na zaidi. Anaamua kuomba mkopo mkubwa wa benki ili kuzindua bidhaa zaidi na kununua vifaa, mali na ardhi. Lakini ukuaji wa mauzo aliokuwa akitarajia haujitokezi, na anajikuta akichelewa na malipo ya mkopo. Hatimaye, biashara inazidi kuzama kwenye deni. Angeenda "njia ya kati," yaani kujenga mafanikio yake kwa hatua nyingi ndogo, na kusikiliza maonyo ya washauri wake, mambo yangeenda vizuri zaidi.

Tunaweza kutumia methali hii katika maisha yetu ya kila siku kwa kuelewa mipaka yetu, kwenda taratibu, kutafuta washauri na mamenta wenye hekima, na kuyasikiliza maonyo kutoka kwa wengine.

Je umewahi kuruka karibu sana na jua? Ilikuwaje? Pia, tafadhali tunaomba maoni yenu kuhusu kitabu cha Usiruke Karibu Sana na Jua!