Thursday, June 17, 2010

Terrorists & Ants

March, 2002
by Mr. Metaphor

With all the talk of terrorists in the last year, I couldn’t help but think about how small we all are. We can shout at the top of our lungs and it only has meaning for those who are willing to listen or capable of listening. Most of the things that humans shout have no meaning at all for the rest of life on earth. In our arrogance, we just assume that what we say goes. The same applies to the government’s approach to terrorists. The problem is that terrorists are like ants. Can you really get rid of ants?
Last summer I moved to a small house in the country near Leipers Fork,Tn. Being a country boy, I was familiar with most of the creatures that inhabit the woods and structures on the property. I began exterminating the insects in and around the house. I soon had the situation under control, or so I thought. I noticed that most of the insects had disappeared with the exception of one species. Ants! At first there wasn’t very many. Not any more than you would normally see. But after returning from a short vacation, they seemed to have moved back in. My first instinct was the same as any male. THIS MEANS WAR!
I drove down to the local home improvement store and loaded up with all kinds of good stuff. All the way home, I’m thinking to myself “I’m gonna kill these motherfuckers”. It was like being a kid again. Playing army in the yard with my brothers. Only this time I must surely have the advantage. I mean, look at them. they’re so little. I’ll just squash the livin’ shit out of them and be done with it. And so the battle began.
In the beginning things looked real good for the good guys (o.k., me). I was squirting stuff, spreading stuff, smashing stuff, and even dropped a few bombs. I was feeling like a real bad ass. Arnold, Sly, Jean Claude, Ted. After the first wave of shelling, it looked like bad news for the ant world. For days there was not an ant in sight. Then days turned into weeks , with only a few stragglers hobbling around. I guess I showed them. They won’t be bothering me anymore. I even bragged to the wife “Look honey, the ants are gone“. Or, are they?
While I was waging my own little war I became interested in these creatures. Even I know that you should “know your enemy”. We all know the basics about ants, but most of us have very little understanding of them. What’s with this queen thing? How many queens are there? How many ants in a colony? How many colonies are in my freakin’ yard? I became obsessed. I needed answers. and where can you find answers? College boys. Yes, that's right. People who actually study ants and like it! I began contacting some of these brilliant ant studiers, and started to get answers to my ant questions. And boy was I happy about that! They filled my head with all sorts of things. What to do to get rid of them. What not to do. Uh,oh, What not to do? Oh crap! Could it be that I miscalculated in my zeal to wage war upon the poor ants? After all, I was pretty pissed off. They did invade my territory. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It seemed like such a simple war.
After a few consultations with my ant guru it became apparent that I not only didn’t get rid of the ants, I probably created a “super colony”. bigger, better and even more well equipped to defend themselves against any enemy. I had not been sneaky enough. The old “revenge is a dish best served cold” thing. And even if I managed to kill a queen or two, there will always be a princess in the wings waiting for her day to rule. She will have many followers and they will do whatever it takes to defend the colony and keep the species alive. And now, I’m beginning to understand.
And so I’ve learned a valuable lesson or two about what you can do for real vs. what is not reality. In today's world the sound bite has taken control. When our leaders speak it is not even their own words that come out of their mouths. So why bother listening. No, I don’t have a solution to terrorism, but I’m not trying to sell you one either. A lack of understanding and patience is a dangerous thing. The road to true “freedom” is paved with blood. Be united if you feel the need. But to be on the safe side you had better be prepared to die.

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