The Fragile Life of Ants

I washed the dishes today. There was nothing extraordinary about it except that there were ants in the sink. I couldn't bear the thought of drowning them. So I waited for them to leave by tapping the steel. Perhaps it felt like an earthquake in the ant world and many scrambled out into safety. Less than a minute or so and they were out of the sink except for two with a tiny piece of bread crumb that they patiently carried out together. I have always admired ants for their hard work, they toil all summer to store food for the rainy days. 

It is the sun's time to shine warmly upon us and the ants are a witness to the change of weather. They sense that it is time to work hard again and so they risk their lives with their fragile bodies to get food wherever they can, to the frustration of humans who cannot wait to get rid of them.

Yet, they press on to do their job. They too feel the need to survive and they courageously face the world where they can be easily crushed with pressed fingertips.

I could not bear to inflict the pain. So I waited patiently for the rest to get out. A few took their time, it seemed they were lost and did not know where to go. The faster ones have left them behind. Even in the ant world it was always the aimless ones who were likely to suffer the most.  

I opened the faucet carefully and water trickled down, I did not want to drown any but sadly there were casualties. As they joined the soap suds down the drain my heart went out to them. How vulnerable ants were like the poor in our streets. They get left behind often and many people ignore them.

They too need our understanding and support and even though the world sees them as small, they have every right to be here. They deserve to live well and be happy.