From an Ant’s Perspective: A Parable by Angie Mack

You see, on the day I was ready to walk, my father pulled me aside.  We sat underneath the dandelion and he gave me “THE TALK”. He said, “It is time for you to go to work, young man”.  Then, he proudly placed a pin on my chest with the numbers 1-4-2.  “Your place in this society is to stand 142nd in line.  You are now ready and strong enough to carry dirt from point A to point B.”  Immediately I questioned him, “But dad, I was thinking about being some sort of pioneer.  You know, like Columbus or something.  I want to travel.  I want to explore.  I want to voyage like the Vikings.  I want to know the world like no other has known it.  I want to be a like a gypsy.  I want to be an artist.”  My father gave me a blank stare as if I had thrown him off of his brainwashed mind.  To be honest, he looked as though he were going to have a heart attack.  “Dad, are you OK?” I asked.

Then, he awoke from his stare and frowned while firmly pointing.  “Get in line.  This is the way our people live.  They have lived like this for billions of years.  We are the working middle class.  We have our place in the queen’s society.  We follow the rules.  We toil with all of our might.  This helps create order.  Your desires are deviant.  They are dysfunctional.  It’s not normal, son.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from him.  I actually thought that he would be happy for me and my dreams.  I thought that, perhaps, he would bring me before the queen and say, “Your majesty, meet my brilliant son.  He has a vision.  He wants to explore.  You may want to listen to what he has to say.”  But no, he didn’t even care.  (I learned from that point on that I could not fully trust or confide in my rigid father.)  He must have pitied the sadness on my face as he continued, “Son, I do love you.  But in our society, deviance is not allowed.  The queen does not allow for any artists or explorers.  She does not want any countercultures to rise up, gain the affection of the people, and potentially dethrone her.  Thus, all rebels are carried by the colony to the spider’s web only to have their blood sucked out of them alive.  It’s torture.  I’ve seen it before many times.  I don’t want to see that happen to you.”

Well, of course I didn’t want to be eaten alive.  So I took my place as 142nd in line.  Each day, as I carried out my monotonous tasks of carrying dirt from A to B, I questioned my existence.  I questioned why I was created.  I questioned what was wrong with me.  I tried to stop thinking about exploring.  I tried to keep my mind on the task.  But I often got distracted and tripped on others during the job because I was daydreaming.  I couldn’t help but secretly fantasize about things such as flying, meeting different species, and living independent of the colony.  I felt like an outsider, clumsy, and ashamed.  My feet just didn’t seem to walk as steadily as theirs.  I had an odd walk.  It was sort of bouncy and syncopated.  I felt hated by God.

Then, one day out of nowhere, I saw a bright light.  It nearly killed me.  It began to literally fry my antennas.  I looked up in terror to the blinding light.  But I couldn’t see where it was coming from.  Next, I saw a raging fire about a foot away from me.  A leaf was burning.  Again, in confusion, I looked up.  Two human boys were hovering over me and my people.  One was holding a magnifying glass and laughing.  I was terrified.  I felt as though I was about to be eternally punished in the fires of hell for being “different”.

Then I heard a voice from above, “Stop!  I have an idea!”  Before I knew it, I was soaring high above my colony.  I started to giggle.  It felt so strange, yet so right.  I was being carried by one of the boys on a woodchip.  I wasn’t even afraid of falling.  In fact, I raised my hands and thanked God.  “Thank you, Jesus!” I shouted over and over again.  At the moment, I didn’t care where I was going.  I was just so elated to be GOING SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE!  I saw the blue sky so clearly.  I felt like I could touch it.  The colors of the trees around me were greener than I ever imagined.  Like angels, I watched a flock of geese fly overhead.  It was beautiful.  I thought I was going to heaven.

Suddenly, PLOP!  I was rapidly dropped toward the ground and landed in a puddle of water by the curb.  As scary as THAT was, sure enough I began to swim!  I never knew I could swim.  I always dreamt about it.  I wasn’t afraid.  Like flying, it just felt “right”.

As soon as I was able to work my way out of the puddle, I went on to meet many species of insects, birds, and small mammals.  Most of them, aside from some of the human children, were friendly.  I wandered around on my own.  I couldn’t find my way back to my colony even if I wanted to.  It was wonderful.  I ate what I wanted and when I wanted.

Now, my fellow geese, I bring my message to you.  Perhaps, you too, can be saved from your social system.  Perhaps some of you long to soar on a different path.  Perhaps you are tired of flying from North to South to South to North year after year.  There is hope for you.  There is deliverance……..I was saved.  You can be, too.