This morning as I was walking out to my car I stepped over an ant hill. What is this, a center for ants? And it was. This was a place where ants could convene to talk about the topics that are troubling ant society. One of the most important topics has to be staying alive. Ants face mortality at every given moment because practically everything in their world is thousands of times bigger than them. The must live in constant fear of being stepped on, swept away by a cool breeze, flooded out by a few rain drops, sprayed with poison or eaten by other animals. How could you know that danger is out there and still go about your day to day working and raising a family? And yes I know, humans face danger every time they leave the house, drive their cars, get on a plane and do extreme things. But for the most part we do it with no fear. How can ants possibly do the same?
Everything in the ant’s world can quickly come crashing down around it. How many times has an ant been out hanging their laundry on the line and suddenly their whites are covered with ant blood? Too many times to count. As humans there are plenty of things bigger than us like trees, skyscrapers and mountains. But Mount Everest never killed anyone that didn’t ask for it. No innocent people have lost their lives on that slope. A mountain doesn’t just decimate an entire population below it. Yes I know volcanoes erupt and bury an entire town. Earthquakes, tsunamis, fire and other natural disasters claim seemingly more lives every year. It’s a wonder that natural disasters plus disease, famine and crime haven’t eradicated the entire human race.
But we’re still here. Ants are still here. The only way that makes sense is that they don’t live in fear either. It’s like Roland Tembo said in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, “Remember that chap about twenty years ago? I forget his name. Climbed Everest without any oxygen, came down nearly dead. When they asked him, they said why did you go up there to die? He said I didn't, I went up there to live.” We step outside of the comfort of our homes because we must. We throw caution into the wind to reap the rewards of taking a chance. We dangle on the edge. We tip toe the line. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes we win. But if the ant never leaves the hill in fear of the outside world he will certainly starve to death. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather die living than live dying. That’s what the ant does.
But we’re still here. Ants are still here. The only way that makes sense is that they don’t live in fear either. It’s like Roland Tembo said in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, “Remember that chap about twenty years ago? I forget his name. Climbed Everest without any oxygen, came down nearly dead. When they asked him, they said why did you go up there to die? He said I didn't, I went up there to live.” We step outside of the comfort of our homes because we must. We throw caution into the wind to reap the rewards of taking a chance. We dangle on the edge. We tip toe the line. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes we win. But if the ant never leaves the hill in fear of the outside world he will certainly starve to death. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather die living than live dying. That’s what the ant does.
And before you say I don’t know what it feels like to be an ant let me regale you with this one example – this is the 2nd time I’ve written this entry. The first time it deleted on my phone before I could post it. Now it’s not exactly life or death but I got a prime example of how something so totally out of your control (technology to me, everything else to the ants) can change things in an instant. I’m lucky that it was just my genius first post was deleted and not my life. I have many more that I could share because although I’m big in a physical sense, there are many times in my life that I’ve felt so small and crawled into my hill to hide. We all do this. We are all ants in a way. But in many ways we are something so much bigger.
Ants aren’t so lucky. They will always be small. So there isn’t much I can do to help you my ant friends. I won’t go out of my way to kill you, but I won’t go out of my way to not kill you. If it happens it was a matter of circumstance. I meant no intention of ill will, no malice nor vengeance. I am sorry. This is the way the world is and I apologize. Most people don’t think about the world around them but for a moment this morning when I stepped over the ant hill instead of on it. I’d like to think I made a difference. I’d like to think I care about the ants. I’d like to think they matter. I’d like to think I matter. I’m not an ant. But still I feel so small.
Ants aren’t so lucky. They will always be small. So there isn’t much I can do to help you my ant friends. I won’t go out of my way to kill you, but I won’t go out of my way to not kill you. If it happens it was a matter of circumstance. I meant no intention of ill will, no malice nor vengeance. I am sorry. This is the way the world is and I apologize. Most people don’t think about the world around them but for a moment this morning when I stepped over the ant hill instead of on it. I’d like to think I made a difference. I’d like to think I care about the ants. I’d like to think they matter. I’d like to think I matter. I’m not an ant. But still I feel so small.
- pookon -
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