#KingSolomon and the #Ant

(I will tell the story of King Solomon and the ant. I've read a lot of versions of this story and this is my own based on what I know about ants.)

King Solomon continued his journey flying over a vast desert on his flying carpet. Below him his army marched in neat rows. He could see for miles from the great height. "This is magnificent." he thought.

And because he could understand the speech of the animals he heard the birds agree.
#threads #storyTime
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"Maybe I am magnificent too." He mused as the desert air ruffled his lovely robes.

But then he heard another voice. A tiny voice but one very self possessed.

"Beware of these men, my daughters! They do not look where their boots may land. Take heed!" Said the tiny but somehow imperious little voice.

It was coming from far far below.

Confused, and a little offended the King brought his magic carpet down to the earth. Settling not far from the voice. 2/

He looked around, but only saw his own soldiers who were now standing wondering why they had stopped.

"And now it seems he's come down to look at us." Said the little voice. "But he's still not even looking where he is going."

Then, at last, King Solomon spotted the source. At his feet in the sand a colony of ants was struggling to cross the road. And amongst them their queen.

"Why do you disparage my men?" Said Solomon.

"Pick me up so we can speak properly." said the ant queen. 3/

So, the king bent over and the ant queen climbed on to his hand. He lifted her up so they could speak eye to eye.

"These are my daughters and colony." She explained. "Your soldiers would have trampled them. I do not 'disparage' I give factual warnings."

And Solomon could see the sense in this. He found it amusing somehow, that the queen was so self-possessed.

"Ant Queen, who do you think is the most magnificent in these lands?" he asked.

The ant queen seemed to think about it for a bit. 4/

"I suppose I must be. I am responsible for many thousands and must guide them past perils like the feet of your soldiers!" Said the ant.

Solomon laughed at this but the ant queen did not join him.

"But you are tiny!" he tried to explain. "How could you be greater than a King like me?"

"We are more alike than not." Said the ant "And anyway, who is resting on the hand of the great King? It is I, isn't it?"

She said.

5/

Solomon told his soldiers to walk with more care and let the queen go back to her people.

After that, as he looked down from his flying carpet at the tiny rows of his own men, he found he had much to contemplate.

He might be magnificent, but on whose palm did he rest? Would any of his works or achievements be anything if not for nature and the world made by God?

The End.

Commentary:

In reality ant queens don't lead their people much at all. But, I don't think the story works unless Solomon encounters a tiny version of himself.

I do think ant queens feel immense responsibly to lay eggs. And all ants think they are doing the most important project in the world. The scale of the adversaries only proves this more.

There are many stories and traditions about "the great king gets perspective"... I also like the tradition that if you were some great Roman general being cheered by a crowd you should have a guy who follows you about whispering "memento mori*" in your ear.

These are things we have understood for a long time in many human cultures.

Now why am I going on about this and feeling exasperated? Hm.

*remember you will someday die

@futurebird Every good army lives and fights by it's Sergeants.

Royalty is a drag on any economy, even a non-capitalist economy.

Reproduction is just one of the criteria for life, but energy transfer, response to stimuli, homeostasis, movement, can only be accomplished by adult workers.

If you consider the colony to be a single animal, the queen is the uterus, important, sure, but no one thnks the uterus is the only driver of the animal. The workers are the brains, AND the hands.

@futurebird But if you look at the older workers, or majors, there is no sign of central authority, is there? DO you see one or two, older, senior ants running around tapping the others telling them what to do? I don't know but I doubt it.

@futurebird But if you look at the older workers, or majors, there is no sign of central authority, is there? DO you see one or two, older, senior ants running around tapping the others telling them what to do? I don't know but I doubt it.

@futurebird But if you look at the older workers, or majors, there is no sign of central authority, is there? DO you see one or two, older, senior ants running around tapping the others telling them what to do? I don't know but I doubt it.

@futurebird I think my point is the same as yours though... who or what is really in charge? At ANY level? Do we know? Are we sure? Why? Because some people voted for him and others are doing it? Because he's laying a BUNCH of eggs?

@Wyatt_H_Knott

Older more experienced ants will take charge and heard others. Or simply ants that feel they have better information.

If an ant *really* wants another ant to come to a location and she isn't following she may pick her sister up and simply carry her to the task or problem she wants help with.

(I sometimes wish someone would do this with me.)

Do two ants ever try to pick each other up?

@futurebird @Wyatt_H_Knott

@Wyatt_H_Knott

Older more experienced ants will take charge and heard others. Or simply ants that feel they have better information.

If an ant *really* wants another ant to come to a location and she isn't following she may pick her sister up and simply carry her to the task or problem she wants help with.

(I sometimes wish someone would do this with me.)

@futurebird @Wyatt_H_Knott

Aren't there a few species of ant that are migratory?

Someone must be leading them? I assume not the queen because that would be reckless, but there's got to be someone at the front of the line.

Anyway, we should find that ant. See if she's got any advice for the rest of us.