Have you watched an ant colony as the ants scurry to feed, or defend, the colony? Have you ever studied bees in the hive, as they work to take care of the queen? Have you ever studied primates in the wild? While we are closely related to primates, an observation shows that we have more in common with the ants and bees than we do with our nearest living relatives, the other primates.

Ants

When we look at ants we see them rushing off on some purpose, often forming lines as they go. If we watch them for long we wonder how each one knows where it is going. Ants actually do make roads for each other – these are called scent trails. The ants each have their own jobs, or roles, some serve to collect food, others are workers, building and repairing the ant hill, other ants defend the colony, others cater to the needs of the queen, and so forth.

Ants even have their own form of agriculture, with some ant species raising, tending, and “milking” aphids.

Bees

Bees also work for a purpose, their queen. Some bees serve to collect food, others to process the food, and within the bee hive there are many more roles. Busy bees, we call them, as we see these tiny insects fly from flower to flower collecting pollen to bring back to the hive. Within the hive these bees work, work, work, to serve a purpose, that is for the betterment of the hive, and their queen.

Bees show a “teamwork” effort communicating with each other in ways we are only learning, as they tell each other “go here, go there, the food is this far”.

Modern Humans

When we look at modern humans, we see them rush in the morning to get off to work, they enter rush hour traffic, everyone going someplace, much like the ants in the colony, how does each one know where they are going?

We, as humans, think we are free compared to the ants and bees, but if you were to watch a city from a distance it would look no different than an ant colony or bee hive. You would see people rushing off here and there, and if you were to get a bit closer you would see we are not working for ourselves, but for another force. People work for their boss, but ultimately for their government. Even the bosses work for somebody (perhaps the tax man) as they rush around just like our friend the ant, or the bee.

From afar a modern human society is far more similar to an ant colony, or bee hive, than to our nearest relatives, the primates. From our rush hour traffic that looks like an ant trail, to our office cubicles that look like bee hives….

Ask yourselves, is this the way our life is suppose to be? Is the purpose of life that we all are meant to be worker ants and drones feeding the queen, collecting the all mighty dollar like it was pollen? We call it a “Rat Race” but what has become of the human race, and why is anything a race at all?