Not Mere Mounds of Mud - What lessons lie buried in Ant Hills :
While the world now, with high rise bridges and skyscrapers, struggles to uphold basic civic order; the humble anthill hides with it lessons for civilizational progress.
Without any scope of an ariel view, how do ants manage to build such architectural designs? It's the work they do underground which matters. The inside of an anthill opens up like a fantasy world, with an astonishing network of interconnected tunnels and chambers. It's not one deep dark hole, but has separate chambers for the Queen Ant, worker ants, food storage, etc. , with channels for air and water circulation, all within a seemingly tiny space.
Lesson#1 - Space management is not a matter of concern, it's the cornerstone of creation in Nature. These intricacies underneath lead to the outward impressive appearance. Lesson #2 - The devil is the detail. Focus on the details and the overall outcome will be magical.
Also, compare the size of the ants with the height of their abode. Such (comparatively) gigantic structures are required to withstand the vagaries of Nature. How do these tiny things move about and scale up and down these anthills? A busy schedule brings fitness, which in turn brings swiftness and agility. Being a coach potato is not an option for ants, which ensure that no height or width is enough to them tire out. Lesson #3.
And the material to build such huge formations? The mud scooped out to build underground chambers doubles up as material for rising the fort around.
Lesson #4 - Recycling, Best of Waste are not media trends. They are facts of Nature.
What makes building and maintainece of such structure possible? Hardwork and discipline. A military-like life and routine is what makes these minute creatures capable of building such marvelous colonies. Focused, goal-oriented, tirelessly, fixed mind are not mere word-salds to be heard from Motivational speakers; these qualities are the building blocks of a thriving Life. That's Lesson #5.
Ever observed the movement of ants? How soldier - esque are their movements! Not one out alignment, no collision, no mad rush. The laws of maintaining such traffic is inbuilt within each ant - it's their own internal instincts which promote such behaviour, rather than forced external fines and punishments. Lesson#6. Nature is calm and smooth-functioning; it's the most-advanced human mind who brings chaos.
And at the end, how long do these structures last? Not forever, surely. Can they withstand all forms of rains, storms and human interference? The ant hill is too fragile to withstand all of these but what stands strong in all conditions is the Will- Power of the ants. Hail or Wind, Rain or Shine, they march on, undaunted, to build and rebuild their colonies, over and over again, without the least fatigue or slackness. Boredom, despair, lack of motivation are not accountable factors when it's the question of survival, of Life. Lesson #7 .
So, the next time you are about to casually stomp over one of these marvels of Nature, pause for a second and think about all the hardwork and intelligence that they embody. Kneel down and observe the beauty and diligence of its inhabitants. Reflect on these observations, and the Laws and Mysteries of Nature unravel themselves to you.
