Lessons From the Ant

Ants are majestic creatures that we can learn many lessons from, especially us black folks. Let’s delve into the elegant simplicity of one of nature’s tiny giants.

First off, let’s start with some simple science nomenclature. Ants are of the family formicidae, deriving from the New Latin term “formica.” This can be broken down further into mica which in Latin means “crumb.” If we really wanna stretch, formicidae sounds a lot like formidable, which means “to instill fear; very strong or powerful.” Ants are formidable crumbs indeed. Furthermore, ants are proven winners that have many attributes that we can observe and pick up from them. Just don’t pick them up literally. Ant comes from the Old English word aemette which means “biter.” Let’s delve deeper.

1- Organization: Ants are extremely organized insects. This is seen in the baller ass castles they make known as mounds. Within that ant mound rests the colony, which has strict divisions of ant life. You have the queen who is the crux of the colony, the males that lay up with her all day, and the worker ants who, surprise, work to maintain the integrity of the colony. Having strict divisions of labor within a team decreases the amount of overlap among its members. This clear definition of roles has shown time and time again unmatched efficiency in completing even the most cursory of tasks.

2 - Teamwork: Ants are the ultimate team players. You will often see ants laying their bodies on the line to form bridges over unstable terrain so the rest of the colony can pass. After everyone is across safely, they make sure no one is left behind. Fire ants are also known to make flotillas of themselves when being threatened with flood conditions. See iconic Hurricane Harvey ants below. This is a lot like immigrants coming to America to try their luck at the american dream. You have a couple of family members come over and lay the initial foundation. Then more members come over and they all inhabit the same house. Everyone works together to start their own business and no one leaves until everyone is caked up. Teamwork makes the dream work. Pay attention.

3 - Communication: Ants are master communicators dealing mostly in olfactory (smell) chemicals. They frequently use pheromonal signals to communicate danger, injury, discovery of a food source, and depletion of a food source. The beauty of this is that these signals are generally only detectable by other ant species, thus creating a covert language. Anytime you feel as though you are behind enemy lines as most black people feel in America, veiled language is key to conceal your intentions. Remember, all warfare is rooted in deception. Speak less, communicate more.

4 - Cleanliness: Last, but not least, ants are very good cleaners and contributors to ecosystem health. They do a great job of keeping “pests” like roaches and maggots from over populating certain areas through natural predation. They also compost leaves on the forest floor to prevent over growth around the area. If you want people to respect you and your space, *you* have to respect you and your space. This is one of the reasons why keeping your living quarters, places of residence, and places of work clean is so important. Cleanliness is next to godliness and ants are godlike.

The ant is so simple, yet wise in its ways. It doesn’t need a doctor to tell it what to eat, a contractor to build its home, or a night out of binge drinking to feel normal. It just does what nature intended for it to do. We can learn a lot about ourselves from our pint sized partners in crime on this organic rock floating through space.

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