Did I Just Witness Something Remarkable, Or….?

During my somewhat destructive teenage years (15 or 16), I used to sit on my back porch and drop rocks on ants. I'd make sounds like "booosh!" Etc, replicating the sounds of bombs falling on them and was quite entertained by it.

That is until the neighbors dog "Blue" would chastise me for it. When I first moved in the house, the dog would bark at me, but it stopped once it got to know me. When I messed with the ants however he would bark very viciously. He was saying " stop fking with nature, asshole!".

It took me a while to get the message, but I finally did. I haven't gone out of my way to mess with insects since.

That was 25 years ago!

Thanks for the OP.

In So Cali we're often attacked by black ants when the Santa Ana winds are blowing and it is very hot and dry. They come looking for water. They also seem to congregate before rain, which doesn't happen that often around here. They seem to love our kitchen counter and they can really make their presence known in the hundreds.

My wife can't stand them. To her, they may as well be roaches so they have to go before she sees them.

The thing I noticed is that killing some ants "over here" send ants running and screaming "over there"
At least in my mind that's how I imagine it. But killing some ants in one spot can send other ants literally fleeing for their lives 2 feet away. I've witnessed this many times and it kind of freaked me out. I try to use natural deterrents now but their effectiveness is often not that good.

I have heard an old woman tell me that spiders can be asked to leave or move, funny that the idea is repeated here today. I have never taken it very seriously... but who knows...? Maybe I'll try it with the ants the next time they move into my kitchen.

I am extremely empathetic to all forms of life(except some humans who don’t deserve my empathy). I’ve fostered dogs that have had horrible lives and worked to normalize them again so they can be adopted. One dog in particular(bait Pit-scars everywhere) I’ll never forget, and my wife just bawled when we took her to her new home(high living-wow these people had some serious MONEY!) We tried to gave it some time, but the lady called the next day and said her husband was in love with the dog and insisted they keep her. Great! So about 6 months later, we get another call thanking us and God etc. because when thier neighbors were moving, thier dog got out and aggressively came at them, 1 child in a stroller and 1 walking with the mother. Maggie(or Maggie May as I liked to call her) tore that dog a new one before it ever got close to them. They sent us all kinds of stuff, gift cards etc. But the real reward was that the dog had a purpose. Apparently the dog is butter around humans, but the dog having that terrible fighting experience saved lives that day. Man we went through a LOT with that dog, with a severe heart worm case to boot.

I also feel very much for all life forms, they all come forth from God, Who is first and foremost the creator and operator of everything with a beginning, and man also in particular.

Every time I meet of these small lives scurrying away for sensing that my presence is danger even death to them, because life eats life - but only man destroys for no purpose except to what - for a hobby, like with guys hunting wild animals and then stuffing them, etc., if I have to dispatch them to God, I tell them, "Say hello to the Father, and tell Him I will have to see Him also one day."

a reply to: Kandinsky

Funny you mention that, I watched a documentary the day this thread was started about a wild fig tree in Africa... Apparently, figs are a huge part of animal life in Africa.

Anyways, they have a lot of unique species associated with the tree, namely the fig wasp. Fascinating little critters that are designed (evolved) for pair bonding you could say. They breed at birth within the fig then the male sacrifices himself to open the fig so females can escape. Probably just evolution but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't find it beautiful.

Documentary was called Queen of Trees, one of the best I've watched in a long time. It's on YouTube.

Good to hear this. I’m not abnormal. Or possibly so but not alone.

I moved into a place next to a wood once and there were lots of wood lice. I can’t kill anything (except parasites) and will go out of my way to save things ( even things I’m aftaid of) I have video of me, Tupperware container and spider. The screams can be heard. I would then drive the container 2 miles and release. I had the female in my house, never found her so it was a busy time.
Thinking about it now, I wonder if Tesco had a spider epidemic in recent years. The car park was perfect 😁

Anyway woodlice. They gave me the creeps so I named them berties and imagined them just going about their day. It helped. I saved a lot of them without losing my mind. Still needed tissue, can’t do contact with creepies excluding bees if it’s my ONLY option 😆

I no longer live with the berties but now I know I can.
If I really, really have to.

Everything has the spark of life. Everything is connected at some point.









a reply to: zosimov

a reply to: zosimov

A post that wonderfully captures humanity's internal struggle of the good versus the evil within. We all have the potential for great evil, but thanks to moments like these, we remind ourselves to strive for righteousness...