Elephants and Ants

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Posted by Justin Long ⋅ July 12, 2008 ⋅

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Indonesians have a proverb: “Gajah bertarung lawan gajah, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah.” In English, it means: When elephants battle elephants, deers die in their midst. We can surely appreciate this. What can an ant—however super he may be—do against the larger powers of the world?

No single ant can make a difference. Together with many other ants, however, a swarm can. Insects are found throughout the world, in every environment. Entomologists estimate that the average number of insects in each square mile equals the number of people in the world. Ants colonies in particular are virtually unstoppable. Control, rather than eradication, is typically the goal.

Consider Australia, where a super ant swarm has been found. This swarm, located in the city of Melbourne, is over 62 miles long. This particular breed of ants migrated from Argentina. In their home country, they fought with one another. In Australia, a slight change introduced in their genetic makeup caused them to stop being aggressive toward each other, and instead cooperate. Now they are taking over the Australian landscape.

What can we learn from the ants that will enable us to get inside the difficult problems our planet faces, and transform them? That’s what this series will be about.