Wisdom from the Ant

Proverbs 6:6-11:

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Sometimes God's social hierarchy can be astonishingly backward compared to ours. Here wisdom is gained not from scripture, not from our elders, but from a lowly ant. The intense work ethic of an ant is not because it is directed by some corporate boss or central government, but but because it is necessary for survival. A nap here and there although not sinful themselves, can lead to full fledged slothfulness. The result of which is poverty.

I wonder how the wealth and social safety net of the United States has impacted these verses. Perhaps they have softened the blow of slothful sin, much like epidural for painful child birth. I assume that's a good thing, but i'm not positive.