Amazing what one may learn from other species of life rather than the simple dismissal of others due to our arrogance …….as if to humanoids in spite of being the chosen or being the higher specie in most religious traditions still need to take note of what other species have to offer!
From ants, one may learn the way they organise themselves without having to go through the process of undue constant quarrel which one would notice in even so called modern and advanced societies where trust is lacking where it is always a question of outdoing of the other. Or to do so would imply that one is seemingly better than the other group.
The history of humanoids is a sad one: often anger, distrust and violence is common let alone being of different cultures or foreigners even within a single society and nationalities there is profound disagreement as may be witnessed in politics. A question of always outdoing the other and to become the ‘top gun’. Just observe how political parties’ function in any society and one notices how we are at each other’s throats; a lead unfortunately which is taken often by the general populace who follows their leaders as if they are everything in whom one needs to have trust in.
Humans have created barriers not only in politics from the same land but has imposed other divisions through their own provisions of separatism which is central to their particular way of being whilst excluding a few, some or many others. The sad story of the world is that everyone is a suspect and that there is no trust between people. Even where someone tries to reach out; that too is questioned immediately and one asks whether the other is non-spurious or not.
When one observes ants for instance at work and how they organise their communities, it is all built on a comradeship where there is acknowledgement as they undertake their working life. They would naturally greet each other as they disperse in opposite direction… some taking their bounty and others moving to collect more or when just seeking new pastures. To be sure, a lot that humanoids may learn from as in our conceited forms we choose to and or fail the efforts of others due to our own prejudice where some are seen as better. Not so, in the Ants world!
Others may point out that humans are more elevated than simple meaningless creatures but suffice to observe that these simplest of creatures have a great organisation, a kind of peace and cooperation which is lacking often in our so- called advanced societies which is dominated mostly by ‘ism’ of some form or other.
Looking at the yellow wasp and how they communicate and alert each other particularly when they would discover a suitable residence to save themselves from cold weather. Or when one of their own is hurt, with amazing speed through the air they send vibrations across to their comrades to beware.
How about when looking at communities of birds and how they flock together and or make their timely migration when weather changes in a country and would readily move in teams across thousands and thousands of miles and their adventure spirit only to bring them back to new pastures albeit for a few months.
We have also observed how a mother pigeon may care for its little one by creating a small nest and that no sooner that the little one grows; mother pigeon move along and releases her off springs in the world.
The point is that other species rarely prey on others for their survival unless one is a scavenger. A natural way to be: Survival of the fittest. Using this motto, our friends often attack each other and ignores the lesson of calm and peace from some other species Similarly, it is through self-realisation and or reflection that one realises that one is never in the mode of separatism which encourages all negativities whilst it is through visions that one may endeavour to be positive. Using the strategy of vision and meditation, the fish, the tortoise and the birds maintain their offspring, writes Srila Prabhupada in his commentary to text 26 of the Bhagavad Gita as it is in Chapter 5.
‘The fish brings up its offspring simply by looking at them. The tortoise brings up its offspring simply by meditation. The eggs of the tortoise are laid on the land, and the tortoise meditates on the eggs while in the water.’ (BG 3: 5: 28.)
Again, quite another important lesson to be taken from these creatures! Or the aspect of vision and mediation to be sure has been taken over in so many ways by so many thinkers across the globe where it is via planning and setting of a goal that one may verily reach a goal and again any such goal may be achievable if done creatively rather than reactively. In the latter mode, one is a mere puppet of the mundane and material which a more visionary approach takes us towards a realm of transcendence where negativism such as bickering, anger and hatred are pushed aside for a more positive approach of reaching out, and of envisioning a calm and peace zone ahead away from the warmongers of the separatist views which subjugate the self in surrender to the material zone.
As Humanoids it behoves us to be there not in the mode of paranoia and or dislike/hatred of each other but rather to transcend these categories and rise over and above so that one makes sense of the world we are in in its grandeur not from a particular angle or perspective but importantly perhaps from a no perspective. In taking this on board, one moves in an arena where confusions are replaced by clarity and where hatred transit into love and where conflicts and war gives way to calm and peace.
In essence a lot to be learnt from the smallest of our little brethren as once was referred to by one Archbishop of Canterbury who surely also must have taken heed of The patron saint of the environment St Francis of Assisi who always referred to animals with more respect … adding values rather than mere objects. If one learns to see these ‘brethren’ as being subjects one may indeed take the option to try making sense of verily learning from them!