The Ant

The ant pauses to watch the view. Breathtaking, it thinks to itself in its tiny mind. So big this world and taken in one view, so beautiful. Grand sweeping masses of rock, falling sheerly into the ground, so far far away.

So many other ants, all making such beautiful patterns in the landscape. The ant looked closely at some of them, they were killing each other. It winced and looked closely at another bunch.

They were all together on one ledge, not moving any higher, telling each other that this is heaven. They were quite happy and content. They looked so beautiful against the landscape in their ledge, weaving patterns that were somehow familiar to see and comprehend.

Other ants, helping each other up, telling each other the summit was not too far, making more patterns.

So many many other patterns, some the ant couldn’t see, some it couldn’t understand. All adding up to one breathtaking landscape. It was worth it, the endless toil, just to be able to see this.

I have come a long way, it thinks to itself, with gratitude. It looks wistfully at the struggling ants at the bottom of it all. I cannot believe that was once me, on the ground, starting the toil. “I wish I could help them”…

“But I can’t, not without falling all the way down again” it shakes its head in resignation. I only have one day to live. It shouts instructions as loudly as it can from where it stands.

Some ants at the bottom listen, and take the well-known paths, and feel the joy and satisfaction of moving ahead. They shout back their thanks.

Some ants take the well known paths, but the path is not right for them, so they fall back quickly to the bottom. They then yell curses at the ant on top for misguiding them.

Some ants ignore it, and make new paths, and feel the joy of discovery.

Some new paths are much faster than the old, but much harder, and many ants fall to the bottom attempting them. But some pioneers jump ahead much faster than all other ants in the regular paths.

Some ants ignore all instructions and take false steps and fall back quickly to the bottom.

The ant leaves them to their struggles, and looks up. There are a billion more ants swarming up. Some single mindedly to reach the summit, if there was one. Others pausing at times, to shout instructions to the climbers below.

The ant looks up at the wall, and listens to all the instructions, especially the faint ones. The fainter it was, meant the higher the climber must have reached, reasoned the ant, in its little mind. Then it decides which path is right…