The popular view shared by most anyone on ants is quite simple; They are pests. There are sprays designed to kill them in mass numbers with as little work from their killer (humans) as possible. Infact, just today I bought some of that spray to kill some ants myself. With luck, the hundreds of them that call my house “home” (if they could grasp such concepts) will soon be eating poison and dying.

Here’s the thing: last night as I used my feeble wet paper towel to wash away there pheromone trails a thought hit me. When an ant dies not a single living thing cares. The average colony of ants has a population of about 1,000,000,000. Since they have a queen instead of pairing up like humans, almost ever any in that colony is not only family, but brothers. Every time you see a hole in the dirt making an any colony you eare looking at the front door to the home of a band of brothers 1,000,000,000 strong.

You are also looking at what must be the loneliest, saddest, and most terrible place in the world. Ants go their entire lives without eating sleeping, or love. Ants were not meant to truly live, only to find food for their baby larva brothers who will replace them when they die… which truth be told, will probably happen in just two short weeks.

And out of all of his brothers none will remember him or care that he is gone. Not even his killer will remember him.

I suppose I could say this is nature, glowing in its finest hour. I could say how amazing it is that such tiny creatures come together in such mass numbers. I could say something very cliché, like “United they are strong.” I could say a lot of things to make it seem like Mr. Ant was part of something bigger and that was what made his life something more than pointless. Anything more than pointless. To bad I’m not so up-beat.

As a whole an ant colony is a pointless factory of life; never advancing. A single ant however marches for two weeks without sleep selflessly facing a huge world. Ants are impossibly strong and can pick things up many times their body weight. They are warriors of a different kind.

They are great individuals who devote thiers lives to a stagnant whole.
Mr. Ant, I wont say I’m sorry for killing you because that indicates regret. I am sorry you chose to look for food in my house.

Conclusion: All ants reading this should probably go next door. They will surely kill you without a second thought. (and I do have more bug spray)