I have been in awe of the work ethic of ants ever since I was camped out near an oil field with my oldest child with nothing to entertain us except whatever show Mother Nature was featuring at the time.
It was the early 1980's, the decade when the Walkman was the newest of the new portable entertainment devices and we didn't have the privilege of such a luxury. It was me, my small child, a tent and whatever snacks I had brought along.
We came upon one of the most industrious insects I have ever known - the common ant. We watched these hard working little bugs for an untold amount of time. The show these little bugs put on for us had me spellbound.
Work, work, work. The amount they could carry astounded me. The teamwork. The organization. Every ant had a role to play. It was a system that worked.
Ever since that time, any time I spot an ant toting some humongous object, I stop and marvel all over again.
The only exception to this fascination with ants is when they moved into our home and decided to stay. Ants inside a residence are a whole different breed of obsession.
Despite the invasion of ants inside our home, I still feel a sense of childlike wonder when I watch the Herculean feats of these ambitions little insects.
As I raced out the door, already running behind schedule I noticed something moving on the driveway and stopped to record this little ant carrying a beetle:
The human race has only to look towards nature to find a "better way". What would happen if we followed the lead of the lessons nature has to share? Perhaps it is not all good - some animals are known to eat their young. As humankind continues to spiral in a fashion where innocent people are in danger for no other reason than being at the wrong place at the wrong time, I believe a little time soaking up the miracle of existence on this planet we call earth certainly can't hurt. Can it?
“If an ant carries an object a hundred times its weight, you can carry burdens many times your size.”
~ Matshona Dhliwayo
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