A Lesson in life
By: Blue Turtle
Back in July I was sitting on my Son’s back patio and observed something that has had a profound meaning in my life. I would like to take this time to share it with you.
While sitting there I observed a large wing of a wasp moving magically across the cement blocks. Normally I would not have given it a second look, but not noticing what was carrying it, I took a better look. It was a small ant, hardly a sixteenth of an inch long. It was so small that you could barely see it beneath the load it was carrying. Its struggle was so noticeable that I continued to watch its progress. Across the brick it went struggling with that wing. Each time the wind blew the wing would push the poor ant over and it would have to struggle lift it again. Each crack between the blocks was like a grand canyon for it. It was a struggle both going down into it and out. In all it took that poor ant forty minutes to cover just three foot of patio. But then its work really started, it had to traverse the flowerbed.
My Son had just dumped new topsoil in it and it was full of large lumps. I could just imagine what this obstacle looked like to that ant. I guess the closest I could come would be the surface of the moon. What a titanic battle that little ant had lugging that unyielding wing over one lump after the other. It took it over an hour just to cross two feet of flowerbed.
Now in my seventy years, I’ve seen a lot of ants, but this was the first time I’ve watched them this close. I really haven’t seen one die, except when stepped on. And to tell the truth I never really gave it a thought until now. But I watched that little ant struggle itself to death with that load. He began to stagger after leaving the flowerbed and finally collapsed about a couple of inches from the hole. Another ant came from the hole and took the wing in, and a little later another came and gathered up the little ants body.
Now this all got me to thinking! What unselfish devotion that this little ant had shown, its only thought of food for those future generations. I wonder how many of us humans would even pick up such a load, not alone struggle as that ant did out of unselfish devotion to our progeny? Are we really so different? In reality our life spans are not that diverse in respect to our size. Could it be that they are greater than us in ways we cannot yet understand? Perhaps these are only the mindless meanderings of an old man, but this experience has enlightened me to a new sense of values towards my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Perhaps you too will see something worth thinking about with this story. As it is, I go out of my way to drop a crumb now and then to those small teachers.
May you all walk in beauty, harmony and eternal love!
Blue Turtle
